Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: 餅搗兎, Mochitsuki Rabbit, Rice-Cake-Pounding Rabbit
Category: Rabbit
The Myth
Mochitsuki Usagi, meaning “rice-cake-pounding rabbit,” is a supernatural warrior who appears in the illustrated storybook Kore wa Gozonji no Bakemono ni te Gozasōrō. It serves as a subordinate of Momonguwa, the leader of a monstrous army challenged by the giant yokai Mikoshi Nyūdō. The rabbit wears full samurai armour and carries a wooden mallet used for pounding rice cakes as though it were a weapon.
Despite its martial equipment, the rabbit is distracted by its long ears, worrying constantly about protecting them. During the battle, a monster named Tenaga-hime, fighting for Mikoshi Nyūdō’s army, grabs the rabbit by its ears and makes it cry out in pain. Its concern for its ears proves more troublesome than its duties as a warrior.
The character appears to have been inspired by the familiar image of a rabbit pounding rice cakes on the Moon, a popular interpretation of the patterns visible on the lunar surface. The illustration turns this traditional lunar rabbit into a comical yokai warrior whose most distinctive feature becomes his greatest weakness.
Sources
“Mochi-pounding Rabbit.” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1084405576.html