Maach Ecute, manga, kendo, maneki neko cats

A maneki neko beckoning cat, common to Japan and China!

Before we get into today's post some exciting news out of Tokyo! And very few news outlets have covered this topic! Namely, the opening of Maach Ecute, a retro shopping mall on the southern edge of the Akihabara electronics district. Actually, Maach Ecute is at the center of three old areas of Tokyo.

The story of the new mall, a retro mall or a mall that is both old and new, begins with the old and entirely unknown Manseibashi station, located in the heart of the Kanda book dealer district, a few steps from the southern edge of Akihabara. The beautiful 1912 red brick station has reopened its doors, nearly 100 years after it closed down, to become part of the amazing Maach Ecute shopping center.

Manseibashi station closed its doors to commuters in 1943. After World War II, it was converted into an important transport museum. Over the decades the museum attracted countless train aficionados, especially in the 1970s. When the museum moved to Saitama Prefecture in the early 80s, the old Manseibashi red brick building was abandoned to time. Lucky for us because the building's patina is killer!

The new 2024 Maach Ecute shopping center was built, in part, along a classic red brick viaduct connecting Ochanomizu and Kanda stations. The Maach Ecute design has preserved Manseibashi Station's iconic red brick arches. And also the original 1912 stairs, walls and platforms.

The station's old cafeteria and cafe area has been converted into an izakaya that allows guests to see trains moving in the foreground. The mall's Hitachino Brewing Lab is also a notable place to chill and watch the hustle and bustle of the 21st century.

This blog post is devoted to:

The worlds of manga comic books
Kendo, the swords that became light sabers!
Maneki Neko beckoning biz cats

Content by Ian Martin Ropke, owner of Your Japan Private Tours (est. 1990). I have been planning, designing, and making custom Japan private tours on all five Japanese islands since the early 1990s. I work closely with Japan private tour clients and have worked for all kinds of families, companies, and individuals since 1990. Clients find me mostly via organic search, and I advertise my custom Japan private tours & travel services on www.japan-guide.com, which has the best all-Japan English content & maps in Japan! If you are going to Japan and you understand the advantages of private travel, consider my services for your next trip. And thank you for reading my content. I, Ian Martin Ropke (unique on Google Search), am also a serious nonfiction and fiction writer, a startup founder (NexussPlus.com), and a spiritual wood sculptor. Learn more!

The wild worlds of manga comic books

Any visitor to Japan, whether culture vulture or money hound, is sure to notice the overwhelming presence of comic books in this country.

The Japanese word for comic book is “manga.” Japanese manga is an industry of international proportions, with fandom reaching not only across Asia, but into Europe, the United States, and South America. Within Japan itself, manga represent a multi-billion yen industry. Readership of many manga magazines extends to ten (or more) times those of popular American news magazines like Newsweek or Time.

The type of manga that usually catch the attention of visitors to Japan are known as sutori manga (story manga). Story manga are comparable to novels with a continuous, rather than episodic, storyline, and run for thousands of pages. After such manga have been published in weekly or monthly anthologies, they are published as books about the size of paperback novels. Often, with thousands of page per story, many of these manga take thirty, forty, or more volumes to complete. Story manga encompass all genre of stories, from the expected science fiction, fantasy and romance stories, to fishing, fire-fighting, basketball, baseball, and slice-of-life vignettes.

Manga are rapidly gaining respect, in Europe and Japan, as an art form and a form of serious literature. In recent years, there have been seminars at universities about manga. One recent seminar, held at Kyoto Seika University, which has its own manga department, involved the manga artist, critic, and free-lance editor Takekuma Kentaro. Among other things Mr. Takekuma’s lecture touched on the connection between the recent hit animation series and manga, New Century Evangelion, and trends in shonen manga story content since the 1970’s. As a side effect of its subject matter, the seminar created a vivid sense of history within the world of manga.

The manga industry developed into its current form just after the Second World War. During this seminal period, legendary greats like Tezuka Osamu created the standards and the visual language of modern story manga. Some visitors to Japan may recognize animated versions of manga created in this period like Atom Boy (Tetsuwan Atomu), the adventures of a gentle, pure-hearted boy robot, and Kimba the White Lion (Janguru Taitei), the story of three generations of intelligent lions and their quest to build a utopia of peace for animals, with or without the help or understanding of humankind.

Following Tezuka Osamu, many creators appeared working with a similar visual style, but slowly expanding the boundaries of story content. Some of these shonen manga creators included Matsumoto Reiji, Ishinomori Shotaro, and Fujiko Fujio. Matsumoto Reiji created the series Uchu Kaizoku Kyapten Haroku (Captain Harlock), the story of a free-willed, noble space pirate, and Uchu Senkan Yamato (Space Battlecruiser Yamato), a space opera which appeared in America as the cartoon Starblazers. Ishinomori Shotaro brought forth the manga version of one of Japan’s most famous, early superheroes, Kamen Rider, and Fujiko Fujio created the Japanese cultural phenomenon known as Doraemon, the robot cat from the future who solves problems by producing super-science gadgets from a dimensional pocket.

