Maneki-neko

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Typical Maneki-neko figure made of porcelain
Waving Maneki-Neko
The design model of the Maneki-neko, a Japanese Bobtail

Maneki-neko , also Manekineko ( Japanese 招 き 猫 "Beckoning Cat" or "Beckoning Cat"), is a popular Japanese lucky charm in the shape of an upright cat that beckons the viewer with its right or left paw .

Maneki-nekos are now particularly popular in Japan, China , Taiwan and Thailand and are preferably placed in the entrances of shops in shopping malls , restaurants , brothels and lotteries . There they should attract customers with their incessant waving. On market places and exhibitions, let them bring financial as Business luck. They are often placed in private houses to bring prosperity and keep bad luck away. Your current shape goes back to the cat breed Japanese Bobtail ; According to Japanese tradition , the Maneki-neko is the rebirth of the goddess of grace, Kannon ( 観 音 ). Legends and anecdotes about lucky cats have been handed down in Japan since the beginning of the Edo period (1603–1867).

description

The shape of the Maneki-neko is based on the Japanese Bobtail . In Japan this breed is called Kazoku-neko ( 家族 猫 "family cat "), the three-colored breed is called Mike-neko ( 三毛 猫 ; literally "three-skin cat"). Like its role model, the Maneki-neko is also stubby-tailed . It also has the distinctive, upright ears of this breed of cats.

Another typical feature of Maneki-neko figures is the predominantly red collar with a golden bell or an ornate plaque on which the name of what is to be attracted (for example, "luck", "customers" or "money") is engraved .

Maneki-neko figurines were originally made of painted and glazed ceramic . Even today they are still made from ceramics, but now mass production from plastic predominates. Maneki-nekos are always designed in the same way, but their color can vary greatly. Models coated with gold leaf are also popular . There are hardly any limits in size either.

The color of the Maneki-neko plays an important role: three-colored cats are seen as good luck charms, which is why a three-colored Maneki-neko promises a lot of luck and prosperity. A pure white Maneki-neko stands for purity and innocence, a black one wards off demons and stalkers and is very popular with women. A golden maneki-neko is said to attract wealth and a red maneki-neko drives away diseases. Finally, a pink maneki-neko is supposed to attract lovers.

The gesture of waving is also important. If the Maneki-neko lifts her left paw, she calls customers and visitors, if she lifts her right paw, this promises happiness and prosperity. The higher she lifts her paws, the more customers / luck she should attract with it. There are also images in which the cat lifts both paws, but these figures are frowned upon, especially in Japan, as this gesture is perceived as exaggerated. Therefore, Maneki-neko with raised paws on both sides are rather rare. Gilded Maneki-neko figures come from Thailand , which are hollow on the inside and equipped with a battery-operated mechanical device that constantly lets the cat's raised arm swing up and down. These permanently waving figures are particularly popular in the western world.

Lore and traditions

origin

The legendary figure of the Maneki-neko has its origins in both Chinese and Japanese tradition . There cats have always been viewed ambiguously: On the one hand, they were considered hardworking mouse and rat catchers and watchful pets, so they brought luck. On the other hand, it was also said that they could turn into demons (for example, Bakenekos and Nekomatas ), which is why many people felt afraid of cats.

From the Chinese tradition which dates superstition that it would begin to rain when a cat washes her face. And because the cleaning movements with the paws sometimes look like waving, it was believed that the cat was calling people (and customers) into the house. In Japan, on the other hand, waving was sometimes interpreted as a well-meaning warning of an approaching disaster, which is why cats were (and are) revered as the rebirth of the goddess of grace Kannon .

Legends

Several legends emerge from the Edo and early Meiji periods (1868–1912) of Japan that may have promoted the Maneki-neko cult. The first story tells of a beautiful and wealthy geisha who went to the bathroom one day and was suddenly attacked by her beloved cat. The animal scratched and screamed so horribly that one feared she had become mad , and the homeowner who came to help cut her head off with his sword. But while the head was still flying in a high arc into the toilet, it bit the poisonous snake lurking there in the head and thus saved the geisha. She was very saddened by the unnecessary loss of her beloved pet and so the house owner gave her a ceramic figure in the shape of the deceased cat as a consolation.

