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Maneki-neko of Gotokuji — Gotokuji Temple, Tokyo

Hundreds of small white maneki-neko lucky cats with red collars packed together on the shelves at Gotokuji Temple in Tokyo.
Artwork FileSetagaya · Tokyo

Lucky cats of Gotokuji

ReportedOct 2025

Left by visitors · ongoing · Gotokuji, Setagaya, Tokyo

Photo: Niwrat / Wikimedia Commons (CC0), as published on Street Art Utopia. Resized, full frame.

At Gotokuji, a Soto Zen temple in Setagaya, Tokyo, thousands of white beckoning-cat figurines stand in rows at the temple’s offering place. No single artist made them: visitors buy a cat at the temple office and, by tradition, bring it back once their wish has come true. A Tokyu article reports that the hall holds about 10,000 cats, and the Go Tokyo directory says the temple is said to be the birthplace of the maneki-neko. Source Source Source Reported

Reported Oct 2025 — a dated visit report of 30 October 2025 describes the corner where thousands of returned lucky cats stand, with many visitors photographing them. Source Reported

💡 4 things to know

  1. A cat that beckoned a lordAccording to the temple, a cat at the gate called in Lord Naotaka Ii of Hikone just before a storm. He then funded the temple’s rebuilding in 1633. Source Reported
  2. Bought, then given backVisitors buy a figurine at reception and take it home. If the prayer is fulfilled, temple tradition says it should be returned to the shrine in thanks. Source Reported
  3. A crowd that keeps growingAccording to Atlas Obscura, the number of cats keeps rising as locals and tourists add new ones to the rows. Source Reported
  4. About 10,000 catsAccording to a Tokyu article, the offering hall reportedly holds about 10,000 cats; it also says the white cat Tama is said to be an incarnation of Shofuku Kannon. Source Reported

📍 Where it is

Gotokuji, 2-24-7 Gotokuji, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo; about 5 minutes on foot from Miyanosaka Station on the Tokyu Setagaya Line. Source Checked

Open in Maps

Opens a map search for the temple address; we have not checked Street View for the offering place.

🗓️ Sightings

  1. 20166 Dec

    New cats added daily · Atlas Obscura

  2. 20187 Aug

    About 10,000 figurines draw Instagram visitors · CGTN/AFP

  3. 201910 Jul

    Hundreds of cats on display · Afar

  4. 20213 Apr

    Countless offered cats piled at the 奉納所 · Serai

  5. 20257 Jun

    Tokyu interview (2019, re-edited 2025): about 10,000 cats in the hall

  6. 202530 Oct

    Thousands of returned cats, many foreign visitors · visit report

Green stamps mark dated photographs; amber stamps mark records or reports; red stamps mark loss. Publication dates are not camera dates.

🗞️ In the sources

Afar10 July 2019

Inside Tokyo’s Buddhist Temple Devoted to “Lucky” Cats

Read the source →

Tokyu Railways7 June 2025

招き猫電車に乗って、幸せな気持ちを分け合って。(豪徳寺 住職 粕川徹哉さん)

“「たま」は招福観音の化身といわれています”

The article says Tama is said to be an incarnation of Shofuku Kannon.

Read the source →

✅ The facts

Offered by
Visitors; the figurines are sold at the temple office (reception) Source Source Checked
Number of cats
About 10,000, according to a Tokyu article (reportedly) Source Source Reported
Temple
Gotokuji, a Soto Zen temple in Setagaya Source Checked
Address
Gotokuji 2-24-7, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo Source Checked
Legend
A cat beckoned Lord Naotaka Ii into the temple before a storm Source Reported
Temple rebuilt
1633, with Naotaka Ii’s backing Source Reported
Price of a cat
300 to 5,000 yen depending on size (2021) Source Reported
Access
About 5 minutes' walk from Miyanosaka Station (Tokyu Setagaya Line) Source Checked

🔗 Related

All sources & image credits

Last checked: 13 November 2026 · How we verify art