For Gome Tea’s Full Moon festival, I made a moon rabbit for the shop window.
Do you know the story of the moon rabbit?
Every year, on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month (September/October), the ‘Tsukimi’ festival, the festival of the full moon, is held. The main symbol of Tsukimi is the rabbit. According to legend, one day, Śakra – also known as Indra, the god of protection, wisdom and divinity – descended to earth in the guise of a starving old man.
He asked several animals to feed him in order to test their kindness. The monkey went off to pick fruit, the bear fished for the old man, and the birds brought back insects.
Deeply saddened, the rabbit – who could neither hunt nor gather – asked for a fire to be lit, and threw himself into it to feed the man. Moved by compassion, Śakra brought the rabbit back to life, sent him to live on the moon, and traced his outline on the moon’s surface, so that all living beings might come to know this animal’s kindness and remember his sacrifice.
