Castaway Cat

Design of a Maneki-neko Made from Ocean Plastic.

Maneki-neko is a traditional Japanese lucky charm in the form of a cat raising one paw in a beckoning gesture to invite people or good fortune.

Imagine a plastic Maneki-neko drifting from Japan to Taiwan.
By the time it washes ashore, its sharp edges would have been softened by the sea, taking on a rounded form like sea glass.

The Maneki-neko motif has long been cherished in Japan — even without its intricate details, people can still recognize its familiar silhouette. This abstraction gives it a modern quality that fits naturally into contemporary lifestyles.

This project uses recycled ocean plastic to create Maneki-neko capsule toys, aiming to raise awareness of marine pollution through design. It is a Japan–Taiwan joint project, where every participating designer was asked to reinterpret the same theme: the Maneki-neko.

Project Title
RE:TWIST

Participating Designers
Taiwan — Lance Han / SHIKAI Tweng / Yen Po-Chun / Yen-An Chen / Shawn Lee
Japan — Taisei Minami / UO Design / Eisuke Tachikawa / Shinya Yoshida / Kairi Eguchi

Product Designer
Kairi Eguchi (KAIRI EGUCHI STUDIO Inc.)

Assistant Designer
Saaya Harue (KAIRI EGUCHI STUDIO Inc.)

Photography
Kairi Eguchi (KAIRI EGUCHI STUDIO Inc.)

• JP
• EN