The lucky cat
In storefronts and homes throughout Japan, these charms bring luck – a beckoning right paw attracts wealth, the left draws customers. Believers still offer cat dolls at Gotokuji Temple in Tokyo, where the custom began. Most of these ceramic dolls are made in Seto, in Aichi, a historic pottery center that hosts an annual cat festival and a museum featuring lucky cat ornaments from all over Japan. Recently, this Japanese tradition has caught the imagination of people worldwide, and many countries now produce lucky cat dolls in their own local styles.
VIDEO BY MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF JAPAN
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In storefronts and homes throughout Japan, these charms bring luck – a beckoning right paw attracts wealth, the left draws customers. Believers still offer cat dolls at Gotokuji Temple in Tokyo, where the custom began. Most of these ceramic dolls are made in Seto, in Aichi, a historic pottery center that hosts an annual cat festival and a museum featuring lucky cat ornaments from all over Japan. Recently, this Japanese tradition has caught the imagination of people worldwide, and many countries now produce lucky cat dolls in their own local styles.
VIDEO BY MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF JAPAN
Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe
Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net
Follow us:
Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook
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DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion
Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital
Check out our Podcasts:
Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify
Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts
Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic
Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer
Stitcher: https://tmt.ph/stitcher
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#TheManilaTimes
#lucky
#cat
#ceramicdoll
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NewsTranscript
00:00 [Music]
00:12 The famous lucky cat.
00:14 In Japanese, it's actually called beckoning cat.
00:18 Beckoning with its right paw, it attracts wealth, while the left brings business.
00:24 You'll see them decorating both homes and shops.
00:27 [Music]
00:33 The Japanese began keeping cats indoors in the 17th century, originally to hunt mice.
00:38 [Music]
00:44 Gradually, they became the much-loved pets they are today.
00:47 [Music]
00:54 Go-Tokuji temple in Tokyo has a corner stacked with hundreds of these dolls.
00:59 [Music]
01:02 The legend of the lucky cat started in this temple, so people put the dolls here to wish for good fortune.
01:08 [Music]
01:13 We're starting a company together and we prayed for it to be a success.
01:17 [Music]
01:19 So why is the lucky cat supposed to bring good luck?
01:22 It's a story from about 400 years ago.
01:25 [Music]
01:28 A lord was passing the temple gate one day,
01:31 when he saw a white cat that seemed to be beckoning him with its right paw, like this.
01:39 [Music]
01:40 Intrigued, the lord followed the cat into the temple.
01:44 Just at that moment, a flash of lightning struck the exact spot where he would have been.
01:49 [Music]
01:51 The story of how the cat saved his life spread,
01:54 and people began visiting this temple hoping to be blessed with similar good luck.
01:58 [Music]
02:03 A train line passes close by the temple.
02:08 One of the trains painted in lucky cat designs runs on a random schedule,
02:12 so it's considered to be good luck if you catch it.
02:15 [Music]
02:20 The city of Seto in Aichi has always been a major ceramic center,
02:25 and this is where most lucky cat dolls are made.
02:28 [Music]
02:32 This unusual Seto museum hosts a collection of about 5,000 lucky cat ornaments from all over Japan.
02:38 [Music]
02:42 Most are ceramic, but there are paper ones too.
02:48 They feature many types of expression and unique regional designs.
02:53 It's easy to see how deeply loved this lucky charm is by the Japanese.
02:59 [Music]
03:01 Seto holds a lucky cat festival every September.
03:06 [Music]
03:09 It's an occasion for the whole city to dress up as cats.
03:13 [Music]
03:17 There are cat songs and cat dances, and everyone has a lot of fun.
03:22 [Music]
03:26 During the festival, you can take a workshop in doll making
03:29 from a local ceramic artist who makes lucky dolls for a living.
03:33 [Music]
03:36 There's also an exhibition featuring selected dolls by artists from all over Japan.
03:42 Every year, the designs seem more creative and original.
03:47 [Music]
03:51 The lucky cat is an interesting subject for artists.
03:54 It inspires them to create unique designs showcasing their talents in so many ways.
04:00 Seto is proud of our craft traditions,
04:02 and we love the challenge of imagining variations on this local theme.
04:06 [Music]
04:09 This Japanese tradition has caught the imagination of people worldwide,
04:13 and many countries have started interpreting the concept in their own unique ways.
04:17 [Music]
04:21 Throughout the ages and around the globe,
04:24 these dolls continue to summon good fortune.
04:27 [Music]
04:29 [Silence]
04:35 [Mouse click]
04:36 [Bell ring]
04:37 [Silence]