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This sculpture is based on the Japanese myth of how the hare got on the moon.
A beggar approached a horse, a monkey, and a hare asking for food. The animals instructed the beggar to return at dusk when a meal would be provided. When the beggar returned, the horse and the monkey presented food, but the hare had forgotten. The hare quickly asked the monkey and horse to gather sticks and twigs. The hare proceeded to kindle the wood and then lay on the fire so that the beggar could have the hare’s flesh for dinner. The beggar threw off his cloak revealing himself as a god and saved the hare from the fire.
So that the hare’s sacrifice would always be remembered, the god placed the hare on the moon as a shining example.
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