The 3 Wise Monkeys of Toshogu Shine, Nikko Japan Unesco World Heritage Site

I only know the tale of the three wise monkeys, “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil”.

In Japanese it is “mizaru, kikazaru, iwazaru” or translated, “don’t see, don’t hear, don’t speak”.

 

However, there are a total of 16 monkeys that adorn the “Sacred Stable” within Toshogu Shrine.

I’ll add captions to them as I learn what they are doing and how each of them is wise.

 

At the Nikko Information Center in Gokomachi, I met a licensed tour guide for Nikko Junji Iwami. I asked him about the stories for all the monkeys and he began to tell me how collectively they represent the cycle of life. Next time, I will write down the stories for each one.

 

I was at the Nikko Information Center with guests and didn’t have quite enough time to fully understand the story. I will edit this post as I learn exactly what each monkey represents.  Thank you Junji Iwami.