Tsukimi: Harvest Moon Viewing Festival in Japan
The Japanese festival about a rabbit that makes rice cakes on the moon
As in Japan the beginning of the summer is marked by the Tanabata or Star Festival, the beginning of the autumn is marked by the Tsukimi (月見) or Moon viewing Festival. The word Tsukimi literally means “to look at the moon” (月-tsuki- means moon and 見-mi- means look) and this festival is related to a Japanese legend that says that on the moon there is two rabbits making mochi.
Tsukimi is celebrated between the end of September and the beginning of October (the date varies each year), exactly on the 15th day of the eighth month according to the lunar calendar. This year the appointed day is October 1. It’s celebrated on this date because due to the position of the earth and the sun it’s when the moon is in the best position to observe it in the northern hemisphere. The full moon is said to be brighter and prettier than usual.
The origin of the Tsukimi
The Tsukumi is a tradition of Chinese origin that was imported into Japan more than 1,500 years ago during the Nara (710-794) and Heian Era (794-1185). At that time, it was only the Japanese nobility who would celebrate it, organizing banquets during the tsukimi in which music was played and poems were composed under the moonlight. It was often celebrated from a boat, to see the moon reflected in the water.
Later in the Edo Era (1603-1868) it began to diversify and became a popular festival celebrated by everyone, although not all people could afford to seat on a boat to read poems so they began to have more modest celebrations. It was also then that the Tsukimi was mixed with the autumn festivals in which offerings of the new harvest were made to the gods in gratitude for that year and as a request so that the next year’s harvest would also be abundant. With the passage of time the Tsukimi itself became a ritual to show appreciation for the abundance in the harvest.
The legend of the Tsukimi
As I said at the beginning of this article, the Tsukimi is related to a certain Japanese legend. According to this legend, when you observe the full moon during this night, you can see two rabbits kneading mochi (a Japanese kind of glutinous rice paste) with a mallet. In the Chinese version of the tradition, it’s the elixir of immortality what the rabbit is preparing, often accompanied by Chang’e, the Chinese Moon Goddess.
All Japanese know the story that on the moon there is a rabbit making mochi, but many don’t know where the legend comes from because there is a rabbit on the moon.
Many years ago, a monkey, a fox and a rabbit met an old man in the forest. The old man told them that he was very hungry, and ask if they could get him something to eat. The monkey went to the mountain and brought various fruits and nuts (apples, persimmon, chestnuts, etc.). The fox went to the river and brought fish. But the rabbit, although he tried really hard couldn’t bring anything. After thinking about it, the rabbit offered himself as food and jumped into the fire. The old man, who turned out to be the God of the Moon, was very moved by the gesture of the rabbit and resurrected him on the moon so that he would live there forever.
The Tsukimi today
As it began to be done in the past, currently on this date the Japanese meet with their family or friends for dinner, usually in outdoor places such as parks or gardens, from where they can clearly see the moon. Shrines, temples, traditional gardens or parks organize special activities to enjoy the tsukimi. In some shrines or temples they preserve the tradition of reading poems, and include musical and dance performances. Some parks include special illuminations.
