Maneki-neko is a Japanese lucky charm of a cat and is also called “beckoning cat” in English. Today it is well known in many countries all over the world and is found in stores and businesses. Maneki means an “invitation” and neko is a “cat” in Japanese. It is called maneki-neko because the cat’s grooming pose when it holds up its paw to its ear resembles an inviting gesture in Japanese culture. People say a maneki-neko that raises its right paw will bring money and one that raises its left paw will bring customers/people. The higher the paw rises, the more luck it will bring. A maneki-neko usually holds a gold coin in its other paw for more luck attracting money. People say that a white maneki-neko will bring happiness, a black one will protect you from misfortune, a red one will bring good health, a pink one will bring romance, and a calico will bring fortune. Furthermore, a maneki-neko with eyes of two different colors is supposed to bring even more money because such a cat is rare in real life.
One last thing: In Japan people say that September 29th is the day of maneki-neko.
Setsubun, which literally means “dividing season,” marks the day before a new season starts according to the traditional East Asian lunisolar calendar. While there is a setsubun for each season, the one we typically refer to is the Spring Setsubun. According to the Japanese calendar, Spring Setsubun in 2017 falls on February 3rd; however, on rare occasions, it can fall on February 2nd.
During Setsubun, people engage in the custom of mamemaki(please see the mamemaki post for details). People also eat an entire roll of sushi, that is called Ehōmakifor a good luck. It’s not good to slice the roll because the luck will be cut off as well.
Shimekazariis a decorated shimenawa. Today many households just put up shimekazari like any other new year’s decoration; but traditionally its purpose was to attract the spirit of one particular Shinto deity: Toshigami-sama, (protector of health and good fortune), so that he would purify the house and keep bad luck and evil spirits away.
Shimekazari is usually suggested to be put up between 13th and 28th of December, and to be taken down on the 7th or 15th of January depending on the area of Japan.
A shimenawa is a rope that people display in shrines and households. The purpose of a shimenawa is to attract the notice of Shinto gods, and to purify the area and keep evil spirits away.
Please look closely at these fish. Do you notice anything about how they are served???
The head is always on the left and the tail is to the right. If you go to a real Japanese restaurant, they will always serve fish this way. Traditionally in Japan we say “左上右下”. That means “left is superior to right.” If you serve fish the other way, it is considered to bring bad luck.
If you are interested in learning about Japanese culture, please contact me.
Tōrō Nagashi is a part of Obon ceremony in Japan. People release floating lanterns into a river or lake to send the spirits of the dead back to where they came from. Please read my Obon post for more details.
Kadomatsu is a New Year decoration that made out of bamboo & pine. We place them at the main entrance of a house, a store, or a building in pairs (left-hand-side and right-hand-side). We believe that a pair of Kadomatsu will be marks to lead the way for Toshigami-sama to visit the house.
Toshigami (年神 or 歳神) is a Shinto God that Japanese people believe visits each household on New Year’s Day to bring blessings. We usually speak of “Toshigami-sama”, which is the honorific form of his name. Toshigami-sama is also called Toshitokujin,Tondosan, or Lucky Goddess.
Sumo is a style of wrestling and is the national sport of Japan. A sumo match takes place on a platform called a dohyō, which is a 6.7 square meter platform with a 4.55 meter ring. Dohyō were first built in temples and believed to be where a god resided. During the match, both wrestlers must stay inside the ring and the first one to step out of the ring, or allow any part of his body to touch the ground except the soles of his feet, loses the match.
