Japanese Good Luck Animals

adminMay 12 2021

Japanese Good Luck Animals

Japanese Good Luck Animals
Good Luck Japan
Good Luck In Japanese Characters

By Jane Bertin, Journalist specialized in animal welfare. February 19, 2017

Kit Kat came to Japan in the early 1970s. The chocolate ended up being very successful for a few reasons. One was that the name sounded similar to the Japanese kitto katsu or “surely win.” As a result, the chocolate became a popular gift for students around exam time, and many still associate it with luck and good fortune.
The zodiac animals promise good luck, and images of them can serve as prayers for good harvests and prosperity. This print was meant to protect the home, with a sacred beast displaying characteristics of all twelve animals: the rat’s face, the ox’s horns, the rooster’s crest, the rabbit’s ears, the horse’s mane, the goat’s beard, the dog’s torso with the tiger’s skin, the.

For example, black cats are considered bad luck to some cultures, but good luck to others (Scottish being an example of a culture that usually associates black cats with good luck). Very rarely are animals in any culture seen as 'evil' though.

See files for Cats

Are you thinking about adopting a cat? If so, you're probably wondering how to find the best name for your new pet. Your new cat deserves a meaningful, unique name: a great way to find the best option is to choose a name from another language.

In this AnimalWised article we have compiled a list of Japanese names for male cats and their meanings to match the list with options for females - although your cat won't mind which list you choose from. Moreover, we've classified the names into personality and looks, so that you will find the name that fits your cat the most easily. Read on!

You may also be interested in: Japanese Names for Dogs - Male and Female

Why choose a Japanese name for your cat?

Did you know that in Japan February the 22nd is Cat Day, or Neko No Hi? Cats are widely beloved in Japan: this is the country that popularized cat cafés and developed the game Neko Atsume after all!

The Japanese language can be written with three different alphabets. Two of them, hiragana and katakana, are syllabaries. The third one, kanji, is logographic: each sign has its own meaning, and thus has a visual dimension that Western alphabets do not have.

Japanese names are very varied, as the same kanji can be read in different ways, and different kanjis can be read the same way. Depending on the kanji you choose to spell it, Ki can mean 'tree', 'brightness' or 'valuable', for instance. In Japanese, new names can easily created by combining name elements together. In general, Japanese names ending in -shi, -ro, -o or -ta, or which contain the elements dai, ichi, ji or kazu are male.

Japanese names have clear sounds and syllables that are easy to pronounce, so your cat will learn when you are calling them easily enough. Japanese names are a perfect choice for any breed, but especially for the Japanese Bobtail and the Kurilian Bobtail, which were first bred in that country.

Japanese names for male cats depending on personality

Akio: Bright man or hero
Akira: Bright
Daisuke: Big help
Haruka: Distant
Haruto: Soar away
Hayate: Sudden
Hibiki: Echo
Hideaki: Excellent and bright
Hideyoshi: Excellent and virtuous
Hiko: Prince
Hiraku: Support
Hiroshi: Generous
Isamu: Brave
Katashi: Firm
Katsu: Victory
Katsuo: Victorious hero
Kazuki: Peace and hope
Kazuo: Man of peace
Ken'ichi: Studious one
Kenshin: Humble trust
Kiyoshi: Pure
Makoto: Honesty
Masaru: Victory
Naomi: Straight self
Noboru: Ascending
Nobu: Prolonged trust
Osamu: Discipline
Rin: Dignified
Ryou: Cool
Ryouichi: Clear one
Ryuunosuke: Noble herald
Shin: Genuine
Shinobu: Endurance
Shou: Prize
Susumu: Make progress
Takashi: Filial piety, noble, honor
Takeshi: Military
Takumi: Skillful
Yasu: Peaceful
Yoshi: Good luck
Yuu: Brave, gentle, superior
Yuudai: Great hero

