Maneki-Neko Fortune Cat Bell - White

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Maneki-Neko Fortune Cat Bell, White.

Tiny Maneki-Neko! 2.75 inches high. Ceramic, with cord in top for hanging. Makes a great tree ornament/package decoration! Gift-boxed. Made in Japan.

The legend of the Maneki-Neko In the 1600's, in Tokyo, there was an old temple. The priest was very poor and the temple was quite rundown. There was little to eat, but the priest shared what he had with his cat Tama One evening there was a terrible storm, and a wealthy man caught in the deluge had taken shelter under a large tree in front of the temple. As he waited under the tree for the storm to die down, he saw a cat inside the door of the temple. The cat was waving to him, beckoning him to come in. The man was intrigued by this and left the tree for the temple entrance at which point a huge bolt of lightning struck the tree he had just been standing under. With this auspicious beginning, a deep friendship developed between the wealthy man and the poor priest, and the temple benefited from the man's generosity. The priest and his cat were never hungry again. When Tama died, the priest buried his cat in the temple cemetery and a statue was made in his honor which became known as the Maneki-Neko, or beckoning cat. In your home or business, a Maneki-Neko is said to bring good luck.