Saturday, March 22, 2008

Maneki Neko=Money Cat



Many of you have seen this cat, it's called Maneki Neko(also known as Money Cat). The reason I'm writing about this is because even though I believe in hard work I also believe in a bit of luck. So for my site I wanted to put up a Money Cat to welcome everyone to make lots of money. Also here is an interesting story I've picked up from the web about how Money Cat came along.




This is the legend of the Maneki Neko:


In the 17th century, there was a rundown and poverty-stricken temple in Tokyo. The temple's priest was very poor, but he shared what little food he had with his pet cat, Tama.
One day, a wealthy and important man was caught in a storm while hunting and he took refuge under a big tree near the temple. While he waited for the storm to pass, the man noticed a cat beckoning him to come inside the temple gate. This was so startling that he left the shelter of the tree to have a closer look at this unusual cat. At that moment, the tree was struck by lighting.
As a result, the wealthy man became friends with the poor priest, and the temple became prosperous. The priest and his cat never went hungry again.
When Tama died he was buried in the Goutokuji Temple's cat cemetery with respect and love, and the Maneki Neko was made in honor of him. A Maneki Neko in your place of business, your home or on your website is said to bring in good luck and visitors.
Maneki Neko is Japanese for "beckoning cat." The message he's holding says "Please come in. You are welcome!" and he is beckoning you with his paw . (In Japan, the gesture of beckoning is pretty much the reverse of the gesture used in the West.)

1 comment:

Peggy said...

ahh youre too kind :D by the way, interesting post on the story behind the cat. I have to say, im asian and I didnt know the story myself -- how embarassing haha.