In time, the relatively stylized visuals of this second group of creators was overtaken by a new trend in both story and visual expression. This next trend was gekiga, “theatrical or dramatic pictures,” or manga with relatively realistic storylines and art. These stories were far more graphically violent and often dealt with sexually explicit material and situations quite directly. Many of the stories and creators from the gekiga realm chose topics like paramilitary organizations, mafia, and the underworld for their subjects. Some creators from this period included the artist Ikegami Ryoichi, creator of Freeman (Crying Freeman), the story of a Chinese mafia assassin, which was recently made into a hollywood movie, and Saito Takao, creator of the infamous manga super-assassin Golgo 13 (The Professional).

However, one of the biggest changes in the manga industry occurred after the advent of gekiga with a shift in storylines toward more philosophical, yet more cynical or negativistic views of the human condition. After years of a vast split between the sex, violence, and human crimes of underworld manga, and the purity, honesty, and hard work of sports heroes and superheroes, some creators began to close the gap and question the very bases of morality and justice. One such writer and a crucial work in this shift of conscious was Nagai Go’s Devilman. This story which begins with a super-being (a human who’s will has taken over a powerful demon) fighting to save humankind from an onslaught of demons, who is then betrayed by and becomes disillusioned with humanity. One of this story’s messages that humans, in their ignorance, fear, and cowardly violence are just as much at the root of evil as the monsters who attack them, it questioning of the basic standards of what is good and what is evil, and its simple shift toward showing human progress and humanity as something of questionable virtue were all shocking changes for the mass reading populus.

Moving from this shift, which occurred in the seventies, through the pursuit of ever more visual realism and an overall boom of manga culture in the eighties, shonen manga moved into the late eighties and nineties with the force of new post-modern visions.

The worlds of manga comic books
Kendo, the swords that became light sabers!
Maneki Neko beckoning biz cats

Kendo, the swords that became light sabers!

Passing behind the Heian Shrine, one is likely to hear cries and the sound of cracking bamboo emanating from a large temple-like structure. The urge to flee is somewhat quelled by the knowledge that Japan's warrior class is a tradition of the past, and, as curiosity gets the upper hand, one is drawn into the fencing hall, or kendo dojo. What at first seems to be an arena of armor-clad people madly beaning one another on the head with long bamboo sticks quickly gives way to the impression that something more profound is happening.

Three years ago a casual visit to a dojo resulted in my being presented with a bamboo fencing foil, or shinai, and eventually led to my practicing kendo, the way of the sword. Curiosity soon turned into enthusiasm and fascination for this Japanese martial art.

The feudal art of swordsmanship, and what eventually developed into kendo, has a long and complex history. While Japan's armor, weaponry, and even the manner of carrying the sword (in a sling on the left hip) reveal Chinese influences, it is believed that kendo is a uniquely Japanese martial art. In the past, fencing was studied not simply in order to master the techniques of swordsmanship, but also in order to learn a code of behavior that was followed outside the fencing hall as well. This philosophy, or bushido, the way of the samurai, was codified in the thirteenth century.

Basic sword techniques and maneuvers gradually improved over time. Fortunately, by the eighteenth century, bamboo fencing staves had replaced steel ones during practice, as training often resulted in the loss of one's appendages, or worse, in death. Nowadays, with well-padded gloves (kote), chest plate (do), and steel helmet (men), bodily injury is rarely incurred during practice sessions.

During a bout, the kendoist faces his or her opponent in a full front stance, as opposed to the European counterpart where the opponents face each other side to side. The first kendoist to strike the opponent's target area two separate times with proper form and fighting spirit wins the match. Needless to say, speed, accuracy, and stamina are essential. The various offensive striking and thrusting techniques are aimed primarily at three target areas: the head, forearm, and the waist (and, occasionally, the throat) and seem appallingly simple to master in the beginning. This makes the pursuit of the art of kendo seem quite ridiculous, until one is engaged in a bout with an opponent for the first time. Inevitably, one becomes confused and uncertain, striking wildly and randomly like a demented windmill. At this time, it becomes apparent just how tough it is to hit the target while employing the proper footwork and kiai (fighting cry) and advancing from the appropriate distance.

The difficulty in mastering these three techniques, much less attaining the proper mind set and fighting spirit, makes kendo a life-long pursuit for many. Despite the fact that training sessions are often grueling, it is not unusual to see men in their seventies and eighties, still practicing and moving up in rank. (There are ten dans, or levels of achievement — shodan being the lowest, and judan being the highest.) Children as young as six years of age also attend, although the effect is similar to two miniature equipment racks with feet engaged in playful banter.

