Rabbit

兎 usagi

Rabbit

Leaping rabbits suggest advancement and fertility. The rabbit in the moon links them to autumn moon viewing.

Buddhist Jātaka tale via China; moon rabbit in Japan from the Heian period

The moon rabbit comes from a Buddhist tale: a rabbit with nothing to offer a hungry beggar throws itself into the fire, and the beggar, the god Śakra, places its image on the moon. In Japan the rabbit is shown pounding mochi, linking it to the harvest moon. Rabbits were woven into Ming Chinese brocades prized by tea masters (hana-usagi), and leaping rabbits over waves became a popular Edo motif.

Rabbits feature in autumn moon-viewing designs and in the Year of the Rabbit.

Technique catalog · draft for review

Every way to wrap, carry and wear a furoshiki.

The furoshiki.com archive, sliced into annotated steps with plain directions, plus techniques found in research.