Red Maneki Neko 'Akaneko'

Maneki neko in red glazed ceramic with both paws raised, blossom on the ears and a wish for health and wealth brushed in gold on the body, brass bells, on a red cushion. 11 cm.

Red Maneki Neko 'Akaneko' – red ceramic lucky cat with both paws raised and a gold brushed wish for health and wealth, Japanese maneki neko lucky cat figurine on a red brocade cushion, studio view

Red Maneki Neko 'Akaneko'

11 x 11 cm
$55.00
Skip to product information
Red Maneki Neko 'Akaneko' – red ceramic lucky cat with both paws raised and a gold brushed wish for health and wealth, Japanese maneki neko lucky cat figurine on a red brocade cushion, studio view

Nothing to pay at the door. Thirty days to change your mind. A person answers, not a bot.

  • Free shipping
  • Duties prepaid
  • Free returns

A person replies, seven days a week. No bots.

The short answer

Beckoning cat in red glazed ceramic with a white face, both paws raised, blossom on the ears and a wish for health and great wealth in brushed gold characters on the body, a red cord 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.

  • 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

Red lucky cat with both paws raised, brushed with a wish for health and wealth

Red, with gold writing. This lucky cat is glazed ceramic in a strong red with a white face, both forepaws raised, blossom on the ears, and a wish for health and great wealth brushed in gold characters down the body, with a red cord collar and a brass bell at each paw. It is the loudest of the six single-colour cats in the collection, and red is the colour of the cat's own tradition.

Red is for health and for keeping illness away, and this is the cat for a kitchen or a grandparent.

The name, Akaneko, is the red cat, and it is that.

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 gold is the detail: the characters are brushed in gold on the red, so they read as a lacquer inscription, and there is a small green pine and a stamp beside them. The red is glossy and even, and the white face stands off it.

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 red cat with both paws up. From close the characters show their gold, the ears their blossom, and the red its gloss. It is the cat for a person who wants the classic colour and the classic wish.

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 Maneki Neko 'Akaneko'
Chapter家Home
CollectionManeki Neko
FabricGlazed ceramic, cord collar, brass bells
Sizes11 x 11 cm
MadeJapanese design, made in Asia
ReferenceYONA-0633