Maneki-Neko: The Meaning of Japan's Lucky Cat

What Is a Maneki-Neko?

A maneki-neko is the "beckoning cat", a seated cat figure with one paw raised, which Japanese shops and homes display to invite customers, good fortune and good connections. Maneki means beckoning or inviting, and neko means cat.

The raised paw is not waving. It copies the Japanese gesture for "come here", made with the palm facing forward and the fingers bending down, which looks like a wave to many visitors.

You will see these cats by the till in small restaurants, in shop windows, at temple stalls and on the shelves of souvenir shops all over Japan.

Most are white with a red collar and a bell, and many hold a large gold coin. They range from tiny plastic charms to heavy ceramic figures half a metre tall, and they are among the souvenirs visitors to Japan buy most often.

What the Right Paw and Left Paw Mean

The usual rule is that a raised right paw invites money and good fortune, and a raised left paw invites people, meaning customers for a shop or friends and relationships for a home. Some cats raise both paws to ask for both.

This is a common convention rather than a fixed rule, and makers and regions differ. Tokoname, the pottery town that makes many of Japan's ceramic cats, describes its raised left paw as inviting customers.

Gotokuji Temple in Tokyo, whose cats raise the right paw, gives its own meaning, explained below.

Folklore also says the higher the paw is raised, the further its invitation reaches, which is why some modern cats have paws stretched high above their ears.

Paw	Usually said to invite	Good for
Right paw	Money, good fortune	A home, a personal wish
Left paw	People, customers	A shop, a new business
Both paws	Both together	A gift when unsure

Maneki-Neko Colours and the Gold Coin

White is the classic colour and stands for general good fortune. Other colours are newer and their meanings vary by maker, so read the label or ask in the shop.

Colour	Often sold for
White	Good fortune, happiness
Gold	Money and business
Black	Keeping bad luck away
Red	Health, protection from illness
Pink	Love and relationships

The gold coin many cats hold is a koban, an old oval gold coin from the Edo period, and it underlines the wish for money. Some cats hold a small hammer or a carp instead, and some hold nothing at all.

The cats of Gotokuji Temple are made without a coin on purpose.

Three Stories of Where the Lucky Cat Came From

Nobody knows for certain where the maneki-neko began, and several places in Japan tell their own story. The three below are told most often, and all of them date the cat to the Edo period (1603 to 1868).

1. Gotokuji Temple, Setagaya

Gotokuji tells of a lord returning from a falcon hunt who was beckoned into the temple by a cat sitting at the gate. Soon after he came inside, thunder broke and heavy rain began, and the lord, who had escaped the storm and enjoyed his talk with the priest, was moved by his good luck.

He was Ii Naotaka, lord of the Hikone domain, and with his support the temple was restored in 1633. The temple has called the cat shofuku neko, the cat that beckons good fortune, ever since.

2. Imado, Asakusa

Imado, beside the Sumida River north of Asakusa, made a cheap pottery called Imado-yaki, and clay beckoning cats were sold there in the Edo period. A folk tale tells of an old woman who had to give up her cat, which came to her in a dream and asked her to make figures in its likeness, and the figures sold well.

Imado Shrine, which keeps large cat figures in its grounds, is one of the places that claims to be the cat's birthplace.

3. Selling Cats in Front of Shrines

Other accounts point to cat figures sold to worshippers in front of shrines in Edo, and to clay dolls from Kyoto. Cats were also kept to protect silkworms from mice, and in silk-producing areas the cat was a charm long before it was a symbol of business.

Gotokuji Temple, Home of the Lucky Cat in Tokyo

Gotokuji is a working Zen temple in a quiet residential part of Setagaya, and the classic place to see maneki-neko. It is open daily from 6:00 to 17:00, entry is free, and its office sells the temple's own cats.

What to See

The Shofukuden hall enshrines a standing statue of Kannon, and people come here to pray for the safety of their family, for business and for good fortune. Beside it, the offering place holds hundreds of white cats of every size, lined up in rows.

There is no rule about leaving one, but many people bring their cat back here after their wish comes true.

Look up at the three-storey pagoda, too. The animals of the Chinese zodiac are carved around it, and among them are several cats. The temple says one sits next to the rat, and families can try counting them all.

The temple's ema prayer plaques are also found only at Gotokuji, with the year's zodiac animal painted beside a beckoning cat.

Why Gotokuji's Cats Hold No Coin

Gotokuji's cats raise the right paw and hold no koban. The temple explains that the cat invites people and brings good connections, en, but does not hand out fortune itself.

What you make of those connections is up to you, and good fortune comes naturally to someone who is grateful.

Buying a Cat at Gotokuji

The temple office is open from 8:00 to 15:00, earlier than the grounds close, so go in the morning if you want to buy one. Cats cost from ¥500 to ¥10,000 depending on size, and the temple notes that some sizes may be out of stock.

It also offers charms, ema and goshuin books.

Visiting with Respect

The cats in the offering place are religious offerings, not props. The temple has had to post a notice asking visitors not to write on them, describing them as sacred.

Keep voices low, do not move or handle the cats in the offering place, and remember that people come here to pray.

The temple also says it runs no official guided tours with travel companies, and that commercial guiding and photography in the grounds need its approval in advance. The simplest way to visit is on your own, as a worshipper.

