Why is the cat lucky in Japanese culture?
Many years ago a Zen Buddhist Priest was struggling to attract visitors to his temple until one day he befriended a stray cat which wandered into the grounds of his temple. The cat duly began sitting at the entrance to the temple which attracted the attention of the passing local people who in turn began visiting his temple, much to the delight of the Priest! The lucky cat or maneki neko’ has since been considered to be lucky in Japanese culture for many years, and can be seen even to this day in many homes and businesses throughout Japan. It is said that the white cat invites happiness, the black cat protects you from illness, the gold cat brings you riches and the pink cat brings you love!
