Lucky Cat with Kittens for Wealth

In 17th century Japan, there was once very poor priest who lived with a cat named Tama in a Tokyo temple. The priest was very poor and depended on alms as his source of food, but like all holy men he loved animals and always ensured that Tama was well-fed, safe and happy. Priest and cat lived a simple existence and were contented together. On a particularly sunny day a feudal lord was cantering about the city on his steed. Suddenly, the bright skies closed up and rain poured down in buckets. The lord quickly looked about and when he saw a huge tree next to the temple, he galloped swiftly for cover under the heavy foliage of the tree. While he rested and waited for the storm to subside, he suddenly saw the most unlikely thing - Tama, the temple-cat, was frantically beckoning with its front paw to the lord to come over to the temple instead. The lord quickly ran across to the temple and as he did so, the tree from which he sought shelter suddenly crashed to the ground after being zapped by huge lightning. Thus the plucky-Lucky cat Tama saved the grateful lord's life. From then on, Tama's clever little self has been reinvented into the the Lucky cat - an auspicious incarnation of the Goddess of Mercy! The Lucky Cat with Kittens for Wealth is a adorable lucky cat in yellow, made of plaster and finished off with pretty handpainted colors. These cats denote to good business, promotions, good sales and wealth luck, too - a mallet is perched in its paws, because it is said in Chinese culture that the presence of a mallet invites both financial rewards and visitors to a business establishment! The lucky cat is also a makeshift perch for little lucky kittens, too. There are five in all - one on the head, another on a paw, yet one more resting on the mallet and two more perched on either hind-paw feet. These lucky kittens are all smiling and beckoning, too. Place this cute item in the kitchen, lounge, living room, office, even the bedside table! Dimension: Length: 11.5 cm Width: 10.5 cm Height: 9 cm