Out & About San Diego with Jim Frimmer, Your Mission Valley Realtor — The cats are beckoning you

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The cats are beckoning you

Ever heard of the beckoning cats? Neither had I until now, but Japan's Beckoning Cats will be beckoning YOU to visit them at the Mingei International Museum in Balboa Park beginning Sunday, March 13, 2011:

Beckoning cats have one paw upraised and seem to be beckoning you to come with them, pay attention to them, perhaps even pet them. They look like this:

I had seen some of those in San Diego's Old Town, but I always thought they were waving cats. I never knew they really had a history behind them.

According to Wikipedia, the Beckoning Cat, Maneki Neko, is part of Japanese culture and are also called Welcoming Cat, Lucky Cat, Money Cat, or Fortune Cat.

Although you and I might think that they are waving cats, the Japanese beckoning gesture is to hold up one hand, palm facing out, and "repeatedly fold the fingers down and up," just like many Westerners wave goodbye.

There will be 155 Beckoning Cats on display at the Mingei International Museum, some dating back to the 1600s. They will be beckoning you until January 15, 2012.

Modern Beckoning Cats are usually ceramic, but the ones in the Mingei collection, recently received as a gift from Billie Moffitt, are made of clay, wood, and metal, too. As a long-time tennis fan, I recognize the name Billie Moffitt as the maiden name of Billie Jean King. I believe she has an appreciation for our fine little felines, so I'm curious if this was her collection that she recently donated, especially since she was born just up the road in Long Beach.

For more interesting information, including how the Lucky Cat legend came about, visit this page of the Mingei International Museum online.

I will be going either Sunday or Monday and will have a collection of pictures to show you next week.

Beckoning Cat picture credits: Single picture from Wikipedia. Group picture permission of Mingei International Museum.

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If you're looking for a great real estate agent in San Diego, well,
let me Google one for you.

I'm available 24/7, so feel free to contact me by phone or email.

Jim Frimmer, Realtor
Century 21 Award Mission Valley
California DRE License #01458572
619-729-5701
jimfrimmer@century21award.com
Mission Valley Condos Information

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Try Russel Ray Photos for inexpensive, royalty-free photos.

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