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I see nothing, I hear nothing,
I don’t know anything, I won’t tell anyone anything...
“I don’t see anything,” words L. Oshanina, music O. Feltsman, popular artists: Edita Piekha And Tamara Miansarova

Many people know the ancient eastern symbol - three monkeys, one of which diligently covers its eyes with its paws, the second covers its ears, and the third covers its mouth. But where they come from, what they are connected to and what they mean is less known.

Place of Origin of the Three Monkeys

There are many assumptions regarding the place where the three monkeys appeared: they are called and China, and India, and even Africa, but the homeland of the three monkeys is still Japan. Confirmation may be reading in Japanese the actions expressed by the composition: “I don’t see, I don’t hear, I don’t speak” (when recording using kanji見猿, 聞か猿, 言わ猿 - mizaru, kikazaru, ivazaru). Suffix giving negation " -zaru" is consonant with the word "monkey", in fact it is a voiced version of the word " Sarah"(猿). It turns out that the image of three monkeys is a kind of pun or rebus, a play on words understandable only to the Japanese.

Religious roots

The original religious significance of the monkey group is undoubted. It is often directly called Buddhist symbol, but not everything is so simple. Yes, Buddhism accepted three monkeys, but it was not he, or rather, he was not the only one who gave birth to the three monkeys.

Religion in Japan has special properties: it is unusually malleable and at the same time elastic: throughout history, the Japanese have encountered many religious and philosophical teachings, accepted and processed them, combining, sometimes incompatible, complex systems and syncretic cults.

Cult of Kosin

The Three Monkeys are originally associated with one of the Japanese folk beliefs - Kosin. Based on Chinese Taoism, Kosin’s faith is relatively simple: one of the main postulates is that three certain observer entities (“worms”) “live” in every person, collecting incriminating evidence on their owner and regularly, during his sleep, sending a report to the Heavenly Lord. The follower of the cult, in order to avoid big troubles, needs to abstain from evil in every possible way, and those who have not succeeded in this, so that these internal informants cannot convey something unseemly “to the center” in time, at the estimated time of the “sessions” (usually once every two months) they need to abstain from sleep , hold vigils.

When the Three Monkeys Appeared

The question of the exact time of the appearance of the three monkeys, apparently, cannot be resolved, partly due to folk character a faith that has no centralization and no archives of any kind. Adherents of the Kosin cult erected stone monuments ( Kosin). Here it is worth looking for the oldest materially recorded images of three monkeys. The problem is that it is hardly possible to date such monuments.

The most famous of the three monkeys provide some certainty. For the Japanese, such a composition is known as “three monkeys from Nikko ».

Three monkeys from Nikko

Biological species of three monkeys

There are many options for compositions depicting different monkeys (and not only monkeys), often, for example, chimpanzees covering their eyes, ears and mouth. Obviously, in Japan there must have been a different original source of the image. Most likely, the three monkeys were supposed to be depicted Japanese macaques(lat. macaca fuscata), who became famous in Lately « snow monkeys", basking in winter in geothermal springs in Hell's Valley in the prefecture Nagano.

Picture of three monkeys

Three monkeys have now spread almost all over the world; they are depicted in souvenirs and on household items, are used in the form of interior decoration and in garden sculpture, in many settlements of the world there are monuments to the three monkeys, they are used by street artists in graffiti and cartoonists in political satire, they can be found on coins of Somalia and designer Russian nesting dolls. It is impossible to describe all the options, so we will try to limit ourselves to only some classic solutions.

Composition options

Scattered figures

Beginning with the classic Nikko monkeys, artists can depict monkeys individually without being constrained by a general pose or arrangement. This solution leaves a lot of freedom and allows you to place the figures more lively and at ease.

Close group

The three isolated figures are too disconnected, so artists often want to show a closer connection, the commonality of the three negating principles. One of possible ways interaction - in which monkeys cover each other's ears, mouth and eyes. One of the factors that pushed the composition towards a centripetal unification was the use of three monkeys in the form netsuke. Netsuke ( netsuke) - a piece of clothing, a keychain that allows you to attach to a belt kimono hang wearable items on a cord, for example, a wallet or writing instruments (kimonos do not have pockets). The functional purpose determines the dimensions and requirements for the shape of the netsuke: the keychain must be round and fit in the fist. Three separate figures do not fit into such requirements well. The monkeys are placed on top of each other, pressed against each other with their backs, and forced to roll into a single lump.

One for all

In any case, the composition of three monkeys turns out to be visually overloaded for the netsuke format, but the carvers have developed a “lighter” version: just one monkey uses all four paws to cover the eyes, ears and mouth (the eyes and mouth with the front limbs, and the ears with the hind limbs).

