Reportedly established around 771, Tsuki Shrine in Urawa, Saitama, is notable for its association with rabbits. Instead of the typical komainu statues—a pair of lion-like dogs (or sometimes foxes) guarding the shrine—this one has stone bunnies manning the entrance. The shrine is believed originally to have been a sacred storehouse, where the tribute to the gods was kept. In Japanese, such tribute is called mitsugimono, archaically chōmono. The shrine was eventually named Tsuki Shrine, after another pronunciation of the kanji for chō. Some time in the Middle Ages, the name…
