All information on Maneki Nekos taken from: Maneki Neko Club
Learning Standards/Objectives | Learning/Teaching Activities | Production | Vocabulary Words
Preparation Checklist | Evaluation Method
Grade Level: 7th
Japanese shop keepers and resturant owners tend to be superstitious. They always keep some kind of lucky charm at the front or back of their stores in the hopes that it will bring lots of customers and help their business prosper. Maneki Neko is the most popular.
The teacher will ask the students why they think Maneki Neko is so popular? The students will share thier opinions in a class discussion.
The gesture of a Maneki Neko resembles an inviting gesture. However, it actually is supposed to represent a cat washing its face. In Japan they say that before it starts to rain, many cats wash their faces because they can feel the change in weather.
Another assumption is that since cats are sensitive animals, they sometimes become "nervous" when they notice a person approaching. Some feel that face washing is a behavior that comforts the cat. So there is another saying in Japan, "If a cat washes its face, a visitor will come."
It may be that in Japan these two ideas were combined. Since a cat washing its face looked like a beckoning gesture, Japanese shop keepers began to place a figurine of a cat raising its front paw (which resembles a beckoning gesture) in their stores in the hopes of attracting more customers.
There are two different kinds of Maneki Neko. One raises its left paw. The other raises its right paw. They say that a Maneki Neko with its left paw up invites customers or people, and the one with its right paw up invites money or good fortune. It is not clear how this was decided. Most older Maneki Nekos tend to have their left paws up. This may be the original pose used for Maneki Nekos. However, there has been an increase in the number of Maneki Nekos with its right paw up.
The height of the paw also represents something. The height can range anywhere from around the mouth to above the tip of the ear. Japanese legends say that the higher the paw, the more the Maneki Neko invites the visitors or the wealth.
Maneki Nekos come in many different colors and the colors also have a meaning. The most popular color is the tri-colored Maneki Neko. Tri-colored cats are considered a lucky charm because genetically is it rare to have a male tri-colored cat. The Japanese have known this for a long time. This is why traditional Maneki Nekos are tri-colored.
White is the second most popular color, since white implies purity. Black is also a popular color for Maneki Nekos. They believe that black cats are a charm against evil. They say that the black Maneki Neko is also supposed to help ward off stalkers.
Red Maneki Nekos are supposed to exorcise evil spirits and illnesses. Maneki Nekos come in a variety of other colors as well such as gold and pink. They say a gold one invites money and the pink ones attract love.
Many Maneki Nekos have a red collar with a bell. During the Edo period (1603 - 1868), cats were an expensive pet. They remained so up until the middle of the Edo period. Waelthy women treasured their cats and they gave their pets fancy red collars and a small bell to help keep an eye on them. Maneki Nekos also sometime wear an apron on top of the red collar. This may be from an Edo custom as well. Some Maneki Nekos also carry a Koban (a gold coin from the Edo period).
The teacher will as the students why they think people make good luck charms. The students will share their answers and opinions with the class.The teacher will then present the new lesson, to sculpt their own Maneki Neko out of clay. The students may sculpt a cat (neko) or they may sculpt their own good luck animal. However, they should borrow ideas from the Japanese Maneki Neko, such as the pose.
The teacher will then demonstrate some clay building techniques that they may use when working on their piece. The teacher will explain that the students must remember that they are working in clay. Although, an ant may look interesting, it will be hard to sculpt thin legs. The teacher will show them some techniques that they may wish to try when making their piece. The teacher will show them how to make pinch pots, hand build, hollow, use coils or drape clay over forms and to stuff their sculpture with newspaper for support. The teacher will remind them to slip and score each piece together. The teacher will remind them that they must not let their clay get too thick and they should be aware of air bubbles. Once the teacher is finished, if there is time, the students may begin working on their piece. Anticipatory set/ Input/ Guided Practice/ Re-Teach if Necessary
Maneki Neko, slip, score, coils, hand building, pinch pots, hollowing, glaze
Information and examples of Maneki Nekos, Maneki Neko handout, paper, clay, clay tools