For the only monkey replacing three at once, the name of the author-inventor of the composition is known. With a fair degree of confidence we can name the master Masatsugu Kaigyokusai (懐玉斎正次) from Osaka, who worked in the 19th century. It is curious that such a composition seemed to be repeated in Russia in the workshops of Carl Faberge.

Fourth wheel

Quite often you can find groups of monkeys, expanded by a fourth or even a fifth figure. The “extra” monkey either covers the crotch and calls either “not to do” (evil) or “not to have pleasure.” Or the monkey sits calmly, not blocking anything from anything (the name “not thinking” is found). It is difficult to say when and where the addition occurred, but it is unlikely to be long ago and unlikely in Japan.

Play a monkey

In Japan, compositions appeared that repeated the three monkeys, but without the monkeys, for example, pictures with geishas “I don’t see, I don’t hear, I don’t pronounce.” And nowadays it is customary to “be a monkey”: in large Internet photo storage services (like Flickr) it is enough to ask the request “three wise monkeys” or “see no evil” to see the faces of hundreds and hundreds of people. And the souvenir industry puts anyone in monkey poses; you can find “monkey” groups of almost all representatives of the fauna or characters of popular culture.

Sequence order

There is no one accepted order for the monkeys to appear in the composition. Just look at the monkeys from Nikko and compare them with the koshin-to stele or the photographs of modern works.

Cultural influence of the three monkeys

First of all, there is no doubt that the symbol of the three monkeys entered the world popular culture. The composition, if not popular, is recognizable in almost all corners of the Earth.

Mahatma Gandhi(Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi), a fighter for the independence of India, a teacher of the Indian people and an ideologist of non-violence, did not part with his beloved three monkeys, perhaps the only luxury he could afford. Now Gandhi's monkeys remain one of the main relics in the former residence Bapu Kuti in an ashram located in a model village Sevagram rural areas Maharashtra.

He left his personal impressions of the monkeys at the stables in Toshogu Rudyard Kipling Somalia 2006

Three monkeys were depicted on postage stamps Tajikistan And New Caledonia.

In the popular animated series Family Guy ( Family Guy) exists minor character Evil Monkey(English: “evil monkey” or “evil (vicious) monkey”). Embodying the childhood fears of one of the cartoon characters, Evil Monkey lives in the closet, scares and torments its owner. There is an obvious allusion-contrast in the name of the monkey English name three monkeys “no evil monkeys”: if there are “monkeys without evil”, then there must also be a “monkey with evil”.

Film by Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan ( Nuri Bilge Ceylan), which won the 2008 Cannes Film Festival for Best Director, is called "Üç Maymun" (Turkish for "three monkeys"). In the story, the characters are trying to get away from their family problems, trying not to notice and hush them up. That is, “three monkeys” are considered by the authors as a synonym for the “ostrich position.”

A number of English-language books and films use the phrase “I don’t see - I don’t hear...” in their titles, for example, the 2006 American horror film “See No Evil” (in Russian distribution “I See No Evil”), the 1989 comedy film “See No Evil, Hear No Evil” (“See No Evil, Hear No Evil”), the autobiographical book of former CIA agent Robert Baer “See No Evil” (“Not Seeing Evil”), etc.

In Erle Stanley Gardner's detective story The Case Of The Mythical Monkeys (1959), a silk scarf depicting three monkeys serves as the central piece of evidence. The three monkeys are often depicted on the covers of various editions of this book.

In the repertoire of the American group Sparks There is a song called “Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil.”

[...]
Hear no evil (Monkey 1 says you shouldn't hear it)
See no evil (Monkey 2 says you shouldn't see it)
Speak no evil (Monkey 3 says you shouldn't speak it)
[...]

Skeleton-like character, mascot mascot, adorning the album covers and posters of the American thrash metal band Megadeth, With own name Vic Rattlehead ( Vic Rattlehead) is depicted with his eyes covered with a steel plate, his ears plugged with some metal objects, and his mouth tied with steel hooks.

Citizens of the ex-USSR know one of the variants of the name of the composition with three monkeys from the song “I See Nothing” by Oscar Feltsman and Lev Oshanin, which is included in the epigraph of this article. The song is popular in performances Tamara Miansarova ( Madeleine Albright), famous for, who wears brooches containing symbolic messages for interlocutors or audiences, wore a brooch with the image of three monkeys to a meeting with Vladimir Putin in 2000, as a sign of her attitude to the situation in Chechnya.

Politicians are often depicted as three monkeys different countries in the cartoons: the authorities are deaf and blind to the aspirations of the people and are prone to hushing up problems.

