vintage japanese sleeping cat money box and ema, toshogu shrine nemuri neko

Love Japanese Style Like we Do

A sweet little vintage nemuri neko, or sleeping cat, money box and an ema painted with the same image of the sleeping cat.

The nemuri neko is a famous wood carving found at Toshugu shrine in Nikko. Symbolizing peace it is said the more the cat sleeps, the more peaceful the era will be.

The money box is a Showa era retro souvenir piece, dating around the 1960’s. It is made of a thin bisque clay. The cat sleeps contentedly in the warm sun, in a field of peonies. The figurine rests on a black stand. Nikko is written on the stand, together with the mitsuba aoi  (3 leaved hollyhock) mon or family crest of the Tokugawa family. Toshogu Shrine  is a memorial to Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate, that ruled Japan for over 250 years until 1868. Ieyasu is enshrined at Toshogu as the deity Tosho Daigongen, ‘Great Deity of the East Shining Light.’

The ornament is in good vintage condition and was obviously stored well with little signs of use.

The nemuri neko ema is new and is made of hinoki wood.  It was blessed and sourced by Lou at Toshogu shrine, on one of her hiking ventures. 

Write your prayers and wishes on the back and display the two pieces together in the hope of world peace.

- ema measures 16.5 cm (6.4 ") x  9.5 cm (3.7").
- cat money box measures 14 cm (5.5”) across x 9 cm (3.5”) tall x 7 cm (2.8”) deep.
- weighs 250 gm.

(listing for cat money box and ema)

(Made of a thin clay we would recommend using the cat as an ornament, rather than a money box).

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EMA
These votive plaques date to the reign of the Emperor Suinin. It was this ancient leader that instituted the use of haniwa clay figures in lieu of live burials when tombs were built for the wealthy. The horses (shimme) that were previously placed in the grave then came to be gifts to shrines. They were thought to be horses for the gods to ride. It wasn't long before these ‘gift horses’ became more trouble than they were worth. The next logical step was making a replica of these shimme and so the wooden ema votive plaque came into being. Ema, literally means picture horse.

Shimme can still be found at some very large shrines, where they lead a life of luxury in stables situated in the grounds of the god's earthly abode. But invariably, a second building is not far away, the ema-do, a building specifically constructed to hold and display the many votive plaques given to the shrine over the years.

The majority of ema were wood plaques, simply fashioned in the shape of a two dimensional gabled roof stable with a prancing steed or two inside. Gradually they came to be painted with animals of the zodiac, good luck images, deities, such as Kannon and Jizo and other specific icons depending on their intended purpose. 

Prayers and wishes are written on the back of the ema and they are left hanging up at the shrine, where the gods are believed to receive them. They are then ritually burned at special events, freeing the wish from the writer.

Ema are an art of the common people, a form of folk painting that can be regarded as a wonderful Japanese mingei.

NEMURI NEKO
Nikko’s Toshogu Shrine, the burial place of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate, is  famous for its elaborate architecture and wood carvings. One of these carvings  is the Nemuri-neko, or Sleeping Cat, at the entrance of the rear shrine where Ieyasu’s remains are housed. The carving is attributed to Hidari Jingorō, a 17th-century artist. The cat is less than eight  inches in size, and is one of the few cases in which a cat is depicted in early Edo-period religious sculpture. Sacred animals such as the crane, turtle, tiger, dragon and phoenix are more commonly found.

The Nemuri Neko is  designated a national treasure. Nemuri means sleeping but can also mean peace. The meaning of peace is significant because on the other side of the cat is a sculpture of a sparrow.  It is said that if the cat wakes up it will eat the sparrow.  It's believed that as long as the cat remains asleep and the two co-exist peacefully, there will be peace in society and the world.

The sleeping cat is also usually associated with Nikko because it is believed it slept under the warm sun in a field of peony flowers. The word Nikko means sunshine or sunlight.  It is said that the more the cat sleeps, the more peace there will be. The sleeping cat is thought to protect the city of Nikko.