One day, a young man named Okuninushi and his eighty brothers all journeyed to a beautiful princess’s palace.
Each brother hoped to win her love.
Since Okuninushi was the youngest, he traveled at the back of the wagon train.
The band came upon the hairless rabbit, lying beside the road in great pain.
Okuninushi’s brothers told the suffering rabbit to bathe in salt water.
But they were only tormenting the rabbit, and the poor animal’s skin burned.
Okuninushi had pity, and he told the rabbit to wash himself with pure water and roll in pollen from a special grass.
The remedy worked, and soon the rabbit grew a gleaming coat of white fur.
The rabbit explained to Okuninushi that he was actually a god, and he repaid Okuninushi’s kindness by telling him that a princess would be his bride.