Literature

• About three monkeys Japanese:
  中牧弘允 ISBN 4885915449
• On parallels with three monkeys in world religious and philosophical teachings:
  virgo_splendens Lectures on the Three Monkeys. Con. October - beginning November 2012
• About the three monkeys in netsuke:
  All about netsuke. Mythological subjects/Comp. S. Yu. Afonkin. St. Petersburg: SZKEO Crystal LLC, 2006.-160 p., ill. ISBN 5-9603-0057-5
• About three monkeys in the design of traditional Japanese edged weapons:
  Skralivetsky E. B. Tsuba are legends in metal. - St. Petersburg: Atlant Publishing House LLC, 2005.-328 p.: ill. ISBN 5-98655-015-3
• About the Taoist influence on Japanese beliefs and art, including the origin of the Koshin cult and the connection of the three monkeys with it
  Uspensky M.V. On the question of the role of Taoism in Japanese folk beliefs (based on materials from miniature Japanese sculpture of the 17th-19th centuries). Sat. Art and religion. Scientific works GE. – L.: Art, 1981, p. 59-75
• About the teachings of Confucius: any edition of Lun Yu (exists in many translations), for example:
  Confucius. Aphorisms and sayings.-M. LLC "House of Slavic Book", 2010.-320 p. ISBN 978-5-91503-117-2

After serving nine months in prison for a crime he did not commit, Eyup returns home to his wife and slacker son. Nine months is a short period of time, but for this a short time Significant changes took place in the Eyup family. The son of Ismail, who did not earn so much for his short life not a penny, suddenly a car, expensive by the standards of a poor family, appears from somewhere, the legal wife shuns her husband, behaves very strangely, which gives Eyup grounds to suspect her of treason. The truth is somewhere nearby, but the keepers of the truth prefer to remain silent, carefully hiding the essence of the events that happened in the family while the husband and father were completely isolated from the world.

The described events related to Eyup's return take place in the middle of the film. They have a preface and an epilogue. As for the preface, this is where this seemingly calm, leisurely film narrative actually begins. On a country road we see the corpse of an unknown man, accidentally or intentionally hit by a well-known politician who is participating in some elections and naturally cannot afford to be caught in a crime. Servet (that’s the name of the politician), for the money that Eyup’s family so needs, persuades the latter to take the blame and serve in prison for him, Servet. His wife and son know that Eyup is innocent, but they prefer to remain silent, obeying the will of the head of the family. While Eyup is serving his sentence, his son Ismail continues to play the fool: all summer he hangs out somewhere, gets involved with some bad company, or sits at home, loafing around. The wife - this mysterious woman with the habits of an aristocrat, who earns her living by doing simple work in the dining room - starts an affair with Servet (Eyup's boss and the true culprit of the tragedy on the road). Actually, at first Servetus needs the body of Eyup’s wife, and she, in turn, needs money. But without wanting it, the prisoner’s wife begins to experience an insane passion for Servetus, which ultimately leads to another tragedy.

One lie, one evil gives rise to a whole chain of dramatic episodes, inevitably leading to disintegration, perhaps once strong family. Their reasons lie in each of the four characters in Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s film. And although at first we sympathize more with Eyup, who is ready to go to prison for the sake of his family, the ending (that same conventional epilogue) of the film turns us away from him too.

Based on the Japanese tale of the three monkeys, this wonderful turkish painting filmed, like many oriental films (take Kiarostami), very ascetically. The plot develops according to the strict laws of classical drama, each frame is as meaningful as possible, in the sense that in each there is one of the characters, and their emotional state (and within each of the characters, of course, violent transformations occur throughout the film) is conveyed by a few details, strokes, which are quite enough for a thoughtful viewer to understand. Ceylan's film is very intimate, there is nothing superfluous in it: connections to the area (with the exception of the important symbol sea), to time (the only, also important detail mobile phone), somewhat pronounced social issues. Everything is focused on the relationships of several people who, by the will of fate, find themselves connected to each other. Using minimal means, the director reproduces in his own way the philosophically meaningful Japanese observation of human life, poisoned by lies and stupidity.

Ceylan's painting, despite all its simplicity and asceticism (in the spirit of the same Kiarostami), nevertheless contains a lot of important details and symbols. This is the rain and thunderstorm with which the film begins and ends; a knife lying on the table (a “gun” that must shoot); the endless sea, as if it had absorbed a storm of feelings and emotions of the main characters; sudden dizziness and vomiting of Ismail, caused for some unknown reason, perhaps by Fate itself, which are of great importance for subsequent events; revealing, blood-red outfits of Eyup’s wife, etc. All these details, symbols, metaphors are not accidental and unobtrusive, they all “work for the idea,” for the plan. That’s why “ simple story“does not seem like an ordinary melodrama or something similar to a detective thriller, but takes on the properties of the very parable on which the film was based.

