Maneki Neko Daruma - Calico

A powerful combination to invite luck and achieve your goals. Double positive energy in a figure brimming with charm and purpose.

In Japan, the beckoning cat is one of the most well-known and beloved good luck charms. So is Daruma, a representation of Bodhidharma (a monk who attained enlightenment after meditating without interruption for nine years). He embodies determination and serves as a visual reminder that, with dedication and effort, we can achieve whatever we set our minds to.

Origin of Maneki Neko

Of the many legends that tell the tale of the origin of this amulet, the most beautiful is the one that was born in the Gotokuji temple in the 17th century.

At the time, the temple had no money and was in a poor state of repair. The old monk who lived there shared what little food he had with a cat. One day a rich feudal lord named Ii Naotaka, a samurai of the Hikone domain, was hunting nearby. Suddenly he was caught in a storm and ran for shelter under a tree. He then saw a cat in the temple waving its paw, as if to beckon him to come in. Curious, as he approached the cat, lightning struck the tree. The cat had just saved his life! The samurai was so grateful that he decided to make donations to the temple, which put an end to his precarious situation.

From that day on, the cat became the symbol of Gotokuji and a famous good luck charm throughout the country. When he died, he was buried with honours in the temple, where hundreds of Maneki Neko can be seen today.