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As for the origin of lucky cats, there are some legends and one of the most popular is the explanation at Gotoku-ji temple in Setagaya borough (western part) of Tokyo.
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| Gotoku-ji temple entrance |
I visited this temple to find out the story. This temple is located in the vast residential region of western Tokyo. The area of the temple is quite large with lots of gravestones and it is very quiet. At the temple, I saw several visitors (but not so many) looking for Manki-Neko legend. This temple is about 10 minutes walk from Gotoku-ji station of Odakyu railway (
http://www.odakyu.jp/ ) or more closely it is located at Miyano-saka station of Tokyu Setagaya line (
http://www.tokyu.co.jp/ ).
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Famous lord Ii Naotaka is sleeping in
this temple |
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Many Maneki-Neko dedicated
to the temple |
The legend goes that a priest's cat brought good luck to the poor temple back in the 1,600's. The priest of Gotoku-ji temple kept a cat and he loved it so much. In spite of his poverty, he shared his food with the cat. One day the priest told the cat to bring good luck to the temple in return of foods. Days went by, a wealthy feudal lord called Ii Naotaka saw a priest's cat beckoning to come into the temple when he was on his way home after falconry hunting. So, he entered into the temple to have a rest and a moment later, a thunder storm struck. While Ii Naotaka was taking a shelter from the storm, the priest gave lessons to the lord.For giving thanks for all the accidental happenings, he contributed lots of land to the temple and the temple became prosperous.
If you buy a Maneki-Neko at the temple, you will get a piece of paper that explains all the origin. The paper is written in old style Japanese though.
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| Maneki-Neko from Gotoku-ji |
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| A piece of paper explaining the origin of Maneki-Neko |
Today, the largest production area of Maneki-Neko potteries is Tokoname in Aichi prefecture.
http://www.tokoname-kankou.net/english/ In this area, the pottery production is very prosperous by utilizing the nice clay of the land. The people of Tokoname boast the No.1 production of Maneki-Neko.
Thank you!
