Red Fan Japanese Lucky Cat 'Fukusen'

Maneki neko in white glazed ceramic with a black-patched ear, holding a red fan aloft, with a treasure ship, a gold mallet and clouds painted on the body, brass bells, on a red cushion. 11 cm.

Red Fan Japanese Lucky Cat 'Fukusen' – calico ceramic lucky cat holding a red fan and gold mallet with a treasure ship on the body, Japanese maneki neko lucky cat figurine on a red brocade cushion, studio view

Red Fan Japanese Lucky Cat 'Fukusen'

11 x 11 cm
$55.00
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Red Fan Japanese Lucky Cat 'Fukusen' – calico ceramic lucky cat holding a red fan and gold mallet with a treasure ship on the body, Japanese maneki neko lucky cat figurine on a red brocade cushion, studio view

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The short answer

Beckoning cat in white glazed ceramic with a black patch on one ear, one paw raised holding a red fan with gold characters, the other holding a gold mallet, with a treasure ship and blue clouds painted on the body, a red collar with brass bells and a coin slot at the back, on a red brocade cushion. 11 by 11 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.

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About this piece

Calico lucky cat holding a red fan, with a treasure ship painted on the body

A red fan held high, and a ship on the belly. This lucky cat is white glazed ceramic with a black patch on one ear, one paw raised holding a red fan with gold characters, the other paw at the belly holding a small gold mallet, and its round body painted with the treasure ship of the seven gods sailing on blue clouds, with a red collar and brass bells.

It is the cat for a person who wants the whole set of symbols, ship, mallet and fan, on one animal.

The name, Fukusen, is the ship of fortune, the treasure ship on the belly, and the cat is named for its cargo.

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 ship is the detail: painted in orange and green on a blue cloud ground, with its sail and its prow, sailing across the belly under the mallet, and it is the ship that brings the seven lucky gods on New Year's night. The fan in the raised paw is red with gold characters and a gold rib.

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 with a red fan up. From close the fan shows its characters, the belly its ship, and the paw its mallet. It is the cat for New Year and a person who likes a story on a figure.

It is 11 by 11 cm, the size of a fist, and it sits on its cushion at the same scale as every cat in the collection, 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

PieceRed Fan Japanese Lucky Cat 'Fukusen'
Chapter家Home
CollectionThe maneki neko collection
FabricGlazed ceramic, cord collar, brass bells
Sizes11 x 11 cm
MadeJapanese design, made in Asia
ReferenceYONA-0640