The Japanese Bobtail has existed in Japan for many centuries. It is featured in many ancient stories, art prints and paintings, and to this day is considered good luck to have in the house. When visiting Japanese shops, you will often see a ceramic "maneki neko" (beckoning cat) near the front door with one paw raised. This traditional symbol of welcome and good luck is a stylized rendition of the much-cherished Japanese Bobtail cat. 

 

The maneki neko figurine is most frequently seen in Japanese shop windows or by doorways offering hospitality and good fortune to all who enter, and good business to the owner. Large or small, made in a variety of materials from papier mache to fine porcelain, most are adorned with neck ribbons with attached bells. Some have their right paw raised, some their left. The maneki neko is the traditional symbol which heralds the Japanese Bobtail, its fine ancestry, and good fortune.