#hares

Awww, the dog and the bunny are in love 🥰🥰🥰🥰

What a cute little pic- holy fuck, what is up with that dragon at the top. Conjoined twins that share a head? Actually I think I’ve seen a picture before of two conjoined human twin skeletons that were kinda like that…yeah I just looked it up. I’m not gonna add it to the post since it will definitely disturb some people but if you look up conjoined twin skeletons you’ll find it.

Anyway, conjoined twin dragons sharing a head like that is actually pretty cool, but I don’t like the way they’re spying on the dog and hare. Put that tongue back in your mouth, you pervs.

The Sacred Beast that Brings about Good Omens: Hare

Main Blessings

Marriage

Welcoming in Luck

Perpetuation of One's Descendants

You Can See Them Here

Hakuto Shrine 白兎神社 (Tottori)

Tsuki Shrine 調神社 (Saitama)

Sumiyoshi Taisha 住吉大社 (Osaka)

White Hare of Inaba Myth

"In ancient times it was believed that hares were auspicious beasts that brought about good omens. A description remaining from the Engi shiki states, "The red hare is a sign of great auspice sign; the white hare a spirit of the moon that lives for a thousand years, is a sign of moderate auspice." Because of their long ears, agile hind legs for jumping around, and the mystique around their fur that is dark reddish brown in the summer and changes to white in the winter, ancient Japanese people came to view hares a sacred beasts.

Due to this divine nature, hares also appear in Japanese mythology. The "White Hare of Inaba" is a famous rabbit, who was saved by Ōkuninushi no Kami after it was skinned by a ferocious shark. Shrines such as Hakuto Shrine in Tottori, where Ōkuninushi no Kami is enshrined are based on this myth, and revere the hare as a divine messenger."

白兎神社と「因幡の白兎」神話

"Ōkuninushi no Kami is the gosaijin of Hakuto Shrine, and the hare is his divine messenger. The rabbit statues on the precincts are related to this."

Arranging Bonds Between Men and Women

"According to Japanese mythology, a rabbit is the one who bound Ōkuninushi no Kami and Yagami-hime together. Following that example, one places a Musubi-ishi at the rabbit statue and makes a prayer, then it is said to bring about the blessings of marriage."

Saved by Ōkuninushi no Kami

"In Japanese mythology, Ōkuninushi no Kami aids a white hare who had its pelt skinned after tricking a ferocious shark. This led to the rabbit becoming Ōkuninushi no Kami's divine messenger."

「月待信仰」とウサギ

"In ancient times, it was believed that hares inhabited the moon; at shrines connected to the Tsukimachi faith, rabbits were revered as divine messengers. In ancient China, it was believed that a rabbit serves Chang'e, and made medicine. When this arrived in Japan, it became believed that the hare pounded mochi on the moon."

Tsuki Shrine's Rabbit Statues

“As the shrine name is a homophone for the word for moon, Tsuki Shrine in Saitama became connected to the Tsukimachi faith in the Middle Ages. In the Edo Period, it gained followers of the Tsukuyomi shrine. As such, the hare is considered the divine messenger, and one can see the rabbit statues that came to be placed on shrine grounds.”

What is the "Tsukimachi Faith?"

“An event linked to the nights corresponding to moon phases, such as the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Nights (Jūgoya 十五夜, Izayoi 十六夜), where comrades would gather to drink and feast while waiting for the moon to rise. Prayers for safe birth, and recovery from illness were said.”

福を招く神功皇后の使い

“It is said that Empress Jingū, with the aid of Sumiyoshi Ōkami, was able to conquer Silla, and enshrined these kami at Sumiyoshi Taisha in Osaka. As that day fell on the Day of the Rabbit, in the Month of the Rabbit, during the Year of the Rabbit, the 11th Year of Empress Jingū’s regency (211), the hare is said to have become the divine messenger. Of Sumiyoshi Taisha.”

At Sumiyoshi Taisha, there is the “Jade Stroking Rabbit” statue, where one goes to pray for good fortune. There are also hare statues at the spouts for the temizuya.

Close Up! 波乗りウサギ

“On the precincts of Namiori Shrine 波折神社 in Fukuoka, there is a stone statue of a hare riding waves. According to legend, when fishermen encountered a storm, they prayed to the kami of the shrine, who appeared from the sea, calmed the raging waves, and guided the fishermen back to their island.” At Sumiyoshi Taisha, there is the “Jade Stroking Rabbit” statue, where one goes to pray for good fortune. There are also hare statues at the spouts for the temizuya.

The rabbit statue was dedicated in honor of the myth of the White Hare of Inaba, and was designed in the image of a rabbit riding waves as a reference to the shrine’s history.