From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alternative Chinese name
Literal meaning
Jade rabbit
Transcriptions
Korean name
Transcriptions
Japanese name
Transcriptions
tsuki no usagi
The moon rabbit in
that lives on the , based on
that identifies the
of the Moon as a rabbit. The folklore originated in China. Then the story spread to other cultures, prominently in
folklore and . In East Asia, it is seen pounding with a , but the contents of the mortar differ among Chinese, Japanese, and Korean folklore. In , it is often portrayed as a companion of the Moon goddess , constantly p but in Japanese and Korean versions, it is pounding the ingredients for . In some
versions the rabbit pounds medicine for the .
An early mention that there is a rabbit on the moon appears in the , a
anthology of Chinese poems from the , which notes that along with a , there is a rabbit on the Moon who constantly pounds herbs for the . This notion is supported by later texts, including the -era . Han Dynasty poets call the rabbit on the Moon the "Jade Rabbit" (玉兔) or the "Gold Rabbit" (金兔), and these phrases were often used in place of the word for the Moon. A famous poet of Tang China, , relates how "[t]he rabbit in the Moon pounds the medicine in vain" in his poem "The Old Dust."
The mythological white hare making the elixir of immortality on the Moon, from Chinese mythology. Embroidered onto 18th-century Imperial Chinese robes.
fights the Moon Rabbit, a scene in the 16th century Chinese novel , depicted in 's .
In the Buddhist
(Tale 316), a monkey, an otter, a jackal, and a rabbit resolved to practice charity on the day of the full moon (), believing a demonstration of great virtue would earn a great reward. When an old man begged for food, the monkey gathered fruits from the trees and the otter collected fish, while the jackal wrongfully pilfered a lizard and a pot of milk-curd. The rabbit, who knew only how to gather grass, instead offered its own body, throwing itself into a fire the man had built. The rabbit, however, was not burnt. The old man revealed himself to be
and, touched by the rabbit's virtue, drew the likeness of the rabbit on the Moon for all to see. It is said the lunar image is still draped in the smoke that rose when the rabbit cast itself into the fire. A version of this story can be found in the Japanese anthology , where the rabbit's companions are a fox, instead of a jackal, and a monkey. The legend is popular and part of local folklore throughout Asia in China, Japan, Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar. The legend also gave rise to the
of China and Vietnam,
of Japan and
of Korea which all celebrate the legend of the moon rabbit.
Similar legends occur in Mexican folklore, where people also identified the markings on the Moon as a rabbit. According to an
legend, the god , then living on Earth as a man, started on a journey and, after walking for a long time, became hungry and tired. With no food or water around, he thought he would die. Then a rabbit grazing nearby offered herself as food to save his life. Quetzalcoatl, moved by the rabbit's noble offering, elevated her to the Moon, then lowered her back to Earth and told her, "You may be just a rabbit, but everyo there is your image in light, for all people and for all times."
legend tells of the brave and noble sacrifice of
during the creation of the fifth sun. Humble Nanahuatzin sacrificed himself in fire to become the new sun, but the wealthy god
hesitated four times before he finally set himself alight to become the Moon. Due to Tecciztecatl's cowardice, the gods felt that the Moon should not be as bright as the sun, so one of the gods threw a rabbit at his face to diminish his light. It is also said that Tecciztecatl was in the form of a rabbit when he sacrificed himself to become the Moon, casting his shadow there.
() legend tells a different variation, about a young rabbit who wished to ride the Moon. Only the
was willing to take him. The trip stretched the crane’s legs as the heavy rabbit held them tightly, leaving them elongated as cranes' legs are now. When they reached the Moon, the rabbit touched the crane’s head with a bleeding paw, leaving the red mark cranes wear to this day. According to the legend, on clear nights, Rabbit can still be seen riding the Moon.
The Chinese lunar rover , which landed on the Moon on December 14, 2013, was named after the Jade Rabbit as a result of an online poll.
The Moon rabbit was mentioned in this conversation between Houston and the
crew just before the first Moon landing in 1969:
: Among the large headlines concerning Apollo this morning, is one asking that you watch for a lovely girl with a big rabbit. An ancient legend says a beautiful Chinese girl called
has been living there for 4,000 years. It seems she was banished to the Moon because she stole the pill of immortality from her husband. You might also look for her companion, a large Chinese rabbit, who is easy to spot since he is always standing on his hind feet in the shade of a cinnamon tree. The name of the rabbit is not reported.
: Okay. We'll keep a close eye out for the bunny girl.
The eponymous 's human name is , a pun on 月のうさぎ (Rom. Tsuki no usagi) which means Moon Rabbit in Japanese. Her daughter's name,
means little rabbit.
Japanese-exclusive
animated series
features , a robotic rabbit who lives in the Moon with .
The story makes an appearance in the "Legend of the Stars" section of the
manga, told by Sergei Koribanof to his son Masim.
animation, Son Goku fights against the Rabbit Gang and solves the issue presented in the episode by taking the enemy leader, an anthropomorphic rabbit, and his human companions, to the moon, where they are seen pounding rice cake mixture.
The overarching plot in
ends in a finale where the main characters fight against Kaguya ?tsutsuki, who is consumed by her powers and sealed by her children to become what would eventually be known as the moon.
's 1972 film
takes inspiration from the folklore of the Moon rabbit.
In a scene in the 16th century Chinese novel ,
fights the Moon Rabbit.
wrote , an adaption of the
legend in 1998.
The American
act , founded in 1991, gets its name from this legend.
The German band
released the albums Rabbit Moon and Rabbit Moon Revisited.
The song "Moonrabbit" by Australian band .
The American
has a song "Perfecting Loneliness" which features the Apollo recording discussing the legend.
The rabbit in the Moon is a major theme in the 2011 musical South Street, with the rabbit appearing prominently in the Moon clock in Sammy's bar, and the main character being advised to "Look to the rabbit" for inspiration.
The character
from the video game series , introduced in the ;game , is a moon rabbit who escaped from a war between the Moon and the Earth. A later game in the series called Legacy of Lunatic Kingdom introduces two new moon rabbits: Seiran and Ringo.
Chang'e and the Jade Rabbit/Moon Rabbit are featured as playable characters in the video game .
features the Broodals, a villainous clan of moon rabbits that Bowser has hired as wedding planners for his scheme to marry Princess Peach.
In the video game , there is a weapon called The Jade Rabbit, which was created using parts from a former lunar colony within in-game lore, in reference to the myth.
One of the celestial brush gods in , Yumigami, is a rabbit who hid herself in the reflection of the moon on Agata Forest's lake's surface, which was swallowed by the legendary giant catfish Whopper. Instead of a mortar, Yumigami carries a mochi-pounding mallet, with which she makes mochi with .
Wikimedia Commons has media related to .
NASA transcripts had attributed the response to Aldrin (. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Page 179), but corrected NASA transcripts attribute it to Collins.
. webtv.net.
(accessed: Saturday January 23, 2010)
Ramzy, Austin. . nytimes.com.
Woods, W. D MacTaggart, Kenneth D.; O'Brien, Frank. . The Apollo 11 Flight Journal. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Retrieved 9 October 2017
Flatulator, Der. . destiny-grimoire.info.
Kazumaro, Kanbe. "". Otani University. 2005. Retrieved on July 25, 2007.(in Japanese)
Varma. C.B. "". The Illustrated Jataka & Other Stories of the Buddha. 2002. Retrieved on July 25, 2007.
「」, Taipei Public Library. 2006. Retrieved on July 25, 2007. (in Chinese)
Wood, Douglas – ""
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