Maneki Neko (Coin Bank)

Made in Tokoname, a town in Jaopan. There are many stories surrounding the "beckoning cat", here is one of the more famous ones.

The legend of the Gotokuji Temple. This story is about the local priest who looked after Gotokuji Temple in Tokyo who, despite his poverty, would share his food with his cat.

One day, a man who was said to have been a samurai took shelter under one of the temple’s nearby trees. The man saw the cat who was beckoning him to come into the temple. As he approached the cat, a bolt of lightning struck the tree he was under, causing it to crash down onto the ground where he would’ve been taking shelter had the cat not signalled him to move.

Grateful to the cat the samurai, who turned out to be a very wealthy man, rewarded the temple with funding. Years later when the cat died, a special burial was made in honour of what we know today as the lucky cat.