Japanese names for male cats depending on looks

Aoi: Green or blue
Ayumu: Walking dream
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Dai: Big, great
Daiki: Great tree
Haruki: Brightness of the sun
Haya: Falcon
Hikaru: Brightness, light
Hideki: Excellent tree
Hiroto: Great glider
Kaede: Maple
Kaito: Soaring ocean
Kaoru: Fragrant
Ken: Strong
Kenta: Big and strong
Kohaku: Amber
Kuro: Black
Kurumi: Walnut
Kyou: Apricot
Maru: Circle
Mikan: Mandarin orange
Miruku: Milk
Momo: Peach
Ryuu: Dragon
Shiori: Lithe, bending
Shiro: White
Shouhei: Peaceful glider
Shun: Fast
Taichi: Big one
Tama: Ball
Take: Bamboo
Tora: Tiger
Tsubasa: Wing
Yuki: Snow

Other Japanese names for male cats

Aiko: Beloved
Aki: Autumn
Ayame: Iris
Gorou: Fifth son
Haru: Spring, clear weather
Hinata: Sunny place
Ichirou: First son
Itsuki: Tree
Jiji: Cat from Kiki's Delivery Service
Jirou: Second son
Kotetsu: Small iron
Michi: Path
Minoru: Bearing fruit
Minto: Mint
Natsu: Summer
Nori: Ceremony
Ren: Lotus
Riku: Land
Saburou: Fifth son
Shirou: Fourth son
Sora: Sky
Takara: Treasure

Have you found the perfect Japanese name for your male cat? If you have tell us which one it is in the comments section! If you are looking for more names, consider the following:

If you want to read similar articles to Japanese Names for Male Cats - With Meanings, we recommend you visit our Names category.

(Redirected from Maneki Neko)

A Maneki-neko

The Maneki-neko (招き猫, lit. 'beckoning cat') is a common Japanese figurine which is often believed to bring good luck to the owner. In modern times, they are usually made of ceramic or plastic. The figurine depicts a cat, traditionally a calico Japanese Bobtail, with a paw raised in a Japanese beckoning gesture. The figurines are often displayed in shops, restaurants, pachinko parlors, dry cleaners, laundromats, bars, casinos, hotels, nightclubs, and other businesses, generally near the entrance. Some Maneki-neko are equipped with a mechanical paw which slowly moves back and forth.

Maneki-neko come in different colors and styles and vary in degrees of detail. Common colors are white, black, and gold. In addition to statues, Maneki-neko can be found in the form of keychains, piggy banks, air fresheners, pots, and numerous other media. Maneki-neko are sometimes referred to simply as 'lucky cats'.

Common features[edit]

Maneki-neko with motorized arm beckons customers to buy lottery tickets in Tokyo, Japan

Maneki-neko are traditionally depicted seated, holding a koban coin, with one paw raised in a beckoning gesture. To some Westerners (Italians and Spaniards are notable exceptions) it may seem as if the Maneki-neko is waving rather than beckoning.^[1]^[2] This is due to the difference in gestures and body language recognized by some Westerners and the Japanese. The Japanese beckoning gesture is made by holding up the hand, palm down, and repeatedly folding the fingers down and back, thus the cat's appearance. Some Maneki-neko made specifically for some Western markets will have the cat's paw facing upwards, in a beckoning gesture that is more familiar to most Westerners.^[3]

Maneki-neko can be found with either the right or left paw raised (and sometimes both). The significance of the right and left raised paw differs with time and place.^[4] A statue with the left paw raised is to get more customers, while the right paw raised is to get more money. Hence it is also said that the one with left paw is for business and the right is for home.^[5]

Some Maneki-neko feature battery- or solar-powered moving arms endlessly engaged in the beckoning gesture.

Colors[edit]

Originally, Maneki-neko were white, but over the years with the combination of Feng Shui, different colour variations were born. The original white colour is to get good luck and overall good fortune, while black is to ward off evil, red is for good health, yellow or gold is for wealth, and pink is for romance.^[5]

A happy orange Maneki-neko with a collar and bib ringing a bell

Composition[edit]

Antique examples of Maneki-neko may be made of carved wood, stone and metal, handmade porcelain or cast iron.^[4]

Origins[edit]

A wooden mold for a Maneki-neko and Okiagari-Koboshi Daruma figure from the Edo Period, 18th century. Brooklyn Museum.

