Hear, See & Silence - handpainted monkeys

The expression Hear no evil, speak no evil, ...see no evil  originated in the teachings of the philosopher Confucius, who lived from 551 to 479 BC in China. He says to his pupils: "Do not look at it, do not listen to it, do not speak out and do not focus on what is contrary to appropriateness". Nikko Toshogu is located in Nikko in Japan (150 km northeast of Tokyo). Within this sanctuary is 'the stable of the holy mold'. There are eight wood carvings in this, representing the human life course. These panels were made in 1636 by the sculptor Hidari Jingorō. A panel on the façade of the stable shows three monkeys with their hands for the ears, eyes and mouth. This panel shows the youth and is based on the wisdom of Confucius. Jingoro used monkeys for his panels, because monkeys were important in the religions of China and Japan. One of the Eastern gods was Shōmen Kongō. To worship this god, various groups of images were made of the three monkeys in Japan. The oldest statues date from 1528 and 1548. That is a hundred years before the sanctuary was built in Nikko and Toshogu. The three monkeys are called Mizaru in Japan, with his hands in front of his eyes (see no evil), Kikazaru, with his hands on his ears (hears no harm) and Iwazaru, with his hands in front of his mouth (does not speak any evil). Sometimes a fourth monkey is depicted: this is called Shizaru and depicts "does no harm". He has his hands on his stomach, his genitals or crossed.