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Feng Shui Items, Feng Shui Knowledge, Modern Feng Shui, Thai Amulets/ Statues
How to choose your Fortune Cat?
22
Aug
Aug
Previous article, we discussed on approach to choosing a Feng Shui master. In this article, we touch on a lighter note on one of the ornaments commonly seen in homes; Maneki Neko, Japan’s famous fortune cat. We will share the basic knowledge & some of their meanings behind.
Though fortune cat originates from Japan, it has seeped into Chinese culture as an auspicious item. In traditional Feng Shui, this is not often talked about. In modern Feng Shui wise, fortune cat is often used to attract wealth.
Areas we will talked about
1. Colors
2. Left, right & both paws
3. Collar’s bell
4. Items on paw
5. Material
6. Placement in home or shop
Colors
Often, fortune cat comes in 8 different colors. Most famous & traditional ones is the tri-color cat (modeled after the Japanese bob-tail breed), believe to attract general good luck, wealth and prosperity. Below shows an example of a tri-color cat.
As for the other 8 colors, below are their images & meanings.
Golden cat – Attract wealth and prosperity
White cat – Attract purity and happiness
Red cat – Protection from evil & illness (especially illness in children). Also attract marriage, love, and other personal matters
Blue cat – Attract safety (road safety) & academic fortune
Yellow cat – Attract Stability, health and relationships. Also used to attract “good match”, in romance or business partner.
Pink cat – Attract “love luck” or good love fortune
Green cat – Attract success in exams, studies and health
Notice there is a brownish spot on their hand. This is said to bring owner the best of fortunes.
Left, Right & Both Paws
As for the paw, you often see left or right paw been raised. Sometimes, even both paws. To dispel the doubt, below are the meanings behind each of the paw raised. Right Paw raised: signify bringing in wealth and good luck
Left Paw raised: signify bringing in customers to a place of business
Both Paws raised: signify in providing protection
Both Paws raised: signify in providing protection
Collar’s Bell
When you do window shopping or purchasing, you will notice that the bell is normally wrapped in a white piece of paper. It is believe that the fortune cat will recognize the first owner who did the unwrapping. By doing so, it will attract the fortune for his/ her owner only.Items on paw
Fortune cat are often seen holding something in their paws. Below are some common items with their meanings.
Carp (koi), or other fish: symbolizes fortune and abundance. Money Bag/ Ancient coin: symbolizes luck, along with wealth. Our fortune cat above is holding on Japanese ancient coin written as “Ten million dollars”. Marble or Gemstone: symbolizes wisdom, as well as wealth. Fan or Drum: symbolizes luck with business. The drum specifically, is a symbol of a shop that is overflowing with customers. Hollowed Gourds (hyotan): It is believed to ward off evil and bring good luck. They are used to contain sake and over beverages, often used by another of the Seven Lucky Gods, Fukurokuju, the god of wisdom and longevity.Material
Most of the fortune cats in market is made of plastic or porcelain. Those higher end will be made in jade, gold or crystal glass (琉璃). It is said the good ones are made in ceramic. If you belong to those fortune cat enthusiastic, you can try purchase them when you travel to Japan next time. Top fortune cat producer is Tokoname City (常滑市) in Aichi Prefecture (oldest & biggest production base). Also known as one of the Japan’s Six Ancient Kilns (日本六古窯). Other places which are also famous for producing fortune cat are Seto City (瀬戸市) in Aichi Prefecture (愛知県) and Takasaki City (高崎市) in Gunma Prefecture (群馬県).Placement in home or shop
At home, recommended to place this at the direct wealth spot to attract wealth and good fortune. You can read our article on identifying your wealth spot. Alternatively, you can place at the vestibule area where you can visualise when first entered the house. You can read more about this here.a) Cashier area to attract wealth
b) Feng Shui designated wealth spot of the shop
c) For attracting customer, it should place in a prominent spot facing the main door
Hopefully, above article shared give you a good understanding of the famous fortune cat (Maneki Neko). Next article, we will focus on toilet Feng Shui audit – less known knowledge.
For relevant article, you can read about our article on Living Room Feng Shui Audit.
Thank you & good luck!
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