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Moon rabbit

The Moon rabbit or Moon hare is a mythical figure in East Asian and indigenous American folklore, based on pareidolic interpretations that identify the dark markings on the near side of the Moon as a rabbit or hare. In the realm of East Asian mythology, the rabbit is seen as pounding with a mortar and pestle, but the contents of the mortar differ among Chinese, Japanese, and Korean folklore. In Chinese folklore, the rabbit is often portrayed as a companion of the Moon goddess Chang'e, constantly pounding the elixir of life[1] for her and some show the making of cakes or rice cakes; but in Japanese and Korean versions, the rabbit is pounding the ingredients for mochi or some other type of rice cakes. In some Chinese versions of the mythological tradition, the rabbit pounds medicine for the mortals and some include making of mooncakes. Moon folklore from certain Amerindian cultures of North America also has rabbit themes and characters.

This article is about the mythological character. For the Chinese Lunar Rover, see Yutu (rover).

Moon rabbit

月兔

Moon rabbit/hare

yuètù

yuètù

jyut6 tou3

玉兔

Jade rabbit/hare

yùtù

yùtù

juk6 tou3

달토끼

daltokki

daltokki

月の兎

tsuki no usagi

tsuki no usagi

The Chinese lunar rover, , that landed on the Moon on December 14, 2013 was named after the Jade Rabbit, as a result of an online poll,[10] and was followed up by a second rover, Yutu-2 which deployed on the far-side of the Moon on 3 Jan 2019.[11]

Yutu

The Moon rabbit was the subject of a humorous conversation between NASA mission control and the crew of :[12]

Apollo 11

List of fictional rabbits and hares

Lunar mare

Lunar pareidolia

Man in the Moon

Rabbits and hares in art

Rabbits in culture and literature

Tecciztecatl

Tu'er Ye

Kazumaro, Kanbe. "". Otani University. 2005. Retrieved on July 25, 2007.(in Japanese)

Buddhist sayings in everyday life – Tsuki no Usagi

Varma. C.B. "". The Illustrated Jataka & Other Stories of the Buddha. 2002. Retrieved on July 25, 2007.

The Hare on the Moon

「」, Taipei Public Library. 2006. Retrieved on July 25, 2007. (in Chinese)

與月為伴 愉閱中秋

Wood, Douglas – ""

Rabbit and the Moon

Daigo, Shoji. "". JAXA/ISAS. 2022. Retrieved on September 1, 2022.

When and how did Japanese jade rabbit begin to pound rice cake?

Daigo, Shoji. "". Retrieved on July 11, 2023.

History and Culture of Hare/Rabbit on the Moon (Jade Rabbit)