Lucky cats
The beckoning lucky cat is Japanese, called maneki-neko, and a favorite in Chinese shops.
Read your cat in three details
The gesture
It is beckoning, not waving. In Japan, a palm-out hand with fingers curling down means come here.
Which paw is up
Traditions vary, but many people say the right paw calls money and the left calls customers.
Color and coin
By custom, gold is for wealth, white for happiness, black to ward off bad luck. The coin is a Japanese koban, not a Chinese one.
It isn't waving goodbye. It's calling you in.
What to look for
Lucky cats
Hand-picked pieces are on the way.
Good to know
Is the lucky cat Chinese or Japanese?
Japanese. The maneki-neko dates to Edo-period Japan, and Tokyo temples and shrines tell competing origin stories. Chinese shops took it up later, which is why Americans often meet it there.
Which paw brings money on a lucky cat?
The right paw, by most popular accounts, while the left calls customers. Regions and makers disagree. Either way, it is a friendly custom and not a promise of income.
Where should you put a lucky cat?
Near the entrance or register, facing the door. That is the usual shop custom, and at home an entry table does the same job.
