Bucket Hat 'Maneki Neko' - 招き猫

The beckoning cat, embroidered with its gold coin The maneki neko (招き猫, "beckoning cat") is one of the most widely distributed figures on earth, standing in the window of shops across Japan and far beyond it. The statue shows a seated cat raising one front paw in invitation, usually in painted ceramic. The detail that matters is which paw: left raised draws in customers, which is why retailers prefer it; right raised draws in money, which is why banks do; both raised belongs to the ambitious. Its origin comes down through competing legends. The best known holds that in the seventeenth century the feudal lord Ii Naotaka was saved from a violent storm by a cat that beckoned him inside the temple of Gōtoku-ji in Setagaya, now western Tokyo. In gratitude he made the temple the Ii family chapel and the cult of the saving cat took hold. Gōtoku-ji today keeps more than 10,000 maneki neko figures left by visitors asking for prosperity, and has become one of the most photographed places in the city. The embroidery gives a softened cartoon reading of the classic figure: off-white fur with grey markings, eyes closed in a laughing arc, faintly pink cheeks, pointed ears, and the yellow koban gold coin held at the belly — the wealth the cat is supposed to attract. The left paw is the raised one, which makes this the version that calls in customers rather than cash. The mid-profile bucket shape makes the white of the cat and the gold of the coin carry. Wear it with an oversized pastel sweatshirt, a checked skirt and white sneakers, or with a heavyweight white tee and straight jeans for everyday. The brim earns its place on shopping days and long walks. Made for shopkeepers with a superstition, for people with cats, for anyone who has been to Gōtoku-ji — and it is a genuinely good present for a new business or a new flat. 98% cotton, 2% elastane Mid profile, 7.5 cm (3 in) brim One size: 54.9-60 cm (21.6-23.6 in) Soft inner lining Flat seams and clean finishing