The famous face on Mars or clouds that take different shapes are other examples of this.

Then he sails on to other lands. The legend of the rabbit in the moon is common to many ancient cultures, including Japanese, Mesoamerican and Chinese traditions. Thus was born the Legend of the Moon Rabbit to be told for centuries to come. He hovers over rivers and lakes, lighting the waves and the shore.

The Rabbit in the Moon (A Japanese Tale) Every night the Old Man in the Moon looks down on Earth to see how his animals and people are doing.

He smiles to see them resting after a hard day’s work. In Japanese folklore, a fox, a rabbit …

This is what is known in science as a 'pareidolia', or an image or sound that appears to be something significant. The moon rabbit is, simply put, the markings on the moon that look like a rabbit pounding in a pestle. The Moon Rabbit is also called the “Jade Rabbit.” It lives on the moon, and is said to always be pounding something in a mortar.

This legend comes from markings on the moon that look like a rabbit standing over a mortar, similar to the “Man on the Moon” in the West.

The action of the rabbit so touched the beggar-emperor that he placed the rabbit in the moon to become its guardian and surrounded him with smoke as a reminder to all of the rabbit’s noble death. The title essay relates the Mesoamerican myth explaining why there is a rabbit o the moon’s face to a Buddhist image and suggests the importance of the profound mythical concepts presented by … There are several significant symbols within this touching folktale. He winks at sleeping children.