Getting There

Gotokuji is a 5-minute walk from Miyanosaka Station on the Tokyu Setagaya Line, or 15 minutes on foot from Gotokuji Station on the Odakyu Line. The Setagaya Line is a small two-car tram-style railway from Sangenjaya, which children usually enjoy.

Tokoname, the Lucky Cat Town

Tokoname, a pottery town in Aichi Prefecture near Chubu Centrair Airport, makes many of Japan's ceramic maneki-neko, and the town has made the cat its mascot.

Local potters began making ceramic cats in the late 1930s, when demand for their traditional wares was falling, and by 1950 Tokoname was Japan's main producer. Tokoname cats are easy to recognise by their big round eyes, large ears and plump bodies.

• Tokonyan. This giant cat head and paw on a wall near Tokoname Station is 3.8 m high and 6.3 m wide, and you can see it from the platform.
• Maneki Neko Street. The road from the station to the Tokoname Ceramics Hall is lined with 39 cats made by local artists, each for a different wish, such as marriage, health or business.

Tokoname is far from Tokyo, so it suits families flying in or out of Centrair or travelling through Nagoya rather than a day trip from Tokyo.

Where to Buy a Maneki-Neko in Tokyo

For a meaningful cat, buy one at Gotokuji. For choice and price, the shops around Senso-ji in Asakusa and Japan's large discount stores carry them in every size and colour.

• Gotokuji Temple. The temple sells its own right-paw cats, without a coin, from ¥500.
• Nakamise and Asakusa. The shops on the approach to Senso-ji sell lucky cats next to other charms, on the route of most first days in Tokyo.
• Souvenir and discount stores. Don Quijote and souvenir shops in Shibuya, Shinjuku and Asakusa sell plastic and solar-powered waving cats, which are light to carry.
• Airports. Gift shops at Haneda and Narita sell small ceramic cats for a last-minute present.

Our guide to the best Japanese souvenirs covers what else to buy and where, including the tax-free rules that changed on 1 November 2026.

Choosing and Packing a Maneki-Neko with Kids

Let children choose by paw and colour. They enjoy deciding whether they want friends (left paw) or luck (right paw), and a small cat makes a good keepsake of the trip.

• Size. A ceramic cat of about 10 cm is light enough for a carry-on bag. Large ceramic cats are heavy and fragile.
• Material. Ceramic is traditional. Plastic and resin cats are lighter and tougher for children's rooms.
• Waving cats. Children often like battery or solar-powered cats with a moving paw. If yours has batteries, check your airline's rules before you pack it.
• Packing. Wrap ceramic cats in clothes and pack them in the middle of a bag, standing upright, away from shoes and bottles.
• Where to put it. Traditionally it sits near the front door or by the till, facing the way people come in.

The maneki-neko pairs naturally with the daruma doll, Japan's wish-making doll. The cat invites good fortune, and the daruma helps you reach a goal. Asakusa is the easiest place to find both on the same morning, and our Tokyo private tour with kids walks Nakamise to Senso-ji on its first stop.

For other ideas through the year, see our guide to the best time to visit Tokyo.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a maneki-neko mean?

It is the "beckoning cat", a charm that invites customers, good fortune and good connections. Shops display it to bring in business, and homes keep one for luck.

Which paw should a maneki-neko raise?

The usual convention is that a raised right paw invites money and good fortune, a left paw invites people or customers, and both paws ask for both. Makers and regions differ.

Is the maneki-neko Japanese or Chinese?

It is Japanese and dates from the Edo period. The figure spread to Chinese communities later, which is why many people outside Japan meet it first in Chinese restaurants.

Where is the maneki-neko temple in Tokyo?

Gotokuji Temple in Setagaya, a 5-minute walk from Miyanosaka Station on the Tokyu Setagaya Line. The grounds are open from 6:00 to 17:00 and entry is free.

How much is a maneki-neko at Gotokuji?

The temple's cats cost from ¥500 to ¥10,000 depending on size. The temple office sells them from 8:00 to 15:00, and some sizes may be out of stock.

Why do Gotokuji's cats have no coin?

The temple teaches that the cat brings good connections but not fortune itself. What you do with those connections, with gratitude, is what brings good fortune.

Sources

https://gotokuji.jp/manekineko/
https://gotokuji.jp/shop/
https://gotokuji.jp/wpgo/information/%e5%95%86%e6%a5%ad%e7%9b%ae%e7%9a%84%e3%81%a7%e3%81%ae%e3%82%ac%e3%82%a4%e3%83%89%e6%b4%bb%e5%8b%95%e3%81%ab%e3%81%a4%e3%81%84%e3%81%a6%ef%bc%88commercially-guided-tours-and-commercial-activities/
https://gotokuji.jp/wpgo/information/%e2%80%bb%e6%b3%a8%e6%84%8f%ef%bc%88%e6%8b%9b%e7%a6%8f%e7%8c%ab%e5%85%90%e3%81%b8%e3%81%ae%e8%90%bd%e6%9b%b8%e3%81%8d%e3%81%ab%e3%81%a4%e3%81%84%e3%81%a6%ef%bc%89/
https://www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db/en/R5-00619.html
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