Japanese mascots - Hiko-nyan, Hikone Castle's samurai cat

Cats are very popular in Japan… and obviously, the cat mascots are also very popular. Meet Hiko-nyan, the Hikone Castle’s mascot, the most famous and the cutest samurai cat! His name is a combination of Hikone and nyan, the Japanese onomatopoeia for a cat meowing.

Surprisingly, given how famous Hiko-nyan is today, 5 years ago he was just the official mascot for the 400th anniversary of the Hikone Castle. But since he quickly became famous all over Japan, Hiko-nyan was selected as the official mascot of the Hikone city and was used to promote tourism in Hikone.

That’s why, visiting Hikone, you will see posters with Hiko-nyan almost everywhere in the city and you will be tempted with a wide range of Hiko-nyan merchandise (toys, phone straps, pins…). But here I found something special, a stone statue, fresh out of the stonecutter’s workshop, displayed between Jizo statues and stone lanterns, probably made for a private garden… Now that’s tempting…

Click on photo for higher resolution:

Hiko-nyan, Hikone Castle’s Samurai Cat Mascot, Hikone

EXIF Info:

Yesterday’s Japan Photo: Japanese traditions - Mikoshi parade