Today, fencing schools and clubs flourish. Millions practice as part of a regular school curriculum, or in sports clubs, private dojos, or company facilities. The highest ranking kendoists usually began at an early age and trained intensively throughout their lives. Two such masters in the Kansai area are Nakano Toshiyuki and Otogawa Masateru. In addition to having attained an impressive seventh dan, both have worked tirelessly to promote their art. As outstanding as their technique is their ability to make the seemingly inscrutable aspects of kendo accessible to the foreign enthusiast.

Those interested in seeing the experts wield their bamboo swords will be pleased to know that from the 3rd to the 6th of this month the Kyoto Taikai, one of twelve annual tournaments sponsored by the All Japan Kendo Federation, will be held at Kyoto's Budokuden. The Budokuden is located on Sakura no Baba, between the Handicraft Center and Heian Shrine. Bouts will begin at 8:30 am and finish at about 4 pm. For more information, please contact (in Japanese) the Kyoto Kendo Renmei Jimukyoku office at 761-8288.

Maneki Neko beckoning biz cats

Probably the most famous of all these Japanese good luck symbols is the Maneki Neko. (or Beckoning Cat). The story goes like this…long ago, on a stormy night at Gotoko-ji Temple (in Setagaya), a cat perched at the entrance beckoned a stranger to enter by raising it’s paw. The man (actually a wealthy feudal lord from Hakone) upon seeing this most peculiar invitation, decided to go in.

The moment after he stepped through the gate, lightening struck the exact spot where he had just been standing. He thanked the cat for saving his life, believing that perhaps it was an incarnation of Kannon (The Goddess of Mercy in Buddhism and the impression is of a female Buddha of great compassion or mercy; Chan Buddhism).

The story spread and soon after that the Maneki Neko became a popular image of good fortune. Today these “lucky cats” can be seen in store windows and next to cash registers in shops, restaurants, the dry cleaners, pachinko parlors, the home genkan entrance, bars, and anywhere else money and lucky and customer loyalty intersect.

On close inspection you will notice that some have their left paw up and some their right. A raised left paw is to beckon in customers (and their money). The right paw raised is to beckon in cash (wherever it might come from).

New Maneki Neko are usually made of ceramic or plastic. Antique Maneki Neko abound and can be found made of wood, stone, metal, cast iron or porcelain. The figurine is often a calico Japanese Bobtail cat or imitation there of. One paw is raised in a beckoning manner or suggestive way. The figurines are often displayed in shops, restaurants, pachinko parlors, dry cleaners, laundromats, bars, casinos, hotels, nightclubs, and other businesses, and nearly always at the entrance on the counter next to the cash register or appointment book. No surprise there!

If you are really into Maneki Neko then you must visit Gotoku-ji Temple (in Setagaya City; about 5 kilometers or 3 miles SW of Shibuya Station) where you will find thousands enshrined within the temple. And that's not all! The temple is connected to a number of different ancient stories or legends. And the cat figures in all of them!

My favorite story about Japan's Beckoning Cat is about a super poor and down and out owner of some kind of business. But he still had the kindness to take in a starving cat and feed it! The cat, in gratitude, positioned itself in front of the business and waved prospective clients to come right in and have a look (at least!). So it's no surprise that Maneki Neko figurines are super common in the smallest establishments across Japan. A little luck or help never hurts!

The most famous tale, summarized above in a single sentence or two, tells of the daimyo warlord Ii Naotaka in the Edo Kan'ei era (1622–1624). He served under the Tokugawa (Edo or Tokyo) shogunate early on. On his return from a hunting trip with his falcons his group of friends and servants stopped at Gotoku-ji Temple for a rest because a cat at the gate had beckoned them in! Moments later a violent thunderstorm hit the area and they were high and dry. They credited the cat and profusely thanked the temple priest. The Naotaka samurai line also made Gotoku-ji Temple the clan temple.

Another story relates to an old crone who lived near a shrine. She was so poor that she had to let her cat go! The cat returned to her in a dream. The cat told the woman to make copies of her in the form of simple ornaments. If she did that she would never have to worry about cash again. The old woman followed her dream and made the ornamental cats from Imado pottery. She sold them at Asakusa Shrine, the most important shrine in all of Old Edo and New Tokyo.

And the last well known legend about Maneki Neko, The Beckoning Cat, also takes place in the peaceful and rise of the merchants over the samurai Edo period (1603-1867). It's about an oiran courtesan called Usugamo who worked in the infamous Yoshiwara district of Edo | Tokyo. She always carried a cat with her where ever she went. The owner of the brothel or establishment Usugumo worked at suspected she was witch and that the cat was evil. The owner soon after sliced the cat's head off. Luckily, the cat's head was still able to kill a big poisonous snake lurking nearby. A customer of the brothel gave Usugumo a wooden carving of her cat. And it also became a best seller Maneki Neko sold at massive Asakusa Shrine in Tokyo. Also home to Japan's oldest amusement park and kimono dress up businesses.

The worlds of manga comic books
Kendo, the swords that became light sabers!
Maneki Neko beckoning biz cats