The White Hare of Inaba

Long ago, on a small island off the coast of Inaba Province in ancient Japan, there lived a white hare who was known throughout the surrounding waters for his exceptional cleverness and, unfortunately, his tendency to use that cleverness in mischievous ways that sometimes caused trouble for others.

The white hare was indeed remarkably intelligent, able to solve problems and devise plans that amazed all the other creatures who lived on his tiny island. However, he had never learned to use his gifts wisely, often employing his sharp wit to play tricks on others or to gain advantages for himself without considering how his actions might affect those around him.

The hare’s island home was beautiful but very small, with barely enough space for a few trees, some grass, and a small freshwater spring. While it provided everything the hare needed to survive, it was also quite isolated, and the hare often felt lonely and bored with the limited opportunities for adventure that his small domain offered.

Every day, the white hare would sit on the shore of his island and gaze across the water toward the mainland of Inaba, which looked tantalizingly close but was actually separated from his home by a stretch of ocean that was far too wide for even the strongest swimmer to cross safely.

“If only I could find a way to reach the mainland,” the hare would think to himself as he watched the distant shores. “There must be so many interesting things to see and do there, so many new creatures to meet and places to explore.”

The hare had often considered various schemes for crossing the water, but none of them seemed practical or safe. He was an excellent swimmer for a land animal, but the distance to the mainland was simply too great, and the ocean currents were known to be treacherous for small creatures.

One day, as the white hare was sitting on his usual spot by the water’s edge, feeling particularly restless and frustrated by his isolation, he noticed something that gave him an idea. A large family of crocodiles was sunning themselves on some rocks not far from his island, and more crocodiles were visible in the water between his island and the mainland.

“Those crocodiles,” the hare thought to himself with growing excitement, “they’re positioned almost like stepping stones across the water. If I could somehow convince them to line up properly, I might be able to use them as a bridge to reach the mainland!”

The more the hare considered this possibility, the more excited he became about the prospect of finally achieving his dream of visiting the mainland. However, he also realized that the crocodiles would never willingly cooperate with such a plan unless he could find a way to trick them into helping him.

Being clever but not yet wise, the white hare began to devise a scheme that he thought was quite brilliant but which was actually based on deception and manipulation.

The next morning, the hare called out to the nearest crocodile, a large and dignified creature who seemed to be one of the leaders of the local crocodile community.

“Good morning, honored crocodile!” the hare called in his most friendly and respectful voice. “I hope you are enjoying this beautiful day.”

The crocodile looked up from his sunbathing with mild curiosity. “Good morning, little hare. Yes, it is indeed a pleasant day. What brings you to speak with me?”

“Well,” the hare said, putting on an expression of innocent curiosity, “I was sitting here thinking about the different creatures that live in these waters, and I became very curious about something. I was wondering whether there are more hares in the world or more crocodiles.”

The crocodile considered this question with the serious attention that such an important matter seemed to deserve. “That is indeed an interesting question,” he replied thoughtfully. “I suspect there are probably more crocodiles than hares, since we crocodiles are such magnificent and successful creatures, but I confess I have no way to be certain.”

“Neither do I,” the hare said with feigned disappointment, “but I have just thought of a way we could settle this question once and for all! If you could convince all the crocodiles in this area to line up side by side from my island to the mainland, I could run across your backs and count each one. Then I could compare that number to the number of hares I have counted on various islands and mainland areas.”

The crocodile was intrigued by this proposal, which appealed to his curiosity about the relative populations of different species and his pride in the crocodile community. “That sounds like a reasonable approach to answering your question,” he said. “Let me discuss this with my family and neighbors.”

Within a few hours, the crocodile had organized dozens of his fellow crocodiles into a living bridge that stretched from the hare’s island all the way to the mainland shore. The crocodiles positioned themselves carefully, each one floating just close enough to his neighbors that the hare could easily leap from one back to the next.

“We are ready for your count!” called the lead crocodile. “Please proceed carefully and let us know the total when you reach the other side.”

The white hare was delighted that his plan had worked so perfectly. He began hopping from one crocodile’s back to the next, carefully maintaining his balance and making a show of counting each one. “One crocodile, two crocodiles, three crocodiles,” he called out as he progressed across the living bridge.

However, as the hare neared the mainland shore and realized that his clever scheme was actually going to succeed, he became so excited and proud of his own trickery that he made a terrible mistake. Instead of simply completing his journey and thanking the crocodiles for their cooperation, he decided to boast about how cleverly he had deceived them.

“Forty-seven crocodiles, forty-eight crocodiles,” the hare continued his count as he neared the final few crocodiles. Then, unable to contain his pride in his own cleverness, he called out loudly, “You foolish crocodiles! I never cared about counting you at all! I just wanted to use you as a bridge to reach the mainland, and you were stupid enough to fall for my trick!”

The crocodiles were shocked and hurt by this revelation. They had willingly cooperated with what they thought was a legitimate research project, only to discover that they had been manipulated and deceived.

“You ungrateful little trickster!” roared the lead crocodile. “How dare you deceive us and then insult our intelligence!”

Before the white hare could reach the safety of the mainland shore, the crocodiles began to thrash angrily in the water, and the crocodile whose back the hare was currently standing on deliberately rolled over, throwing the hare into the water.

But the crocodiles’ revenge did not stop there. As the hare struggled to swim toward shore, several of the angry crocodiles surrounded him and began to attack, biting off patches of his beautiful white fur and leaving him with painful wounds all over his body.

