Maneki Neko – Gotokuji

whatwhated — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 11:50:41 +0000

Maneki Neko – Gotokuji

Gotokuji is said to be the birthplace of Maneki Neko, the beckoning cat. The Buddhist temple is located in Setagaya, Tokyo and has a beautiful display of the lucky ceramic cats.

There are many legends surrounding the origin of Maneki Neko, but the best known is that of the Temple Cat. The story starts in the 17th century at Gotokuji during a storm. A poverty stricken priest sits in despair, questioning why he’s sharing the little food he has with his cat. One night, he goes to bed with these thoughts weighing on him while the cat wanders off to the entrance of the temple and starts to wash himself. A wealthy lord is taking shelter from the rain under a tree and sees the cat, and thinks it is beckoning him. Intrigued, he walks toward the temple gates to investigate. A moment later the tree he had been under is struck by lightning. The lord is so thankful to the cat for saving his life that he showers the priest and temple with gifts. When the cat died, the Maneki Neko was supposedly made in his honour.

Most of the cats at Gotokuji are the same design as you can buy them from the temple shop. However there are usually many variations in the design of Maneki Neko statues. Colour and intricacy vary, but no matter what the cat sits with a raised paw. A raised right paw attracts money and good luck while a raised left paw attracts customers. Some cats even have battery powered paws that go up and down; these are popular in the windows of lottery booths. The cats usually have a collar, bell or a bib around their neck, and are sometimes shown holding an old and valuable coin called a koban.

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Doraemon

whatwhatjohn — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 06:03:09 +0000

Doraemon

If you’ve ever visited Japan you will have seen him, the unmistakable grinning robotic cat. Doraemon is from the 22nd century, he came to present day earth to help the young Nobita, a young boy who is always getting picked on by bullies and shouted at by his teachers and parents. Doraemon was sent by Nobita’s great-great grandson to help him improve his life and thereby help his descendants improve their status. Doraemon has a special fourth dimensional pocket where he stores various tools and gadgets to help the young boy, including a takekoputa (flying machine) and a dokodemo door (a door to another place). Although he always means well, the friendly robot cat often makes things worse for Nobita, since the boy always tries to solve his problems too hastily, which causes his plans to backfire and the special gadgets he uses to work unexpectedly.

Doraemon’s ears were bitten off by a robotic mouse from the future and he has since developed a fear of mice. Despite the lack of ears he can still hear perfectly well. In March 2008, Japan’s Foreign Ministry appointed Doraemon as the nation’s first ‘anime ambassador’. Time magazine nominated the cat as an Asian Hero.

The Doraemon-man/woman (I’m not sure) was found near Harajuku station with the usual cosplayers who hang out there on Sunday. The unusal green and yellow Doraemon was painted on a retro game shop just outside Kamakura and the socks were spotted at the International Anime Fair.

For an awesome Idle Idol Jon Christall has a great shot here and for some tasty looking Doraemon bento check out mymealbox’s mouth watering photo.

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Maneki Neko – Gotokuji

Maneki Neko – Gotokuji

Doraemon

Doraemon