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Cats: you either love them or you hate them. But not in Japan; in Japan, cats are a universally beloved part of culture and are believed to bring good fortune with them wherever they go.
In Japan, cats are revered for giving good luck and other positive results. The popular Japanese cat figurine maneki-neko (招き猫, “beckoning cat”) is typically believed to bring such blessings. The figurine is often of a cat with its paw in an upright position as if beckoning.
Literally "cat-monster", the bakeneko is a yôkai (spirit of Japanese folklore) taking on the appearance of a long-tailed cat. This tail would allow it to walk on two legs, and some special abilities like speech, metamorphism, and even the resurrection of the dead!
Cats are often credited with being guardians of the earliest Buddhist scriptures to reach Japan; however, as every child raised in the Japanese Buddhist-folkloric tradition learns early on, when the Buddha died, the only two animals who failed to publicly mourn him were the serpent … and the cat.
1. Fox (キツネ) In Japanese Shintoism, several kinds of animals are considered the messengers of the gods, and foxes are among them. This explains why fox statues are often seen at Shinto shrines across Japan which protect the sacred shrine grounds as a guardian.
In Japanese folklore, cats are the symbols of good luck and are said to have protective powers.
Since then, the royal grounds have become the Hermitage Museum, and though Russia no longer has queens, cats still reign supreme, both at the museum and in the people's hearts. A recent study of cat ownership in 52 countries found that Russians love cats more than anyone on the planet.
The bakeneko (化け猫, "changed cat") is a type of Japanese yōkai, or supernatural entity; more specifically, it is a kaibyō, or supernatural cat. It is often confused with the nekomata, another cat-like yōkai.
The cat symbolizes grace, intelligence, cunning, and independence. The cat is a fascinating animal that cultures around the world have long revered. They are agile and nimble, able to move with silence and stealth. At the same time, they are also fiercely independent, choosing to live on their own terms.
While it is easy to see they are well-loved, Japan also fears cats. The country has a long, often terrifying history of folklore involving monstrous supernatural cats. Japan's magic catlore is wide and deep—range from the fanciful, magical shapeshifters (bakeneko) to the horrendous demonic corpse-eaters (kasha).
Originally, maneki-neko were white, but over the years with the combination of Feng Shui, different color variations were born. The original white color is to get good luck and overall good fortune, while black is to ward off evil, red is for good health, yellow or gold is for wealth, and pink is for romance.
One of the most common Japanese lucky animals is the lucky cat, also known as the Maneki-neko which translates as 'beckoning cat'. You may have encountered these in an Asian restaurant or shop, as they are popular symbols of good luck, prosperity, success and happiness in both Japan and China.
In Japan, black cats are upheld as symbols of good luck, especially for single women, as they are revered for attracting fine, potential suitors. The Japanese black cat is associated with the deity Maneki Neko, or “beckoning cat,” for centuries.
Even though dogs were the most desired pet species among Japanese people, cats are closing in on the popularity of canines. As Japan is struggling in containing the number of strays in municipalities, in particular felines, picking up a lost or stray cat is a.
Large stray cat populations are a recurring issue in Japanese municipalities, with the islands Aoshima and Tashirojima being best-known for their large number of strays.
Evil creature, the Bakeneko (化け猫 or "changed cat") is a cat demon at the origin of many legends. He is a member of the yokai family: the spirits of Japanese folklore.
Nekomusume (猫娘) means "the daughter of a cat". The literal translation, however, is actually "cat daughter" or "cat girl"; "neko" means "cat" in Japanese and "musume" means "daughter" or "girl".
Black cats have also been referred to as “fortune cats” in Japan as symbols of amulet and good luck for reasons such as “the night eye works”. There are five types: Daikichi, Nakakichi, Kokichi, Yoshi, and Sueyoshi, and black cats are written in a playful language after the cats.
Studies show that dogs have a significantly higher number of neurons in the brain than cats, primarily due to their larger brain size. Although the dog's brain is larger than the cat's, there's no clear winner here either.
There are 300-600 million cats living in the world today. The USA has the most number of cats, followed by China and Russia. Latvia, Ireland, and Sweden are three countries, among many, with low numbers of household felines. The lowest cat ownership statistic goes to Spain and Greece, coming in at 10-15% of households.
Cats are believed to outnumber humans by ten to one on the tiny island of Ainoshima in Japan. They arrived here via the mice-infested boats of fishermen, who adopted them as pest control. Now they hang out on the harbourfront and enjoy generous snacks doled out by both sailors and increasing numbers of tourists.
・Coins: Maneki neko often hold a koban, a gold coin that was used in the Edo Period. A koban was worth one ryo (roughly $1,000 USD by today's standards), Japan's monetary unit of the era.