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See No Evil Hear No Evil Speak No Evil Figurines

	Got caught monkeying around, eh? Did she make a monkey out of you? Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle. Our lexicon abounds with expressions that use monkeys to represent what we mean, in sometimes obscure ways. But the most famous of all, are that trio of non-speaking primates who see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil. The origins of the phrase and the representation, is more hotly contested than whether the toilet paper roll should be hung with the loose end over, or under. Can the birth of this moral platitude be laid at anyone’s doorstep? Well, follow us down that convoluted road and we’ll see if we can locate the proud parent(s). There is a general perception that the expression is Japanese in origin, primarily because of the very famous 17th century Nikko Toshogo shrine where a carving of three monkeys can still be seen, accompanied by the admonishment “mizaru, kikazaru, iwazaru”. Literal translation gives you “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil”. Another piece of supporting evidence is that the oldest figures of monkeys found in the three classic poses, are a specific species – the Japanese Snow Monkey. Oddly enough, there is a second Japanese expression “mimai, kukumai, hansumai”, which means “I see nothing, I hear nothing, I say nothing”, but this has never been paired with the statues. The first expression however, may explain the association with monkeys. In Japanese, the “zaru” suffix is the auditory sound for “saru” which translates as “monkey”. But wait! There are theorists who believe the expression traveled to Japan courtesy of a Bhuddist monk in the 8th century, having brought with him stories of the Indian god Vadrja, with his multiple arms, covering the eyes, ears and mouth, and thus spawning the poses and related directives. This has some foundation rooted in the Japanese celebration of “koshin”, a night on which the people stayed up to pray to the god Shuomen Kongo, asking him to forgive their sins. Scrolls and other images of this ritual, show a multi-armed god like Vadrja, as well as the three monkeys with hands over their ears, eyes and mouths.

See No Evil Frogs Totem

Absolutely ribbiting
Cold cast resin
6 inches tall

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See No Evil Hear No Evil Speak No Evil Tree Frogs

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Painted resin
3.25 x 4 inches

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See No Evil Hear No Evil Speak No Evil Frogs

Adorable See No Evil Frogs
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See No Evil Hear no Evil Speak No Evil Dragons

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Set of Three
Painted Resin
4 1/8 Inches Tall

See No Evil Hear no Evil Speak No Evil Monkeys

Cute See No Evil Figurines
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4 3/4 Inches Tall

See No Evil Hear no Evil Speak No Evil Buddhas

Set of Three
Ivory Colored Resin
3 1/4 Inches Tall Each

Home > Collectible Figurines > See No Evil Hear No Evil Speak No Evil

Origin of See No Evil Hear No Evil Speak No Evil

Does this give the prize to Japan? Not at all. The expression is an admonition dealing with morality. It does appear first in the Orient, but if you go back further in history, you find some of the great minds and hearts behind eastern beliefs. Buddha, born in the sixth century BC in India where Vadjra was worshipped; Confucius also born in the sixth century in China; and Lao Tse, the Chinese founder of Taoism. All of them shared a common period in time, and many of the same philosophies.

It would be nearly 1200 years before Buddhism became established in China – right around the time that the monk traveled to Japan with stories of Vadjra. Three monks of the Chinese Tendai Buddhists, carried the Taoist custom of “koshin” to Japan over a hundred years that bridged the eight and ninth centuries. But it was Confucius who appears to have been the first to put the expression into words, as recorded in his 500BC book on Li Chi, which were rules of conduct. In it a man asks of the Master, the steps to perfect propriety. And the answer is "Look not at what is contrary to propriety; listen not to what is contrary to propriety; speak not what is contrary to propriety; make no movement which is contrary to propriety."

So it would seem that the expression, if not the pairing with monkeys, pre-dates the Japanese claimants. That doesn’t stop many people from believing that it came from the Bible, or even more modern origins.

The Bible is often cited as the one tome that covers almost every moral maxim ever known to man, or at least has some quote that can be interpreted that way. In the case of the three monkeys and their mottos, it is Isaiah 33:15 (King James Version) where it says: “he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil;…” But alas, the third reference is to holding bribes, and not speaking evil. Isaiah was martyred in the seventh century B.C. At one time he was thought to be the sole author of the 66 chapters that appear under his name. But in recent years, the very definite change in subject matter and tone part way through the chapters, has given more credence to the theory that while Isaiah penned some of it, that there have been three or more authors. In fact, many experts feel that at this point it time, it is impossible to determine who wrote what, and when.

Perhaps the most recent pairing of the monkeys with a modern figure or culture is that of Mahatma Ghandi in the first half of the 20th century. Ghandi, who was a pacifist, believed that freedom from evil would solve the world’s ills. He was said to have kept a statuette of the trio at his ashram to remind him of the virtue of the proverb. Because he often cited such virtues, Ghandi was even lampooned in political cartoons, appearing as each of the three figures, covering his eyes, ears and mouth. But so strong is the association, that nearly 60 years after his death, tribute was still paid to both. In 2005, Indian sand artist Sudarsan Patnaik won the Berlin Festival of Sand Sculptures with a 20 ft. high statue of Ghandi and the three monkeys.