New · Made in Ishikawa, Japan · For someone waiting for news
Kutani porcelain · raised red and gold (akamori) · 11 cm · gift box
Kutani Praying Cat, Red and Gold
A small white cat with its paws pressed together, dressed in raised red and gold flowers.
$189 Free shipping to 32 countries
Order by December 8 to make sure it arrives before Christmas.
We ship to mainland China: free, tracked. Import duties, if any, are paid on delivery. Where we ship
Colour: Red and Gold · For someone waiting for news
A gift for luck and protection
Leaves Fukuoka within one week by EMS, with tracking.
The story: Maneki-nekoWatch the 47-second film, or read it →What buyers say · ★★★★★ on Etsy
“Received updates regarding the item I purchased and when it arrived could tell that it was packed with care; my fragile ceramic bunny arrived in perfect condition! A wonderful purchase and I would buy from this shop again”
Jessica · United States
1 more from buyers
“Item was as described and in photos shown. Excellent quality. Seller very knowledgable and took the time to explain everything”
Tiang N. · Australia
- Made in Japan. Kutani ware, from Ishikawa prefecture.
- New, never used. Checked and packed by hand in Fukuoka.
- Returns within 14 days of delivery. Not right? Send it back as it came and we refund the full price, return postage included.
- Packed safely, sent by EMS within one week, fully insured, with tracking.
Duties, checkout and extras
- ★ 5.0 on Etsy · Star Seller. Read the reviews ↗
- Import tax. It depends on your country; if any is due, it is collected on delivery.
- US import duties. Already included in the price: nothing to pay at your door.
- Secure checkout by Stripe — cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay. No account needed.
- Two pieces, one parcel. Each extra piece in the same order is $15 off at checkout.
- Orders of $200 or more travel with a gift to keep: Japanese chopsticks with a rest in a paulownia box, or a Nara kaya-cloth handkerchief.
The story
At Gōtokuji, a temple in Tokyo, there are shelves of white cats. Thousands of them. Each one was brought back by someone whose wish came true. People buy a cat, take it home, make their wish, and when the good news finally arrives they carry the cat back to the temple and leave it with the others.
Most of those cats wave. This one has stopped waving and put its paws together, the way people do at a shrine just before they ask for something. In Japanese it is called oinori-neko, the praying cat.
The meaning
Red is traditionally the colour of good health, and of protection against illness. So this is the cat for a hospital week, a test result still to come, a parent recovering at home. Send it to the person who is waiting for a phone call.
The craft
Made in Ishikawa, in the Kutani tradition. The red and gold are built up in raised layers, a style called akamori, so each flower stands off the glaze and catches the window light. A loaded brush leaves a different edge every time. Each cat is painted by hand, so the petals fall a little differently on every one. The cat that reaches you will be close to the photos, never a copy.
Living with it
It stands about 11 cm tall, a size that fits in a palm. Keep it by the kettle or next to the phone. You probably already know what you would ask it for.
How it comes
In a gift box, packed with care, and sent from Fukuoka. If it brings someone a little courage, pass the story on to them.
How it travels
Packed safely, insured in full
Every piece is packed by hand in Fukuoka inside a sturdy 3 mm corrugated carton, cushioned all round with air pillows so it cannot move. It travels with tracking all the way to your door: by EMS, insured for its full value, on orders of $100 or more, and by tracked airmail below that.
More Maneki-neko on the shelf · 8 →
A question about this piece — size, marks, condition? Ask the house, we answer within a day.