• About
  • Featured
  • Home
 
Muza-chan's Gate to Japan
12 years of travel throughout Japan
Discover Japan through the eyes of a seasoned traveler
  • A Japan photo per day
  • Travel in Japan
  • Customs & traditions
  • Japanese food
  • Japanese history
  •  Anime & otaku
  • Did you know?

Matchmaking Maneki Neko

Sun, November 18, 2012, by Muza-chan

From the many exotic Japanese customs, one that I always enjoy is Maneki Neko, the beckoning cat. So when I learned that the Imado Jinja from Asakusa, Tokyo, is one of the two places related to the beginning of the Maneki Neko legend, I went there to visit and research.

Maneki Neko is one of the most popular lucky charms from Japan and these statues, representing a calico Japanese bobtail with a raised paw, can be found in almost every shop or restaurant, because it is believed that they bring prosperity by inviting the customers inside.

However, the Maneki Neko from the Imado Jinja are very special… Here, the cats are always represented in pairs, a male and a female. The reason is that Imado Jinja enshrines the couple of Shinto gods Izanagi-no-Mikoto and Izanami-no-Mikoto, so it is also known as a shrine from matchmaking. This attribute was applied to the Maneki Neko here, and now the paired statues are considered to bring, besides good luck in business, good luck in love and marriage.

Click on photo for higher resolution:
Imado Shrine, Asakusa, Tokyo
Imado Shrine, Asakusa, Tokyo
If you want to license my photos for commercial use, please contact me

EXIF Info:

Nikon D90
Lens: VR 18-55mm F/3.5-5.6G
Focal Length: 18mm
Aperture: F/5.6
Shutter Speed: 1/320s
ISO Sensitivity: ISO 200
Japanese spiritual architecture, Kon-do
Yesterday’s Japan Photo:

Japanese spiritual architecture, Kon-do



  • Muza-chan mascot
    • # Kyoto travel

    • # Travel tips for visiting Japan

    • # Zen gardens

    • # Tokyo travel

    •  
    • # Modern Japanese architecture

    • # Japanese gardens

    • # Japanese manhole covers

    •  
    • # Castles in Japan

    • # Traditional Japanese house

    • # Trains in Japan

    •  
    • # Night time photos from Japan

    • # Sakura, cherry blossoms

    • # Traditional Japanese architecture

  • Traveled areas 2007-2017
  • Creative Commons License
    Photos and text by Muza-chan are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
    If you quote or use photos from this site, you must give appropriate credit and a link to the site:
    "Based on a work at muza-chan.net"
    Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available by contacting us (privacy policy).