The Real Story Of The Three Wise Monkeys: How A Temple Carving In Japan Became A Universal Symbol

We see them in emojis. We see them in cartoons, political commentary, social media jokes, and everyday language. But behind the emoji, there is a temple. Behind the temple, there is a philosophy. And behind that philosophy, there is a meaning that has changed completely over the centuries.

The three monkeys everyone knows today are a symbol whose roots go back to 17th-century Japan. But the interesting part of this figure is not only where it came from. It is how the same image, in different cultures and in different hands, could turn into two completely opposite meanings.

Tōshō-gū Shrine 

In the city of Nikkō, Japan, inside the UNESCO World Heritage Tōshō-gū shrine complex, there is a stable. Not an ordinary stable, but the place where sacred horses were kept in this large shrine complex dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu. And the upper facade of this stable is covered with eight separate monkey carvings.

Tokugawa Leyasu

These eight panels use symbolic monkey figures to represent different stages of human life and the moral lessons attached to those stages. The use of monkeys here was not random. In Japanese tradition, monkeys were believed to protect horses from evil spirits. That is why these carvings were placed above the sacred stable, both as decoration and as a protective symbol.

The three monkeys everyone knows today are actually the most famous scene from this wider story. They are only one part of the eight panels. When the shrine was originally built, no one said, “these three monkeys will become emojis all over the world.” But that is exactly what happened.

Mizaru, Kikazaru And Iwazaru

The three monkeys have names, and those names are also a wordplay. Mizaru is the monkey covering his eyes. He carries the meaning of “see no evil.” Kikazaru covers his ears and represents the idea of “hear no evil.” Iwazaru covers his mouth and means “speak no evil.” 

These three names also create a sound play with the Japanese word saru, meaning monkey. In other words, the “zaru” sound at the end of each name suggests both a negative form meaning “not doing” and the word monkey. A lesson, a name, and a wordplay all work at the same time.

In English, these figures are known as the Three Wise Monkeys and are recognized around the world through the phrase “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.” It can roughly be understood as: do not see evil, do not hear evil, do not speak evil.

The Original Meaning Is Not Looking Away

There is an important correction to make here, because the Three Wise Monkeys have become a symbol that has moved quite far from its original meaning over time.

In the original interpretation, these figures do not mean “turn your head away and do not get involved in anything.” What they say is closer to this: Stay away from harmful influence. Do not let evil enter your mind. Do not carry evil into your speech. In the context of the Nikkō panels, this is especially tied to the idea of raising children well by keeping them from seeing, hearing, and saying bad things.

The first meaning of the Three Wise Monkeys is not passivity, but moral protection. The eyes, ears, and mouth can be seen as three doors through which human beings connect with the world. What a person looks at, what a person listens to, and what a person says can slowly shape what that person becomes. That is why the Three Wise Monkeys are not really a symbol of silence, but a symbol of protecting oneself from evil.

In Japanese culture, moral ideas are sometimes expressed not through long explanations, but through small symbols, forms of behavior, and lessons of discipline. Another example of this can be seen in the story of Miyamoto Musashi, who turned strategy and self-mastery into a philosophy of life.

See also: Miyamoto Musashi: The Legendary Samurai Whose Ideas Still Feel Alive Today >>

How Did A Japanese Carving Become A Global Symbol?

The reason this figure spread around the world is actually very simple: It can be understood without language. Anyone who sees one monkey covering his eyes, another covering his ears, and another covering his mouth immediately understands the basic idea. Seeing, hearing, and speaking are universal human actions. Even though the symbol came from Japan, it can be understood instinctively in other parts of the world because it speaks through three of the most basic human acts.

This is exactly why the Three Wise Monkeys have remained so powerful. A visual symbol that can carry meaning without a single sentence can express something that words sometimes cannot. The idea that visual symbols can work faster than language is also a familiar framework for anyone thinking about the hidden language of color in cinema.

See also: What Do Color Tones In Movies Tell Us? The Hidden Language Of Color In Cinema >>

The globalization of the Three Wise Monkeys is not a coincidence. What the symbol expresses finds a response in every society, because in every culture, the eyes, ears, and mouth carry moral weight when faced with evil. Sometimes a person protects himself by not looking at evil. Sometimes a person becomes complicit because he refuses to look at evil. The Three Wise Monkeys live exactly on this thin line.

From Wisdom To Denial: How Did The Meaning Change?

In the modern world, the Three Wise Monkeys are now used in two different ways, and these two meanings stand in direct opposition to each other.

In the first use, there is still moral depth: Do not look at evil, do not listen to evil, do not speak evil. It is a kind of call to wisdom. A will to keep oneself away from things that corrupt the mind.

In the second use, however, there is a critical meaning. If a person, an institution, or a society knowingly stays silent, ignores a scandal, or acts as if it has not heard about an injustice, the Three Wise Monkeys no longer represent morality. They represent escape. Denial. Institutional silence. Political silence.

The fascinating part of the Three Wise Monkeys is exactly this: The same image can carry two opposite meanings. In one place, it means wisdom and protecting oneself from evil. In another, it turns into cowardice, denial, and avoidance of responsibility. The symbol stays the same, but culture reads it again according to its own needs.

This transformation is not unique to the Three Wise Monkeys. When an expression moves into another language, only the words do not change. The emotional and moral tone of the symbol can change as well. The way emotions work differently when living in a foreign language points to another dimension of this transformation.

See also: Why Does Living In A Foreign Language Make You Less Emotional? >>

Conclusion

The reason the Three Wise Monkeys have survived for so long is not only that they are a charming temple carving.

They began as a Japanese moral lesson. Over the centuries, they spread across continents. As they moved from language to language, they became both a symbol of wisdom and a symbol of denial. And today, they still continue to work as both.

Because human beings are still tested by the same three questions: What do we look at, what do we listen to, and when do we stay silent?