Another popular anecdote tells of a riding group of heavily armed samurai who visited the temple of Gōtoku-ji ( 豪 徳 寺 ) near Edo (now Setagaya ) and saw a small cat sitting at the entrance. The cat was washing its face and when it ran its paws over its ears it looked like it was waving to the samurai. As a result, the warriors entered the temple peacefully and left the residents in peace.

Another legend tells of the head of the Ii family, who also visited the temple of Gōtoku-ji in the 17th century. According to the story, Ii Naosuke was on his way home from the imperial falconry when he got caught in a downpour. He stood under a big old tree and suddenly noticed an old, poor temple nearby. And right in front of the entrance gate sat a cat and seemed to be waving to him excitedly. As he hurried toward her, lightning bolted into the tree right behind him and narrowly missed him. Out of gratitude, Ii Naosuke donated a lot of money to the poor temple and saved it from the threat of closure.

A fourth story tells of a good-natured old cat lover and collector who ran into financial difficulties and was advised to sell her cats. However, that brought the old woman does not have and so töpferte they lifelike replicas of her favorites. The clay figurines were so well received by buyers that they immediately became a trend among the wealthy and the old cat grandma was able to settle all her debts.

Finally, a more modern legend is about a humble fishmonger who fell seriously ill, was unable to work for a while and therefore got into financial difficulties. One day he was surprised by an abandoned cat that had occasionally given him scraps of food. The cat carried a precious gold coin in its mouth, which brought in a lot of money for the fishmonger, so that he could save his shop with the thankful animal.

Traditions

It is still a tradition today that cat owners have the ashes of their loved ones buried near the temple of Gōtoku-ji, which is why this place is also known as Manekineko no miya ( 招 き 猫 の 宮 "Temple of the waving cats"). Cat owners also visit the shrine if one of their favorites has been lost or is seriously ill. They leave banners with prayers and images of the Maneki-neko on them at the shrine.

Origin and spread of the Maneki-neko cult

Two other versions of the Maneki-neko figurine

The spread of the Maneki-neko cult went hand in hand with the introduction of the Japanese Bobtail cat breed , which was originally bred around 1600 at the Japanese imperial court. Cats with docked tails had come to Japan as gifts from the Chinese emperor; at the farm there, the targeted breeding of an independent stub-tailed cat breed began. At the same time, the associated cult of the Maneki-neko began to flourish. At first, however, the pictures and figurines of the Maneki-neko were rather rare, and it was only with the beginning of the Meiji era that illustrations and short stories began to increase. They took the Japanese Bobtail as a design model early on . At this time, ceramic figurines began to appear in increasing numbers in entertainment and business districts. From there the image of the more modern Maneki-neko spread across Japan.

Maneki-nekos in the modern subculture

In Seto-shi in Aichi Prefecture near Tokyo, there is a ceramic museum that has one of the largest exhibitions of Maneki-neko figures in Japan. Over a thousand exhibits from all eras and countries are shown there. As already mentioned, today Maneki-neko figurines mainly come from industrial mass production and are marketed worldwide, mostly as " lucky cats". In the late Meiji era, the lucky charms were still to be found at the entrances to brothels. In modern Japan, China and Thailand, they are put up en masse in restaurants - especially fast food restaurants - and lotteries. In western countries like North America and Europe , the popularity of Maneki-neko figures is currently increasing. A cartoon version of the Maneki-neko depicts the character Hello Kitty , her name (literally translated as "Hello Kitten") is also an allusion to the lucky charm. The Pokémon figure Meowth was also inspired by the Maneki-neko . In Japan, the cult of the winking cat goes so far that many people get tattoos with Maneki-nekos as a motif.

