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This blog documents the 365 projects of two different photographers. One photo a day, every day, for 365 days. They don't talk about what they are going to photograph. It's simply take the picture, post it and see what interesting combination their art forms side by side. Enjoy!
Re: the Maneki Neko and the hand gesture (convo from this morning).
ReplyDeleteI took it upon myself to find out the meaning of the raised paw and here is what I found:
*The gesture*
To Americans and Europeans it may seem as if the Maneki Neko is waving rather than beckoning. This is due to the difference in gestures used by Westerners and Japanese, with Japanese beckoning by holding up the hand, palm out, and repeatedly folding the fingers down and back up, thus the cat's appearance. Some Maneki Neko made specifically for Western markets will have the cat's paw facing backwards, in a beckoning gesture more familiar to Westerners. Maneki Neko can be found with either the right or left paw raised (and sometimes both). The significance of the right and left raised paw differs with time and place. The most common belief is that the left paw raised brings in customers, while a right paw brings wealth and good luck, although some believe the opposite. Still others say that a left paw raised is best for drinking establishments, the right paw for other stores. (Those who hold their liquor well are called hidari-kiki in Japan, "left-handed".)
It is commonly believed the higher the raised paw, the greater the luck. Consequently, over the years Maneki Neko's paw has tended to appear ever higher. Some use the paw height as a crude method of gauging the relative age of a figure. Another common belief is that the higher the paw, the greater the distance good fortune will come from. Some Maneki Neko feature battery- or solar-powered moving arms endlessly engaged in the beckoning gesture.