Rabbits live on the Moon where they make mochi

[RAV TUX]

I read this about 6 months ago and was very happy to know that not only is the moon made of cheese but Rabbits live on the moon where they make mochi:


In Japanese tradition (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Japan), rabbits live on the Moon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon) where they make mochi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mochi_%28food%29), the popular snack of mashed sticky rice (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glutinous_rice). This comes from interpreting the pattern of dark patches on the moon as a rabbit standing on tiptoes on the left pounding on an usu (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usu), a Japanese mortar (See also: Moon rabbit (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_rabbit)). A popular culture manifestation of this tradition can be found in the character title character of Sailor Moon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailor_Moon), whose name is Usagi Tsukino (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usagi_Tsukino), a Japanese (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_language) pun on the words "rabbit of the moon." Similarly, Japanese-American Stan Sakai (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stan_Sakai)'s comic book character Usagi Miyamoto from Usagi Yojimbo (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usagi_Yojimbo) is an anthropomorphized (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthropomorphism) rabbit who is a samurai, based loosely on Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miyamoto_Musashi).http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit


The Moon rabbit, also called the Jade Rabbit , is a rabbit (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit) that lives on the moon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon) in East Asian (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Asian) folklore (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folklore). The legends about the moon rabbit are based on the traditional pareidolia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareidolia) that identifies the markings (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_mare) of the moon as a rabbit pounding in a mortar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usu). In Chinese (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China) folklore, it is often portrayed as a companion of the moon goddess Chang'e (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chang%27e_%28mythology%29), constantly pounding the elixir of life (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elixir_of_life) for her; but in Japanese (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan) versions it is just pounding mochi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mochi_%28food%29).http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_rabbit

http://ubuntuforums.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=43461&d=1189787729

[Kingsley]

Lol Japan.

[RAV TUX]

I read this about 6 months ago and was very happy to know that not only is the moon made of cheese but Rabbits live on the moon where they make mochi:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_rabbit

Further more here is a wonderful explanation of why there is a Moon Rabbit making Mochi on the moon:


The reason why a rabbit is on the moon is described in the Buddhist story "Śaśajâtaka", where a monkey, an otter, a jackal, and a rabbit were friends. Together they resolved to practise charity on the Uposatha (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uposatha) day (the day of fast), that was to occur on the following day. In the tradition it was believed that one who stood fast in moral practice and alms-giving on that day would earn a great reward. When an old man begged for food, the monkey was able to gather fruits from the trees, the otter was able to gather dead fish from the river bank, the jackal wrongfully pilfered a lizard and a pot of milk-curd from somebody’s house. The rabbit, wanting to offer something acceptable to the man, was only able to gather grass, and therefore offered its own body instead, and threw itself into a fire that the man built. The rabbit however did not get burned. The old man then revealed himself to be Śakra (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%9Aakra), and being touched by the rabbit's virtue, drew a picture of the rabbit on the moon to be visible to all. It is said that the smoke-like substance surrounding the lunar image are the smoke that rose when the rabbit cast itself into the fire.
This story can be found in the Konjaku Monogatarishū (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konjaku_Monogatarish%C5%AB), a Japanese collection of tales from India (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India), China, and Japan. In this version, however, the rabbit's friends are a fox and a monkey.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_rabbit

Also:


The moon rabbit was also mentioned in the conversation between Houston and the Apollo 11 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_11) crew just before the first moon landing:[1] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_rabbit#_note-0)

Houston (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyndon_B._Johnson_Space_Center): Among the large headlines concerning Apollo this morning there's one asking that you watch for a lovely girl with a big rabbit. An ancient legend says a beautiful Chinese girl called Chang-o (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chang%27e_%28mythology%29) has been living there for 4000 years. It seems she was banished to the moon because she stole the pill for immortality from her husband. You might also look for her companion, a large Chinese rabbit, who is easy to spot since he is only standing on his hind feet in the shade of a cinnamon tree. The name of the rabbit is not recorded.
Collins (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Collins_%28astronaut%29): Okay, we'll keep a close eye for the bunny girl.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_rabbit

[SunnyRabbiera]

Yeh i know of this one as I am fond of asian mythology, its a rather fun piece of japanese mythology

[RAV TUX]

Yeh i know of this one as I am fond of asian mythology, its a rather fun piece of japanese mythology

I would love to buy copies of the Konjaku Monogatarishū (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konjaku_Monogatarish%C5%AB)


Has then been translated to English?

I wonder where I can buy a complete set of all 28 remaining volumes, translated in English?