By the time the hare finally managed to reach the mainland beach, he was in terrible condition. His once-pristine white coat was gone, leaving him with raw, painful skin exposed to the salt air and sun. He was exhausted, injured, and filled with regret for the foolish pride that had turned his moment of triumph into a disaster.

The hare crawled up onto the beach and collapsed, too weak and discouraged to move any further. As he lay there suffering from his injuries and contemplating the consequences of his actions, he began to understand for the first time how his cleverness, when used selfishly and deceptively, could cause harm not only to others but ultimately to himself as well.

“I was so proud of my clever plan,” the hare thought miserably, “but I was actually just being dishonest and disrespectful. The crocodiles were kind enough to help me, and I repaid their kindness with insults and mockery. No wonder they were angry with me.”

As the hare lay on the beach feeling sorry for himself and his painful condition, he heard the sound of voices approaching. Looking up, he saw a group of young men walking along the shore, apparently traveling from one place to another.

Most of the men in the group walked past the injured hare without paying him much attention, but one of them stopped and knelt down beside the suffering creature.

“Poor little hare,” the young man said with genuine compassion in his voice. “You look like you’re in terrible pain. What happened to you?”

The hare was surprised by this stranger’s kindness, especially since his appearance was now so pitiful and unattractive. However, he was also ashamed of his behavior with the crocodiles and reluctant to admit the full truth about how he had gotten into his current predicament.

“I was trying to cross the water to reach this shore,” the hare said carefully, “and I had a disagreement with some crocodiles that ended badly for me.”

The compassionate young man could see that there was probably more to the story than the hare was telling, but he was more concerned with helping the injured creature than with judging his past actions.

“Those wounds look very painful,” the young man said gently. “Let me see if I can help you feel better.”

The young man happened to be carrying a small bag of medical supplies, and he began cleaning the hare’s wounds with fresh water and applying soothing herbs that he had gathered during his travels. As he worked, he spoke to the hare in a calm and encouraging voice.

“Injuries like these will heal,” the young man assured him, “but you must be patient and take good care of yourself while your body recovers. The most important thing is to keep the wounds clean and avoid doing anything that might make them worse.”

As the young man continued to tend to his injuries, the white hare began to feel not just physical relief, but also a sense of emotional healing. This stranger’s kindness was so different from the anger and punishment he had received from the crocodiles, and it made him realize how much he had been missing by focusing only on his own cleverness rather than on being genuinely kind to others.

“Why are you helping me?” the hare asked. “You don’t know me, and I’m sure I look quite frightening in my current condition.”

“Everyone deserves compassion when they are suffering,” the young man replied simply. “Besides, I can see in your eyes that you are not a bad creature, just one who has made some mistakes and learned difficult lessons from them.”

The hare was deeply moved by this response, which showed a level of understanding and forgiveness that he had never experienced before. He began to feel a strong desire to be worthy of such kindness.

“You are very wise,” the hare said gratefully. “I have indeed made mistakes, and I am learning that being clever is not the same thing as being good. I used my intelligence to deceive others, and I ended up causing harm to both them and myself.”

“That is a valuable lesson to learn,” the young man said as he finished treating the hare’s wounds. “Intelligence is a wonderful gift, but like all gifts, it should be used to help others rather than to take advantage of them.”

Before continuing on his journey, the young man gave the hare detailed instructions for caring for his injuries and recovering his health. He also shared some of his own food and water to help the hare regain his strength.

“Rest here for several days,” the young man advised, “and don’t try to travel until your wounds have begun to heal properly. When you do feel ready to move around again, remember that your experiences have given you wisdom that you can use to help other creatures who might find themselves in difficult situations.”

After the kind young man left, the white hare spent many days recovering on the beach, thinking about everything that had happened to him and everything he had learned. As his physical wounds gradually healed, he also felt his character and understanding growing stronger and wiser.

The hare realized that his encounter with the compassionate young man had shown him a completely different way of using intelligence and ability – not for selfish gain or to prove superiority over others, but as tools for helping and serving those in need.

When the hare was finally strong enough to travel, he made his way inland and discovered that the young man who had helped him was actually Ōkuninushi, a god who was known throughout the land for his wisdom, kindness, and concern for all living creatures.

This discovery filled the hare with even greater gratitude and determination to live up to the example of compassion he had been shown. He decided to dedicate his life to using his cleverness in positive ways, helping other creatures solve problems and overcome difficulties.

Years later, the white hare became known throughout the region as a wise counselor and helper, always ready to assist travelers, animals, and anyone else who needed guidance or support. He would often tell the story of his encounter with the crocodiles and his rescue by Ōkuninushi as a way of teaching others about the importance of using their gifts wisely and treating others with respect and kindness.

“I learned,” the hare would say to those who sought his advice, “that being clever is not enough to make you truly successful or happy. Real wisdom comes from understanding how to use your abilities in ways that help others and make the world a better place.”

The story of the white hare of Inaba became a beloved tale throughout Japan, passed down through generations as a reminder that mistakes and failures can become opportunities for growth and transformation, and that the greatest intelligence is the intelligence of the heart that seeks to serve others with compassion and humility.

And though the hare’s white fur eventually grew back even more beautiful than before, he always remembered the painful lessons he had learned during his time of suffering, and he made sure to pass those lessons on to others who might benefit from his hard-won wisdom.