{"product_id":"maneki-cat-ward-off-evil","title":"Maneki Cat : Protection","description":"\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA palm-sized black lucky cat, hand-cast and hand-painted in Japan\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBlack cats are a traditional ward against evil in Japan — believed protective thanks to their sharp night vision\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFinished with a soft matte glaze, with black markings hand-painted onto a white ceramic base\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMade by a family ceramics workshop that has crafted Japan's fortune figures\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHand-painted freehand after firing, so every cat's expression comes out a little different\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Raise a paw. Invite your fortune in.\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eLucky cats are believed to have first appeared as a good-luck charm in the Edo period, adopted by shopkeepers and travelers to invite fortune. This one takes the colour black, which has long been considered protective in Japan — black cats were thought to see clearly in the dark and ward off evil as a result.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eIt's cast in a plaster mould, fired at around 1,030°C, then hand-painted afterward with no pre-firing glaze on the design — which is also why it shouldn't get wet. \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA raised right paw, like this one's, is said to invite wealth; a raised left paw is said to invite people.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis lucky cat comes from a small ceramics workshop in Seto, Japan\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e and still family-run today, making zodiac dolls, Hina dolls, maneki-neko and shrine figures entirely by hand.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSeto has been one of Japan's great pottery towns since the Heian period, and for centuries was the only place in the country producing \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eglazed\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e ceramics — which is why \"setomono\" became the everyday Japanese word for pottery itself. From the late 1800s, Seto's potters turned that same skill toward ceramic dolls and figures, and this cat is still made the same way: cast in a plaster mould, fired, and hand-painted freehand with no sketch to follow.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCeramic · H9.5 × W7.7 × D5.9 cm \u003cbr\u003eMade in Seto, Japan\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"www.Japan-Best.net","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":63398254969162,"sku":"6913.90","price":30.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0409\/4296\/0806\/files\/BlackManekiF.jpg?v=1788248258","url":"https:\/\/www.japan-best.net\/products\/maneki-cat-ward-off-evil","provider":"www.Japan-Best.net","version":"1.0","type":"link"}