worm + monkey ramblings (jjk0 + hidden inventory)
this is a bit of a stretch and a pretty shallow interpretation of the inventory curse, mainly just based on like three panels and not really taking in to consideration toji's background etc, but something I found a bit interesting and wanted to talk about a little bit since it's been on my mind lol. (this is mainly just me trying to type out my thoughts so it might not really make much sense sorry lol)
Technically the worm and the usage of the term 'monkey' is first brought up in jjk0 but i will be taking a look at this chronologically based on the jjk timeline.
The very first time we see the worm curse is when Toji attacks Gojo and the others during the hidden inventory arc, and one of the most noticeable things about it is how the worm seems to be coming out of Toji, primarily from his lower stomach area and is wrapped around him.
In jjk0 we do see the worm wrapped around Geto, however it is quite loosely wrapped around his body and doesn't really invoke the same imagery as coming from his body like it does with Toji, it feels more like a separate creature or even a pet as compared to the entwined aspect we see between it and Toji.
Now, this on it's own can be interpreted in a lot of different ways and Toji's own relationship with the worm and it's meaning etc. But i found it interesting that the first time we see the worm is also the first time we are introduced to the term monkey, and is also the first time we see Gojo and Geto lose, all directly from Toji.
The panel above is the very first time, chronologically in the jjk timeline (i think lol), that we hear about the term monkey and in particular it being used to describe people that do not have cursed energy.
Looking at the term on it's own, especially from a purely western standpoint, it can be easy to just dismiss it as a derogatory term or it just being used to dehumanize those without curse energy.
But, since jjk is rooted in Japanese culture, esp spiritual and historical aspects, i think it is important to try and look at monkeys in this context.
Monkeys are apart of the lunar zodiac calendar and are a common motif in Buddhism, Taoism, as well as shinto-buddhism, which is a blend of primarily Korean and Chinese based Buddhism and Shintoism which is one of Japan's indigenous religions. Monkeys, in this context, are often portrayed in a positive light and have been associated with Shinto deities and being guardians against evil and bad health for a very long time in Japan.
For this, my main focus will be on the concept of the three monkeys. The three monkeys, primarily known as 'see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil' in the west, is a principal and motif that was quite popular in Japan, especially in certain Japanese branches of Buddhism (Tendai Shinto-Buddhism). It's origins are contested but regardless, the concept of the three monkeys has a long history in Japan.
In the english interpretation of the three monkeys, we can see that it is centered around 'evilness' and is often interpreted as turning a blind eye against evil.
In Japanese, there is no evil aspect associated. The principle is:
見猿(mizaru),聞か猿(kikazaru),言わ猿(iwazaru) or not seeing, not hearing, not speaking (or don't look, don't see, don't speak)
You might notice the reoccurrence of the '猿' character in the above three phrases that make up the three monkey principle. '猿'(saru) is the Japanese kanji for monkey (the animal), but here it is used in a wordplay as 'saru' sounds similar to 'zaru' which is used to negate a verb or give it the 'not' aspect so mi(見-to see/look) zaru = 'not seeing' or 'don't look'. It is due to this word play that the monkeys are associated with this principle.
Unlike in the western interpretation, this is not really about turning a blind eye or being ignorant of 'evil' but more so a lifestyle.
Now on it's own, this whole concept is really interesting regarding how the term monkey is used in jjk, those with no curse energy are able to live life according to the three monkey principle and can easily avoid aspects of evil and negativity associated with cursed spirits, while sorcerers cannot. Curtains and other aspects of protecting non sorcerers are often brought up as a background factor, just another rule for sorcerers to follow and it's not really given much thought until we see geto discuss what he thinks the role of sorcerers are in the hidden inventory arc.
This in itself is really fascinating, but, there is another aspect of the three monkeys that is associated with worms and a particular day in the lunar calendar, Koshin 庚申.
The Japanese zodiac calendar is known as Kanshi(干支) or Eto stems from the Chinese calendar and is associated with the same 12 zodiac animals: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, boar. This calendar works on a 60 year cycle and the zodiac animals are also associated with hours of the day, months, and other elements. For monkeys, they are associated with July, the hours of 15-17 (3-5pm), and the metal element (at least for our current 60 year cycle).
