#tosho-gu

[guenhuvara]

Ducks wood carving at Tōshō-gū Shrine, Nikkō / March 2026

[naka-shu]

東照宮の龍 The carvings of dragons of Tosho-gu

[guenhuvara]

Tōshō-gū Shrine, Nikkō / March 2026

[postcard-from-the-past]

Tottori Tōshō-gū shrine in Japan

Japanese vintage postcard

[rollingtsuchinoko]

Peacock wood carving, Nikko Tosho-gu shrine, Nikko, Japan

[sheltiechicago]

See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil - The Three Wise Monkeys, Nikkō Tōshō-gū by Ray in Manila Via Flickr: The three wise monkeys, sometimes called the three mystic apes, are a pictorial maxim. Together they embody the proverbial principle "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil". The three monkeys are Mizaru, covering his eyes, who sees no evil; Kikazaru, covering his ears, who hears no evil; and Iwazaru, covering his mouth, who speaks no evil. There are various meanings ascribed to the monkeys and the proverb including associations with being of good mind, speech and action. In the Western world the phrase is often used to refer to those who deal with impropriety by turning a blind eye. The monkeys are Japanese macaques, a common species in Japan. Origin The source that popularized this pictorial maxim is a 17th-century carving over a door of the famous Tōshō-gū shrine in Nikkō, Japan. The carvings at Toshogu Shrine were carved by Hidari Jingoro, and believed to have incorporated Confucius’s Code of Conduct, using the monkey as a way to depict man’s life cycle. There are a total of eight panels, and the iconic three wise monkeys picture comes from panel 2. The philosophy, however, probably originally came to Japan with a Tendai-Buddhist legend, from China in the 8th century (Nara Period). It has been suggested that the figures represent the three dogmas of the so-called middle school of the sect. Though the teaching had nothing to do with monkeys, the concept of the three monkeys originated from a simple play on words. The saying in Japanese is mizaru, kikazaru, iwazaru "see not, hear not, speak not", where the -zaru is a negative conjugation on the three verbs, matching zaru, the modified form of saru (猿) "monkey" used in compounds. Thus the saying (which does not include any specific reference to "evil") can also be interpreted as referring to three monkeys. The shrine at Nikko is a Shinto shrine, and the monkey is an extremely important being in the Shinto religion. The monkey is believed to be the messenger of the Hie Shinto shrines, which also have connections with Tendai Buddhism. There are even important festivals that are celebrated during the year of the Monkey (occurring every twelve years) and a special festival is celebrated every sixteenth year of the Kōshin. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_wise_monkeys

[naka-shu]

日光東照宮

[hamhameeko]

25.06.16

Tōshō-gū, Nikko.