For this week's topic, I did a quick drawing of a Maneki Neko. The Maneki Neko is a Japanese lucky charm and can be seen frequently at the entrances of various Japanese restaurants and shops. Their paw is held up, which "welcomes" the customer in. They are supposed to bring good luck and many customers. I think they're really cute, so I'm an avid collector of them. : )
The Japanese writing at the top reads "irasshaimase," which means "welcome" in Japanese (as in "welcome to our place of business"). The Japanese character on his bell means "good fortune" and the coin he is holding is called a "koban," which were used in the Edo period for currency. It reads "ten million ryou." The ryou, an old Japanese monetary unit, is roughly equivalent to a thousand dollars, so ten million ryou is a great fortune.
Done in Photoshop. Enjoy. : )
hahaha, very nice idea!
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