Maneki Neko...the Japanese "lucky cat"...
translated means, "beckoning cat"...
also known as "Welcoming Cat"...
"Fortune Cat" or "Money Cat"...
it is quite common in Japan or Japanese businesses...
often made of porcelain or ceramic...
expensive ones...sometimes even jade or gold...
although cheaper ones may be made of plush, plastic or vinyl...
[solar powered,"movable" ones are always plastic...]
they are believed to bring good luck to their owner...
and are often made as a statuette, keychain, a toy, a plush figure...
or, most commonly as a "coin bank"...
[this business is taking NO chances...
"lucky bamboo" [$$$]...
gold lucky cat family...
AND...a BIG lucky cat...
& between the 4 of them...
both paws raised...]
the origins are vague...
but Maneki Neko are first documented in the late 1800's...
by the early 1900's, they were a popular item...
in both homes & places of business...
believed to bring good luck...
especially to the person who receives one as a gift...
the gesture of "beckoning" varies with the culture...
what we Westerners consider a wave of "good-bye"...
Easterners consider a welcoming gesture...
"welcoming" customers, money or good luck...
the raised right paw...
is said to bring in "wealth & good luck"...
so the "gold" finish on this "raised right paw" cat bank...
is all calculated to maximize the "good luck"...
[there is NO significance I could find for the "cyclops"...]
a raised left paw, is said to "bring in customers"...
and some believe, VERY lucky for drinking establishments...
[leaving the right paw for the other stores...]
in Japan, those who hold their liquor well...
are called "hidari-kiki" [left-handed]
also, the higher the paw is raised...
the more luck...
or ...
the farther the distance ...
that the luck will have to travel to reach you...
both paws raised is believed to bring success in business...
and good luck in your life...
which is probably why this lucky cat...
looks like he's "channeling" the Buddha...
or is just, "blissed-out"...
Nyan Nyan Nyanko is a version of the lucky cat...
who in Pokeman type fashion...
enjoys imitating food...is very curious...
but is very fickle and easily bored...
here's plush one masquerading as a 'burger...
here are several vinyl "foodies"...
[I know... these look suspiciously like
that other Japanese "feline fatale"...
"Hello, Kitty"...
appropriate enough since "HK"...
was inspired by the Maneki Neko
as was the Pokeman character, "Meowth"]
the traditional Maneki Neko...
is a calico, Japanese bobtail...
but they come in many colors...
most of which have Feng Shui significance...
as do their placement in the business or home...
especially when made of crystal...
"blue", placed in the "north"...
will bring good health for the family...
as well as ridding the home of bad luck...
"red", placed in the "southwest"...
brings love, promotes good luck for the family...
and raises the level of fortune for the family...
"green" [or white], placed in the "northeast"...
brings good luck to all...
"yellow", placed in the "west"...
brings wealth, prosperity and success...
"purple", placed in the center of the home or business...
brings the fulfillment of dreams & desires of the heart...
it also raises the level of achievement of dreams and desires...
this Chinese style porcelain box, features...
the "jao cai mao",[in Mandarin...]
the Chinese version of the lucky cat...
which can trace it's origins back to a Chinese proverb...
"when a cat washes it's face, it will rain..."
[sending customers into stores, seeking shelter...
bringing business to stores...]
the later Japanese version...
"when a cat washes it's face... expect visitors..."
there are a number of stories about people...
who befriended a cat...
and became the recipient of good fortune...
for their kindness to the cat...
there are other stories about cats "beckoning"...
saving those who responded to them from bad things...
it's no wonder that in Japan...
cats are considered lucky...
but since the origins of the Maneki Neko...
are so vague...
they could have come from anywhere...
or a combination of several things...
continuing on in this less-stylized version...
[like those of crystal]...
we have these small ceramic, hand painted...
VERY collectible figurines...
some being VERY small...
others... a bit larger...
[I'd sure use a "lucky cat" slot machine...]
and then... some things need NO further remarks...
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