Maneki-nekos, the famous lucky cat statues, have overrun the Tokyo temple where the legend was born. Accessibility statement Skip to main content Democracy Dies in Darkness ...

Maneki-neko style Japanese cat dolls can be traced back to the Edo period (1603-1868), or shortly beforehand. They probably first appeared in the Buddhist temples Gotokuji , Saihoji , or Jishoin ...

Lucky cat variations Nowadays, you’ll see maneki-neko everywhere, but if you take a closer look, you see that the little neko-chan (meaning ‘small or cute cats’ in Japanese) are not identical.