Speaking of a nice figurine which brings good fortune and good business is about a beckoning cat. It is popular among foreigners for the cat’s unique and lovely form that raises one’s hand to bring fortune. Gotokuji, located at a neat housing estate in Setagaya Ward, is known for one of the birthplaces of a beckoning cat.
History of Gotokuji Temple
The predecessor of Gotokuji Temple was Kotokuin Temple, which was founded in 1480 by Kira Masatada, the fifth lord of Setagaya Castle and a vassal of the Hojo clan, to mourn his aunt.In 1633, the Setagaya Castle was abandoned after the fall of the Hojo clan, and the area became the domain of the Hikone domain, where Ii Naotaka, lord of the Hikone domain, began to rebuild the temple to make it suitable as a family temple in Edo. The main temple building, the Butsuden (Buddhist hall), was built in 1677. A section of the temple grounds serves as the Ii family graveyard, and is designated as a national historic site along with Seiryouji Temple in Hikone City, Shiga Prefecture, and the Ii family graveyard at Eigenji Temple in Higashiomi City, Shiga Prefecture, as the “Ii Family Graveyard of the Lords of the Hikone Domain. There are many cultural heritage sites associated with the Ii family, including a Buddhist temple, a temple bell, and Buddhist statues.
Sights to see of Gotokuji Temple
Ii Naosuke
Ii Naosuke was born at Hikone Castle as the 14th son of Ii Naonaka, the feudal lord of the Hikone domain. 35 years old, he became the lord of the Hikone domain, and in 1858, at the age of 43, he was appointed as the Grand Senior Minister of the Tokugawa shogunate at a time when the decision to open ports or exclude foreigners was being made at the end of the Edo period. Naosuke concluded the Japan-U.S. Treaty of Amity and Commerce without the Emperor’s permission and designated Tokugawa Keifuku of the Kishu domain as the successor to Shogun Iesada. Naosuke then suppressed those who opposed these measures with the “Great Prison of Ansei. For this reason, he was assassinated on March 24, 1860, on his way to Edo Castle by the Sakuradamon Gate, the time of the Sakuradamon Outer Incident. He was buried in Gotokuji
Shofukuden
The origin of the relationship between Gotokuji and cat dates back to the beginning of the Edo period, when Gotokujin was still called Kotokuin.It is said that when Ii Naosuke passed by Gotokuji, he walked in the temple guided by the temple’s beckoning white cat. Suddenly outside of the temple, there was a thunderstorm, yet Ii Naosuke could avoid the thunderstorm thanks to the temple.Ii Naosuke was impressed and reconstructed Kotokuin into Bodai Temple of the Ii family. The white cat was enshrined in “Shofukudo.”At the three-storied pagoda, you can see the carvings of Oriental Zodiac in the animal symbols order, but in the order of a mouse, a beckoning cat is decorated instead of a mouse. A mouse holds out an oval gold coin to the cat.Generally, a beckoning cat often holds an oval gold coin written get-rich-quick, yet this beckoning cat does not hold it. This means that “it will present an opportunity but you should get the fortune by yourself.”
Shofukuden with many beckoning cats is located next to the main hall. There are beckoning cats in many sizes devoted to Shofukuden. The view of more than 1,000 beckoning cats make us feel as if we get lost in another world, and we never forget the sight.In fact, these beckoning cats are all devoted by the visitors. A beckoning cat is said to have the power to grant a wish, and when your wish comes true you can get more fortune if you devote it to Gotokuji. That is why so many beckoning cats are gathered in Gotokuji.You can buy the beckoning cat at the reception of Gotokuji. The small beckoning cat is a best souvenir. The fortune is all the same, so please choose your favorite beckoning cat.Not only the beckoning cats but also the charms for family and for business, and the votive tablets which a beckoning cat and the year’s animal symbols painted, are available.
Hikonyan
The popular mascot of Hikone, Shiga “Hikonyan” is modeled for the cat in “Gotokuji.” “Hikonyan” was born combined with a beckoning cat in “Gotokuji” and “Akazonae helmet,” which was a symbol of the Ii family governed Hikone Domain.
Access to Gotokuji Temple
2-24-7, Gotokuji, Setagaya City, Tokyo
Parking around Gotokuji Temple
Gotokuji Temple Official Website
Official Site：https://gotokuji.jp/en/