Tokyo temple detail.

"[A] hare motif that is commonly seen in Japanese art is the hare and ocean wave motif. This unusual combination originated from a story in the Kojiki (Japan’s oldest history book) called “Inaba no Shirousagi,” or the “White Rabbit of Inaba” (present day Shimane prefecture). According to the legend, a white rabbit crossed the ocean from Okino Island to the mainland at Inaba by using the backs of sharks as stepping stones and thus appeared to be running over the tops of the waves. This story became the theme of a Noh song that translates roughly, “While the moon floats over the ocean, a rabbit runs over the waves; what interesting island scenery.” japanesqueaccents.com/?p=6

AA329 Meaning.