In this calendar, there are also days and years considered lucky or unlucky. Koshin 庚申 is one of these days/years and is considered a very inauspicious day. The second character, 申, is used to signify monkey in terms of the zodiac system. Koshin days occur six times a year and is the 57th year in the 60 year cycle. There is another word play/homophone involved here where Koshin 庚申 can be heard as Koshin 更神 meaning 'exchange of the gods'.
For certain religious groups in Japan, primarily Tendai Buddhism, Koshin was a very important day as this is when it was believed that the 3 worms that lived in the body (also called corpses or deathbringers or even just bugs/creatures, parasites) would be able to leave the human body that they lived in and report their human's bad deeds to the heavens. Depending on what was reported, the human's life may be shortened or they may fall ill etc.
To counteract this, people would try to stay awake for Koshin days, since the worms were only able to leave the body on these inauspicious days while their human was asleep. The three monkeys also became associated with this day in Japan, and were believed to help prevent these worms from reporting their human's misdeeds by essentially applying the 3 aspects (dont see, dont hear, dont feel) onto the worms meaning they were unable to report these things.
The 3 worms/corpses do have set appearances and lore that don't really correspond to what we see in jjk so this next part is a big stretch but i thought was interesting to think about lol.
Toji is able to ingest his worm and while the inventory curse does look parasitic and worm like in appearance, we don't see it having negative impact on Toji, in fact it seems the curse is quite helpful to Toji. Since Toji also does not have cursed energy, when he ingests the curse, it is undetectable. Relating this to the concept of Koshin, Toji is an individual that is able to be unjudged by his worm due to his 'monkey' status.
Within the hidden inventory arc up until they meet Toji, Geto and Gojo have had relatively little difficulty in being sorcerers and consider themselves as very strong. Geto is strong enough that he has been able to stick to his relatively naïve, selfless outlook of what the goal of being a jujutsu sorcerer is: protecting the weak, primarily those with no curse energy. (His initial view is also interesting in that up to this point, even with Yuuji, being a sorcerer and what you want to get out of it/how you justify it is always framed in a rather selfish aspect (protecting the people you care about, you getting stronger, dying on your own terms, justifying killing etc) and that this selfish aspect is considered a necessity for being a sorcerer until we see geto's first perspective in hidden inventory.)
When they meet Toji, this all changes, and paired with Toji's association with not only the introduction of the term 'monkey' but also his inventory curse, a worm, he in some ways mirrors the aspect of Koshin. I like to think that his appearance is like a judgement day for Gojo and Geto in this regard. Gojo is able to overcome this judgement and become stronger (enlightenment/awakening perhaps), where as this leads Geto onto a path of disillusionment with his previous ideas regarding sorcerers, strong vs weak and sacrifice etc.
We see that Geto does not only take Toji's worm, but also starts using the term monkey. In jjk0 we see that he wears Buddhist monk clothes and that he has assembled a group with the goal to kill all people that do not have curse energy and establish a new world order/religion based on the idea. He wants to flip the current unfair state of things, where humans with no curse energy are not only able to lead peaceful lives without having to think of curses etc but are protected by the rules and sacrifices that sorcerers follow. Sorcerers are the only ones that truly face judgement in this current world as they are forced to come to terms with death, killing, and violence and their own justifications for being a sorcerer etc, their 'misdeeds'. Those with no curse energy, also known as 'monkeys' are protected from this judgement.
Hopefully this wasn't too much of a doozy to read lol but overall i just wanted to highlight the aspect of worms and monkeys and how they do have some relation to each other. It was something I stumbled upon while doing random research for something else and just thought it was so interesting to compare to Toji's role with Gojo and especially Geto! Everything I've said in this is of my own opinion and isn't meant to read as like 100% truth or whatever, it's just an interpretation that doesn't really hold much weight but I thought was just fun to explore!
Sources:
jjk0 chapter 3, 4, jjk hidden inventory arc panels
Monkey & Monkey Deities in Hindu, Chinese, & Japanese Buddhist Artwork; Shomen Kongo, Three Monkeys, Three Worms.
Everyone is familiar with the Three Wise Monkeys. Did you know the See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Say No Evil creatures are actually a Japanese
12 Zodiac Animals of China & Japan, Juni Shi, Zodiac Calendar, Lunar Calendar, Yin-Yang, Five Elements - Digital Dictionary of Japanese Budd
i would have liked to have more varied resources without a big reliance on wikipedia and primarily one other website but i did have a bit of difficulty finding sources😓 i hope to find more. also i was only able to read and understand the jjk manga panels in english so i have limited interpretation of some of the panels i provided.