See also

In addition to the Maneki-neko, there are other cat demons related to the Maneki-neko and some of them malicious in Shinto beliefs and Buddhism :

literature

  • Chihiro Arakawa, Kanji Bando: 招 き 猫 博 覧 会. Shiraishi, Tokyo 2001, ISBN 4-7866-3023-3 .
  • Ju Brown, John Brown: China, Japan, Korea. Culture and Customs. BookSurge, North Charleston SC 2006, ISBN 1-4196-4893-4 .
  • PC Cast, Leah Wilson: Nyx in the House of Night. Mythology, Folklore, and Religion in the PC and Kristin Cast Vampyre Series. Smart Pop, Dallas TX 2011, ISBN 978-1-935618-55-3 .
  • Sandra Choron, Harry Choron, Arden Moore: Planet Cat. A Cat Alog. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston MA 2007, ISBN 978-0-618-81259-2 .
  • Bruce Fogle: Encyclopedia of the Cat: The Definitive Visual Guide. Dorling Kindersley, London 2008 (new edition), ISBN 1405321490 .
  • Tom Howard: The cat chronicles. One cat ... nine adventurous lives ... each lived in a different time and place. Running Press, Philadelphia PA 1993, ISBN 1-56138-291-4 .
  • Makoto Kikuchi: 招 き 猫 の 文化 誌. Bensai, Tokyo 2001, ISBN 4-585-09073-8 .
  • Makoto Kikuchi, Chihiro Arakawa: 招 き 猫 の 宮. Ebisu kōshōshuppan, Tokyo 2004, ISBN 4-900901-37-7 .
  • Alan Scott Pate: Maneki neko, Japan's beckoning cats. From talisman to pop icon. Mingei International Museum's Billie Moffitt Collection. Mingei International Museum, San Diego CA 2011, ISBN 978-0-914155-25-6 .
  • Haru Matsukata Reischauer: Samurai and Silk. A Japanese and American Heritage. Harvard University Press, Cambridge MA et al. 1986, ISBN 0-674-78800-1 .
  • Sam Stall: 100 Cats Who Changed Civilization. History's Most Influential Felines. Quirk Books, San Francisco 2007, ISBN 1594741638 .
  • James M. Vardaman, Michiko S. Vardaman: Japan from A – Z. Mysteries of Everyday Life Explained. Tuttle Publishing, 1995, ISBN 4900737410 .
  • Peter Warner : Perfect Cats. Sidgwick & Jackson, London 1991, ISBN 1555219462 .
  • Jill C. Wheeler: Japanese Bobtail Cats. ABDO, Minneapolis MN 2012, ISBN 978-1-61478-497-5 .

Web links

Commons : Maneki neko  - collection of images, videos and audio files
  • Background information on Maneki-neko on the English and Japanese websites of the Manekineko Museum in Seto City.
  • Background information on the origin of Maneki-neko on manekinekoclub.org . (Japanese)

Individual evidence

  1. a b c d e f g Ju Brown, John Brown: China, Japan, Korea. Culture and Customs. P. 172.
  2. ^ A b c Peter Warner: Perfect Cats. P. 68.
  3. a b c d e f g Sandra Choron, Harry Choron, Arden Moore: Planet Cat. P. 20.
  4. Philip Cornwel-Smith, John Goss: Very Thai. Everyday popular culture. Pp. 165, 166.
  5. a b c d Haru Matsukata Reischauer: Samurai and Silk. P. 172.
  6. ^ A b P. C. Cast, Leah Wilson: Nyx in the House of Night. Pp. 62-63.
  7. Legends about the Gōtoku-ji temple on Nifty.com ( Memento of the original from April 19, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Japanese) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / homepage1.nifty.com
  8. James M. Vardaman, Michiko S. Vardaman: Japan from A – Z. Pp. 24, 25.
  9. Legends about the Gōtoku-ji temple on Nifty.com ( Memento of the original from April 19, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Japanese) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / homepage1.nifty.com
  10. ^ Kristen Hampshire, Iris Bass, Lori Paximadis: Cat Lover's Daily Companion. P. 181.
  11. a b Tom Howard: The cat chronicles. Pp. 65, 72-74.
  12. ^ Jill C. Wheeler: Japanese Bobtail Cats. Pp. 6-8.
  13. Background information on Maneki-neko on the English ( Memento of the original from November 28, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. and Japanese website of the Manekineko Museum of Seto-City. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.luckycat.ne.jp
  14. Sam Stall: 100 Cats Who Changed Civilization. P. 48.
  15. Terisa Green: The Tattoo Encyclopedia. P. 154.
This version was added to the list of articles worth reading on May 9, 2012 .