Maneki Neko Pop Icon?

Mingei International Museum will open Maneki Neko — Japan’s Beckoning Cats — from Talisman to Pop Icon on Sunday, March 13, featuring selections from a collection of 155 cats given to the museum by collector Billie Moffitt. Since the Edo period (1603-1868), a fabricated cat with a paw upraised in the Japanese gesture of beckoning has been considered a good luck charm, drawing good fortune to individuals and businesses. Maneki neko are common sights in Japanese and Chinese restaurant windows, where they silently beckon to potential customers. Legends about their abilities to bring good fortune abound. (619/239-0003, www.mingei.org)     MIA STEFANKO