Beckoning Cat Money Box 'Manekite'
Maneki neko in white glazed ceramic in the round-eyed style, one paw beckoning, the other holding a gold plaque with characters, the fortune character on the belly, on a red cushion. 16 by 10 by 13 cm.
Beckoning Cat Money Box 'Manekite'
Nothing to pay at the door. Thirty days to change your mind. A person answers, not a bot.
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- Duties prepaid
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A person replies, seven days a week. No bots.
The short answer
Beckoning cat in white glazed ceramic with large round black eyes, red-patterned ears, one paw raised in the beckoning gesture, the other holding a gold plaque with four characters, the character for fortune on the belly among flowers, a red cord collar with a brass bell and a coin slot at the back, on a red brocade cushion. 16 by 10 by 13 cm.
Fabric & care
The composition is stated in the description and printed on the inner label. Machine wash cold, inside out, with similar colours. Hang to dry. Iron on low, inside out over prints or embroidery.
Shipping & returns
Shipping is free on every order, with no minimum. Duties and import taxes are prepaid at checkout. Orders leave in 1 to 3 business days and take 6 to 12 business days on average; a tracking number is emailed on dispatch.
You may return any item within 30 days of delivery for a full refund. Write to contact@yonaku.com and we email you a prepaid label.
What we sell, and what we don't
Japanese designs, made in Asia. Cotton, linen or polyester as stated on each piece, never silk. We name every garment for what it is: a kimono jacket is not a haori, an unlined kimono is not a yukata.
- Free shippingEvery order, no minimum
- Duties prepaidNothing to pay on delivery
- TrackedNumber emailed on dispatch
- 30-day returnsFree, prepaid label
- Sizing helpRuns small: take the larger size
- A person repliesText or email, no bots
About this piece
Round-eyed lucky cat with one paw beckoning, holding a gold sign, fortune on the belly
One paw beckoning, a gold sign in the other. This lucky cat is white glazed ceramic in the round-eyed style, with large black eyes, red-patterned ears, one paw raised high in the beckoning gesture, the other holding a gold plaque with four characters that wish for a thousand customers, and the character for fortune painted on the belly among small flowers, with a red cord collar and a brass bell. It is the shop cat in its purest form: come in, and here is why.
It is the round-eyed cat for a counter, and the plaque says what it is for.
The name, Manekite, is the beckoning hand, the raised paw, and the cat is the gesture.
The cat is glazed ceramic, cast hollow, painted and fired, with the collar a real red cord and the bells real brass, and a slot at the back for coins with a stopper underneath, so it is a money box as well as a figure. It sits on a red brocade cushion, as photographed.
Put it where a shop puts it: by the door, on the counter, facing the room, with the raised paw towards the people coming in. In a house that is the hall table, the kitchen shelf or the desk. The right paw raised is for money and the left for people; both raised is for both, and most of the cats here are greedy.
The plaque is the detail: a gold rectangle held up like a menu with four characters brushed on it, the old shopkeeper's wish for customers to come in their thousands, and the paw above it is raised in the true beckoning pose, palm out, fingers down, which is a wave to a Westerner and a come-here to a Japanese.
The beckoning cat began in Edo, with a temple cat that waved a lord in from a storm, and it has sat at shop doors ever since; the raised paw is the Japanese come-here, palm down, which a Westerner reads as a wave.
Dust with a soft cloth; wipe with a damp one if it needs it. It is ceramic and it breaks, so keep it off the edge of the shelf. The cushion can be sponged.
From across a room it is a white cat waving. From close the wave is a beckon, the plaque shows its characters, and the belly its fortune. It is the cat for a shop door and a person who has customers.
It is 16 by 10 by 13 cm, wider than the fist-sized cats in the collection, and it sits on its cushion at the same scale on the page, so the pages compare.
Questions about the maneki neko
What is a maneki neko?
The beckoning cat: the ceramic cat with a raised paw that sits at the door of a Japanese shop and asks customers in. The story starts in Edo with a temple cat that waved a lord in from a storm.
Which paw, and what do the colours mean?
Right paw raised is for money, left for people, both for both. White is the classic; pink is love, red is health, blue is work and study, black keeps bad luck out, orange and gold are money, purple is rank.
Is it a money box?
Most are: a coin slot at the back and a stopper underneath. The abacus cat, the solar cat and the large pink cat are figures without a slot. Each page says which.
Is it made in Japan?
No. It is a Japanese design, made in Asia. We say so on every page.
What size, and is the cushion included?
Most cats are 11 by 11 cm, the size of a fist; the round-eyed cats are wider, and the large pink cat is 20 cm. Every cat is photographed on its red brocade cushion at the same scale, so the pages compare.
How do I look after it?
Dust with a soft cloth, wipe with a damp one. It is ceramic and it breaks, so keep it off the edge of the shelf. Sponge the cushion.
What we sell, and what we don't
Japanese designs, made in Asia. Cotton, linen or polyester as stated on each piece, never silk. We say so on every page, because the alternative is selling you a word instead of a garment.
On the record
| Piece | Beckoning Cat Money Box 'Manekite' |
|---|---|
| Chapter | 家Home |
| Collection | The maneki neko collection |
| Fabric | Glazed ceramic, cord collar, brass bells |
| Sizes | 16 x 10 x 13 cm |
| Made | Japanese design, made in Asia |
| Reference | YONA-0625 |
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