History[edit]

Fushimi clay doll by Tanka

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

Maneki-neko dedicated to Buddha at Gōtoku-ji Temple in Tokyo, Japan^[6]

It is commonly believed that Maneki-neko originated in Tokyo (then named Edo), while some insist it was Kyoto.^[4]Maneki-neko first appeared during the later part of the Edo period in Japan.^[4] The earliest records of Maneki-neko appear in the Bukō nenpyō's (a chronology of Edo) entry dated 1852. Utagawa Hiroshige's ukiyo-e 'Joruri-machi Hanka no zu,' painted also in 1852, depicts the Marushime-neko, a variation of Maneki-neko, being sold at Senso temple, Tokyo. In 1876, during the Meiji era, it was mentioned in a newspaper article, and there is evidence that kimono-clad Maneki-neko were distributed at a shrine in Osaka during this time. A 1902 advertisement for Maneki-neko indicates that by the turn of the century they were popular.^[7] Beyond this the exact origins of Maneki-neko are uncertain.

Some have noted the similarities between the Maneki-neko's gesture and that of a cat washing its face. There is a Japanese belief that a cat washing its face means a visitor will soon arrive. This belief may in turn be related to an even older Chinese proverb that states that if a cat washes its face, it will rain. Thus, it is possible a belief arose that a figure of a cat washing its face would bring in customers. In his Miscellaneous Morsels from Youyang, China's Tang Dynasty author Duan Chengshi (803?–863) wrote: 'If a cat raises its paw over the ears and washes its face, then patrons will come'. Statues of cats washing their ears (though very different in style to Maneki-neko) have been found as early as the Northern Wei Dynasty (386 to 534 AD).^[8]

There are many legends about the birth of Maneki-neko, of which the most popular is the legend of Gōtoku-ji temple. In the 17th century, a poor monk lived in the small Zen temple in Setagaya, Tokyo. Although his life was very difficult, he shared his own meager meals with his pet cat which strayed into the temple. One day, a lord samurai Ii Naotaka of the Hikone Domain district was on his way to hunt when suddenly a storm came, and he had to seek safety under a big tree near the temple. Sheltering there, he noticed the cat, raising one paw as if waving him to the temple. Curious, he left his cover and headed for the temple to have a better look at the strange cat. As he did so, a lightning bolt destroyed the tree beneath which he had just been standing. Naotaka was so grateful, he became the patron of the temple, repaired it to become more spacious. When the cat died, he was buried in a special graveyard for cats. In the temple, a statue of Maneki-neko was made to commemorate this special cat that has been revered ever since.

Alternatively, according to a folktale the operator of an impoverished shop (or inn, tavern, temple, etc.) took in a starving stray cat despite barely having enough to feed himself. In gratitude, the cat sat in the front of the store beckoning customers, thus bringing prosperity as a reward to the charitable proprietor. Ever after, the 'beckoning cat' has been a symbol of good luck for small business owners.^[4]

In popular culture[edit]

Chinese Maneki-neko with a battery-powered moving arm

Modern Japanese superstition suggests that keeping a talisman of good fortune, such as the Maneki-neko, in bedrooms and places of study will bring about favorable results and life successes.^{[citation needed]}

Because of its popularity in Chinese and Vietnamese communities (including Chinatowns in the United States)^[4] the Maneki-neko is frequently mistaken for being Chinese in origin rather than Japanese, and is incorrectly referred to as a 'Chinese lucky cat'^[4] or jīnmāo ('golden cat'). This cat is also prevalent in China domestically, and is usually referred to as simplified Chinese: 招财猫; traditional Chinese: 招財貓; pinyin: zhāocáimāo.

A Pokémon named Meowth is based on Maneki-neko.^[9]

Netta performed her song 'Toy' in front of two walls full of Maneki-neko at the Eurovision Song Contest 2018. She won the competition after collecting 529 points at the final.^[10]