For nearly four decades, Harbor Sweets chocolates in Salem has been a source of pride for local residents and a source of unique, high-quality confections for everyone else.

The company values tradition and still relies on copper kettles and wooden paddles to create its artisanal chocolates by hand, making its storefront along the harbor smell nothing short of heavenly.

About 25 years ago Harbor Sweets’ founder Benneville Strohecker sought a new chocolate design to produce for the Easter season, their second busiest time of year. Having a close relationship with the former director of the PEM Shop, he turned to the museum for inspiration. A piece was selected from the Japanese art collection: the netsuke Moon Bunny.

This spring, after a 10-year-hiatus in production, the beloved milk chocolate Moon Bunnies are available once again at PEM, for Easter baskets everywhere.

The miniature netsuke rabbit, which the chocolates are molded after, hold much symbolism in Japan, says Karina Corrigan, Associate Director​–Collections. “The moon rabbit is a central character in a popular Japanese folktale. Here in the US, when we look up to the moon, we talk about seeing a man in the moon. But in Japan, people see a bunny or a hare.” This symbol of perseverance and devotion made rabbits an enduring subject in Japanese art.

Typically made of ivory, bone or wood, netsuke were carved into a variety of different motifs in 19th-century Japan. But these decorative pieces also served a functional purpose. “Traditional Japanese garments don’t have pockets,” explains Corrigan. “If you wanted to carry something with you, you’d hang them off of your obi, or sash, using a netsuke as a toggle. Originally simple utilitarian fasteners, netsuke developed into works of art in their own right.”

PEM holds hundreds of whimsical netsuke carvings in its collection. The museum’s close ties to Japan are credited to Edward Sylvester Morse, director of the Peabody Academy of Science (one of PEM’s predecessors). Morse grew fascinated with Japanese culture and his research became instrumental in assembling the museum’s distinctive collection of Japanese art that focuses on daily life. One favorite piece from his personal collection was a stoneware Hibachi (hand warmer) molded into the shape of a bunny. Both Morse’s portrait and his Hibachi are on display in PEM’s Salem Stories exhibition.

“We’re fortunate to have PEM as a neighbor and to be able to work with such a world-class museum,” says Doug Burritt of Harbor Sweets. “It’s really quite exciting for us.”