Gotoku neko (五徳猫) [PREORDER]

**This Iisting is for a PREORDER item. Estimated shipping date: 6-8 weeks after order is placed **

This listing is for a handmade poseable Gotoku neko art doll. It measures about 32cm tall standing and sitting (without the trivet crown) and 70 cm from the nose to the tip of the tails (measurements may vary depending on the pose). Size is similar to a slightly small domestic cat.

The head, feet flames of the tails, trivet and bamboo cane are 3D printed in resin and hand painted with acrylics.

This sculpture is also has an inner armature made with plastic ball and socket pieces, allowing it to adopt many different poses.

The trivet crown is attatched to the head and can not be detached.

The bamboo cane and the front paws have a series of small magnets inside so the cane can be atached to the paws magnetically.

Body is hand-sewn using vegan friendly faux fur fabrics and filled with polyfill.

***PLEASE, READ CAREFULLY ***

Note that the markings pattern on the fabric is random. Fabric will be cut in order to reduce waste, which means each nekomata has a unique pattern on their body, different to the one shown in pictures and to any other nekomata I make., Resin parts (head and feet) will be painted accordingly to fit the markings on the surrounding area.

I will try to keep the face paintjob similar to the pictures (unless otherwise specified by the buyer).

By preordering this product you agree to receive a unique nekomata with different markings than the one in the pictures.

Note this is not a toy but a collector’s piece of art that must be handled with care as it is delicate. A bad use of it can damage the whole piece and repairing it can be difficult.

PLEASE, READ CAREFULLY:

*About import taxes and tariffs*: Orders outside the EU may be subject to import taxes on arrival. Import taxes are responsability of the buyer entirely and the seller won't be responsible of any extra charges customs in the destination country may charge for the importation of your order.

ABOUT GOTOKU NEKO IN JAPANESE FOLKLORE:

The Gotoku neko is a kaibyō, a supernatural cat from Japanese folklore created by Toriyama Sekien for his work Hyakki tsurezure bukuro. Its most peculiar feature is the object it wears on its head: a gotoku, an iron trivet used in fireplaces to hold pots and containers over the fire, but worn upside down like a hat.

Like nekomata, the Gotoku neko has two tails, the tips of which burn like small torches. Like any cat, it seeks out warm places in the home and spends its time near the fire. It even uses a bamboo tube to stoke the flames by blowing on them.

Its appearance may be related to ancient superstitions about cats and household fires. It was believed that allowing a cat to sleep too close to the fireplace could cause a fire: a spark might ignite its tail and, as the animal ran through the house, spread the flames. Although Sekien does not directly explain this connection, the Gotoku neko's burning tails seem to allude to this belief.

The gotoku itself also had supernatural associations. Wearing one upside down on one's head was part of a well-known cursing ritual called the visit to the shrine during the Hour of the Ox. Thus, Sekien combined an everyday object, superstitions about cats, and the magical practices of his time to create this peculiar yōkai.