Portland Japanese Garden

The magic of the full moon has captured the imagination of people around the world throughout recorded history, perhaps nowhere more so than in Japan, where the custom of paying special homage to the moon dates back to ancient times when farmers held religious ceremonies to pray for a successful harvest.

The earliest recorded o-tsukimi, or moonviewing parties were held at the Imperial Court of Heian-Kyo (present-day Kyoto), in the 10th century, when courtiers gathered on the night of the full moon in the 8th month of the old lunar calendar (September in the Gregorian calendar) for an elegant evening of poetry writing and gagaku, an elegant form of court music.

O-Tsukimi parties are still celebrated in Japan today in temple gardens and private homes. A small altar is decorated with susuki (Eulalia grass) and hagi (bush clover), edamame (green soy beans), sato imo sweet potatoes and tsukimi dango (moonviewing cakes). Tsukimi dango are round dumplings of fine rice flour, kneaded with warm water, and steamed into bite-sized dumplings arranged in a pyramid as part of a special offering referred to as o-sonae.

The Rabbit in the Moon

There are also many legends and fables involving the moon in Japan and other East Asian countries. While in the West, people refer to the “man in the moon,” in the East it is said that the shape of the shadow on the moon resembles a rabbit—an idea that originated in India and traveled to Japan through Korea and China. There’s a Buddhist tale of a rabbit voluntarily sacrificing his life to provide food for the starving Buddha. To show his appreciation, the Buddha rewarded the rabbit by putting his face on the moon.
Throughout Asia, tales of the rabbit on the moon endure. According to Hindu legend, a rabbit, with nothing else to offer the weary Indra, jumps into a fire, cooking himself for the deity. Out of gratitude, Indra placed the rabbit in the moon. The sanskrit word for “moon” literally means “one who carries the hare” and the moon has been associated with the rabbit or hare in Asia for centuries. Another tale about the moon tells of how the craters and shadows on the moon were made by rabbits pounding rice to make mochi, or rice cakes.

Ishidoro, the Stone Lanterns

A very special feature of moonviewing at the Portland Japanese Garden is the lighting of the ishidoro, the stone lanterns that grace the pathways and hidden corners of the Garden. The Portland Japanese Garden has more than 28 stone lanterns, several of which came to the garden as gifts of friendship from Japan. This is one of the only nights of the year when the lanterns are lit for visitors to enjoy as they stroll along the paths.

The Moon in Japanese Literature

In her 10th century novel, The Tale of Genji, Murasaki Shikibu writes of elegant moonviewing parties at Daikaku-ji Temple in Western Kyoto, in which courtiers float languidly in the moonlight to the sound of elegant court music as their dragon boats glide across Osawa Pond, a custom still practiced today.

Japanese literature and lore are filled with melancholy references to the moon, including this poem written by Oe no Chisato in the 9th century:

Tsuki mireba Chiji ni mono koso Kanashi kere Waga mi hitotsu no Aki ni wa aranedo

As I watch the moon Shining on myriad paths of sadness, I know I am not Alone involved in Autumn.

Or this haiku written by Basho 10 centuries later:

Hototogisu O-takeyabu wo Moru tsuki yo

Cry of the cuckoo The big bamboo thicket Filters the moon

The Melancholy Moon

The whole notion of autumn brings a tinge of melancholy to the Japanese spirit. Summer has ended and with winter approaching this is a time to reflect on the brevity of life itself.

The Portland Japanese Garden is one of the most beautiful places on earth to experience the tranquility of the autumn moon—whether on a clear night or a cloudy one. The moon is said to be even more beautiful when it is half concealed behind the clouds. Yoshida Kenko, a famous 13th century author, wrote in his classic essay Tsurezuregusa, (Essays in Idleness):

Are we to look at cherry blossoms only in full bloom, the moon only when it is cloudless? To long for the moon while looking on the rain, to lower the blinds and be unaware of the passing spring—these are even more deeply beautiful.