The Maneki Neko is Tama the Beckoning Cat and is associated with an ancient cat-shrine on the grounds of a temple known as Gotoku-ji near Tokyo.

This temple was originally a very poor one, no more than a thatched hut run by poverty-stricken and half-starved monks. The Temple Abbot had a cat of which he was fond, and shared with it such little food as he had. One day the cat squatted by the roadside and, when half a dozen Samurai appeared on splendid horses, it looked up at them and raised one of its paws to its ear, as if it were beckoning to them. The Samurai took refuge under a big tree near the temple. While they waited for the storm to pass, they noticed a cat still beckoning them to come inside the temple gate. This was so startling that they left the shelter of the tree to have a closer look at this unusual cat. At that moment, the tree was struck by lighting. The Samurai saw this as a blessing as Tama, the cat, had effectively saved their lives.

Torrential rain forced them to stay for a while, so the priests gave them tea and expounded Buddhist doctrine. After this, one of the Samurai, Lord Li, regularly visited the old Abbot and his priests to receive religious instruction from them. Eventually Li endowed the temple with a large estate and it became the property of his family. When the cat Tama died, he was buried in the Goutokuji Temple's cat cemetery with respect and love, and the Maneki Neko was made in honor of him. Visitors who pass under the temple's gateways, walk through its broad avenues of towering trees and enjoy the beautifully laid-out gardens and discover, near the cemetery of the Li family, the little shrine of the beckoning cat which still draws pilgrims from all parts of Japan.

Because the Beckoning Cat had lured a wealthy patron to the poor temple, images of this cat soon became talismanic emblems and are thought to bring good fortune. Volumes upon volumes of haiku, extoll the virtues of the Maneki Neko and all cats. The following haiku are our contributions.