The story of Tokyo’s Gotokuji Temple, the samurai family whose fate it was intertwined with, and the lucky maneki neko cats there for every step of the way.

Fate—both our own and the larger world’s—can seem at times beyond our control, which is perhaps why lucky charms meant to assure protection and bring good fortune have been cherished in many cultures throughout history. In Japan, the maneki neko, or “beckoning” cat with its raised, entreating paw is among the most popular talismans. You are likely to encounter them in shops and restaurants, where they are placed by owners in hopes of attracting customers. Any souvenir store worth its whiskers will also carry them in some form.

Just where did maneki neko come from? Gotokuji Temple in southwestern Tokyo is famous for its collection of beckoning cat figurines, an astounding 10,000 in number. Visitors can claim one of their own, or simply stroll through the leafy grounds, admiring them all. Less commonly known, however, is that one theory of the maneki neko’s origin is linked to this temple. What’s more, Gotokuji’s patron family is closely entwined with the winding fates of Japanese history. Theirs is a story of power, downfall, transformation—and yes, felines.

Shelter from the Storm & The Rise of the Ii

According to legend, in the early 17th century, Naotaka Ii, a member of a powerful samurai family that controlled the area, was returning from a falconry trip when a white cat led him onto the temple grounds. This detour spared him from a sudden thunderstorm that raged as he conversed indoors with the head monk, and Ii expressed his gratitude by financing the temple’s reconstruction. He also made the site his family’s ancestral temple, where future generations were to be buried. It was renamed Gotokuji in 1659, in honor of Ii’s posthumous Buddhist name, Kyushoin-den-Gotoku-Tenei-Daikoji.

The Ii family dates back to the Heian period (794–1185), with roots in Totomi Province (today western Shizuoka Prefecture). The Iis were ambitious warriors who battled both against and for their rivals, the Imagawas. The 16th-century daimyo Naotora Ii, believed by some scholars to have been a woman, held the family together during a period of crisis following the deaths of its leaders and losses of territory. Naotora also sheltered and raised young Naomasa, son of the slain ruler Naochika.

As the political winds of medieval Japan shifted and Naomasa grew, he distinguished himself as a diplomat in favor of Tokugawa shogunate rule and as a respected commander. He led a fierce, scarlet-armored battalion known as the Red Demons. In the 1600 Battle of Sekigahara that solidified Tokugawa power over the country, Naomasa contributed brilliantly on the battlefield, and the Ii were rewarded with a sizable fiefdom in Omi Province (now Shiga Prefecture). Today, the maneki neko legend extends to Hikone Castle: its mascot is Hikonyan, a cat-suited character crowned with a red samurai helmet bearing golden horns, à la Naomasa’s Red Demons.

Naomasa’s descendants included two sons: Naokatsu, who oversaw the construction of Hikone Castle in Omi, and Naotaka—the same lord of the fateful feline encounter at what would become Gotokuji. Naotaka also played a pivotal role in the Siege of Osaka (1614–1615), the final showdown for western Japan between the Toyotomi clan and the Tokugawa shogunate. After these battles, he assumed control of the Ii family, which served as loyal Tokugawa retainers from Hikone Castle until nearly the end of the Edo period (1603–1867).

Scenic Beauty and Sacred Statues in Gotokuji Temple

Back in present-day Tokyo, there are a few ways to reach Gotokuji: the most memorable is to take one of the Setagaya Line trams decorated with maneki neko to Miyanosaka Station, a five-minute walk from the temple, arriving escorted by the image of the very same cat that once guided Naotaka Ii to shelter. The current beckoning cat collection started with sculptures donated by worshipers as thanks for answered prayers. The modern multitude—ceramic cats largely identical in form but varying in size—is charming, if a bit overwhelming. Their furry representative is Tama-san, a friendly white and black female who could be spotted prowling the premises as of late 2025.

Gotokuji’s maneki neko are slightly different from most. They hold no coins in their paws, the moral being that it is up to each person to make their own fortune through relationships with others. These cats also seem a bit like the Biblical lion that lies down with the lamb, as maneki neko carvings around the pagoda are portrayed in peaceful co-existence with mice figures.

Past the coterie of beckoning cat statues lies the Ii family cemetery, one of the largest daimyo graveyards in Tokyo, designated a national historic site in 2008. The temple grounds themselves are lush with pines and seasonal flora like cherry trees, azaleas, and maples, while the buildings have a dignified elegance suited to a final resting place for feudal barons. Like most Japanese temples, Gotokuji is also home to a Main Hall and a Buddha Hall, each filled with religious statuary and culturally significant objects. Among the 13 structures on the premises, landmarks include a three-storied pagoda enshrining a maneki neko with a statue of Kannon, the Buddhist deity of compassion; a giant copper-cast bell from the 17th century; the Ii family’s massive Akamon red gate; and the Shugetsuen Japanese garden, featuring a reconstruction of the tea house that belonged to 19th-century daimyo Naosuke Ii, who lacked the luck bestowed by felines to the former family members.

The Fall of the Ii

Naosuke Ii (1815–1860) is one of Japanese history’s more interesting examples of someone with greatness thrust upon him. Born the 14th son of Naonaka, his birth rank placed him far from prospects of power. He came of age at a monastery, immersing himself in scholarly and artistic pursuits like Noh and the tea ceremony, fully intending to live out a peaceful life. As fate would have it, though, his 13 older brothers all either died or were adopted into other families. Upon his foster father’s death in 1850, at the age of 35 and just ten years before his own demise, Naosuke was appointed daimyo of the Hikone domain by default.

Naosuke came to power during a time of turmoil for Japan. Still, despite his newcomer status, he proved himself a bold leader with the fate of the country foremost in mind. The arrival of American gunboats in 1853 sparked a fiery debate about whether to end the shogunate’s official policy of seclusion, and Ii angered many with his stance as Chief Minister that negotiating with the Americans was necessary for the nation’s survival. He also cracked down harshly on anyone perceived to oppose the shogunate or its policies, imprisoning or executing more than 100 people during the Ansei Purge of 1858–1860. These actions won him more than a few enemies.

On an unseasonably snowy spring day in 1860, Ii was arriving via palanquin at the Sakurada Gate of Edo Castle, in present-day Tokyo, to meet with shogun Iemochi Tokugawa. His entourage was ambushed by a group of ronin (masterless samurai) from domains at odds with Ii and the shogunate. He was shot and then stabbed to death, his assassination marking the beginning of the end for Tokugawa rule and Japan’s feudal era. His final resting place is Gotokuji.

Peace at Last

In spite of this bloody history, the Ii family lives on to this day. Its 18th-generation head, Takeo Ii, serves as director of the Hikone Castle Museum. Meanwhile, the ancestral gravesite at Gotokuji remains some 400 kilometers away, surrounded by all its feline protectors. Naotaka and Naosuke both have tombs here.

If you’re fortunate enough to encounter Gotokuji’s maneki neko—the ones reputed as predecessors to all across Japan—let them beckon you a little further, perhaps to the Main Hall’s portrait of Naosuke painted by his son Naoyasu, or to the Ii family cemetery. Here, generations of daimyos finally take their rest from centuries of shouldering the fate of the country.

About the Author: Jennifer Pastore is a U.S.-born, Tokyo-based writer with a passion for Japanese art and culture. She enjoys exploring the rich and varied regions of Japan.