Saturday is Caturday! Japanese folklore and Maneki-neko & share everything kitty

The Lucky Cat, also known as Maneki-neko 招き猫, is a beloved symbol in Japanese culture, believed to bring good luck, prosperity, and good fortune to its owner. You may have seen them in Asian businesses beckoning customers into shops. 

The most well-known story about its origin is the legend of the Gotokuji Temple in Tokyo:

A local priest lived in poverty but shared his meager meals with his cat even though he could barely care for himself. He wasn't sure how much longer he could care for the temple.

One day, during a thunderstorm, a samurai who had been hunting stopped to shelter himself under a tree. A fascinating calico cat (thought to be a Japanese bobtail) was watching him with its paw in the air. The samurai was intrigued and left the shelter of the tree before it was struck by lightning. The samurai, grateful to the cat, followed the kitty to the temple. The samurai turned out to be a wealthy landowner and provided funding for the temple, which prospered. 

When this cat passed away, it was deified as the "Fortune-Inviting Kannon", and a special burial was made in its honor. The temple has since been filled with lucky cat figurines donated by worshippers. 

Today, visitors to the Gotokuji Temple (a Buddhist temple located in the Gotokuji district of Setagaya ward, Tokyo, Japan, which is known as the "cat temple" because of the maneki-neko) often buy a cat figurine, make a wish, or pray for good luck, and then leave it at the temple. You can also keep the cat figurine at home until the wish or prayer is fulfilled. Afterward, it is advised to return to Gotokuji and place the cat figurine at the temple to give thanks.

"Joruri-machi Hanka no zu" by Utagawa Hiroshige, 1852

(Detail) The earliest depiction in art of a maneki-neko in everyday life. 

Japanese Bobtail is a very intelligent, vocal kitty, affectionate, and loves to be with their people. They will answer to their name, play fetch, and love to think of themselves as in charge. If you introduce a pup into the mix, the Japanese Bobtail will still take charge because it is their world, and we just live in it. It is pretty easy to guess who they prefer to live with...other Japanese Bobtails. They can mix with other breeds, but they think their breed is the best, so bow down bitches. These cats were once the favored cats of the Imperial family, and they still think they have their special rank in the feline hierarchy. They will sleep and sit next to you, but not usually a cat looking for a warm lap because you are sharing THEIR chair, not the other way around. Despite their confidence, they will adore you, seek your attention, and love to play and then play and then play some more and have voices that sound like melodies because they sing when they talk. 

Their rabbit tails are a mutation. They are not easy to find outside Japan because the breed has yet to become as popular. The most common types are calico or bicolor, like the maneki-neko; some are solid white, like Hello Kitty.