MANIKI NEKO NEWS HOT FLASH! According to Chunichi’s evening edition yesterday, the most sold maneki neko has changed drastically since 2008. Between 2000 and 2007, 90% of lucky cats were sold in Tokoname, one of the towns. The main pottery in Aichi prefecture, has raised their left paw (to wave / attract customers) and 10% have raised their right paw (to wave money).
However, in 2008, when the derivatives disaster almost wiped out the world economy (known as the Lehman Shock in Japan), everything changed. Suddenly, lucky cats with both paws up became popular, and to make sure that nobody would interpret both paws up as a gesture meaning “I give up!”, the lucky cat makers created a cat that has one paw raised slightly higher than the other paw.
Today, 70% of lucky cats sold have both paws raised (to beckon both customers and money), 20% have the right paw raised (money) and 10% have the left paw raised (customers). The economic crisis is continuing in Japan. People and companies have adjusted their wishes, and the maneki neko, always a bellwether of the economy, has adapted to the times.