Maneki Neko

Yesterday, I wrote about beckoning gestures.

Today, I will talk about "maneki neko," which is posing with the beckoning gesture.

Maneki neko is a traditional Japanese kind of figure in the shape of a cat, and is a lucky charm (which is called "engimono" in Japan) for business success.

It is said that maneki with the right forepaw raised brings economic fortune, and that with the left forepaw raised attracts customers.

By the way, the former is a male cat, and the latter is a female cat.

Recently, you can file maneki neko with the both forepaws, but many of us don't like it very much because the gesture implies a surrender.

There are several theories about where the maneki neko came from, and I think that it began when we likened a grooming of a cat to a beckoning gesture.

招き猫

昨日は、手招きのジェスチャーについて書きました。

今日は、手招きのジェスチャーをしている招き猫について書きます。

招き猫は、日本の伝統的な猫の置物であり、商売繁盛の縁起物です。

右前足を挙げている猫は金運を招き、左前足を挙げている猫は客を招くとされています。

ちなみに、前者は雄猫、後者は雌猫だそうです。

最近では両手を挙げた招き猫もありますが、両手の挙げるのは「お手上げ」を意味することから嫌う人も多いです。

招き猫の由来の説はさまざまありますが、私は猫の毛繕いの動作を手招きのジェスチャーに見立てたことが始まりたと思います。