It should be noted that in last years The cinema of southern non-European countries (I do not classify Turkey as Europe) is gaining more and more popularity, receiving numerous prizes at various film screenings. I think this is no coincidence. The European art house with its eternal depressions and “chernukha” is quite fed up. People have developed a craving for simple and eternal stories about love and hate, friendship, betrayal, enmity and humanity. I can safely count myself among such people who love good cinema, and therefore, having enjoyed watching Ceylan’s film, I recommend it to all film fans.

The famous Shinto shrine Nikko Tosho-gu in the Japanese city of Nikko houses a work of art known throughout the world. A carved panel depicting three wise monkeys has been located above the door of this temple since the 17th century. Made by sculptor Hidari Jingoro, the carving illustrates famous phrase“I don’t see anything, I don’t hear anything, I won’t say anything.”

Three wise monkeys./ Photo: noomarketing.net

It is believed that this proverb came to Japan from China in the 8th century, as part of Tendai Buddhist philosophy. It represents three dogmas that symbolize worldly wisdom. The carved monkey panel is only one small part of a larger series of panels at Tosho-gu Shrine.

Three monkeys at Tosho-gu Shrine in Nikko, Japan.

There are 8 panels in total, which represent the “Code of Conduct” developed by the famous Chinese philosopher Confucius. A similar phrase appears in the collection of sayings of the philosopher “Lun Yu” (“Analects of Confucius”). Only in the edition, dating back to approximately the 2nd – 4th centuries AD, it sounded a little different: “Do not look at what is contrary to decency; do not listen to what is contrary to decency; do not say anything that is contrary to decency; do not do anything that is contrary to decency.” It is possible that this is an original phrase that was shortened after it appeared in Japan.

World War II poster addressed to participants in the Manhattan Project.

The monkeys on the carved panel are Japanese macaques, which are very common in the Country rising sun. On the panel, monkeys sit in a row, the first one covers its ears with its paws, the second one covers its mouth, and the third one is carved with eyes closed.

Monkeys are commonly known as "see no, hear no, speak no" monkeys, but in fact, they have their own names. The monkey who covers his ears is called Kikazaru, the one who covers his mouth is Iwazaru, and Mizaru closes his eyes.

Three wise monkeys on the beach in Barcelona.

The names are likely a play on words, as they all end in "zaru", which is the Japanese word for monkey. The second meaning of this word is “to leave,” that is, each word can be interpreted as a phrase aimed at evil.

Together, this composition in Japanese is called “Sambiki-Saru”, i.e. “Three Mystical Monkeys”. Sometimes a fourth monkey named Shizaru is added to the famous trio, who represents the principle of “do no evil.” It is worth noting that according to the generally accepted opinion, Shizaru was added much later in the souvenir industry, only for commercial purposes.

Brass casting.

Monkeys represent the approach to life in the Shinto and Koshin religions. Historians believe that the symbol of the three monkeys is approximately 500 years old, however, some argue that similar symbolism was spread in Asia by Buddhist monks, originating in the ancient Hindu tradition. Photographs of monkeys can be seen on ancient Koshin scrolls, at which time the Tosho-gu Shrine, where the famous panel is located, was erected as a sacred building for Shinto believers.

The oldest monument is Kosin.

Contrary to popular belief that the three monkeys originated in China, "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" sculptures and paintings are unlikely to be found in any country other than Japan. The oldest kosin monument to feature monkeys was built in 1559, but it only features one monkey, not three.

Hello, dear readers – seekers of knowledge and truth!

Perhaps among the oriental souvenirs you have come across figurines of monkeys covering their mouths, eyes or ears. These are three monkeys - I don’t see, I don’t hear, I won’t say. They have a curious and entertaining story, going back several centuries.

Today’s article will tell you what the cute figures of monkeys mean, where they come from, thanks to whom they saw the light, what non-obvious meaning they have, and also whether they somehow relate to religion.

What are they called?

The very name of the three monkeys indicates their national origin. They are called “san-zaru”, or “sambiki-no-saru”, which means “three monkeys” in Japanese.

I don’t see anything, I don’t hear anything, I won’t say anything - in this case, the word “nothing” must be understood as precisely evil. Philosophy and life position is this: I don’t see evil, I don’t hear it, I don’t talk about it, which means I’m completely protected from it. Monkey figurines are a symbol of rejection of the evil of this world.

Each monkey has its own name:

• Mia-zaru – closes eyes;
• Kika-zaru - covers the ears;
• Iwa-zaru closes his mouth.

The meaning of their names lies in their action, or rather inaction: “miazaru” is translated as “not to see”, “kikazaru” - “not to hear”, “iwazaru” - not to speak.

“Why monkeys?” - you ask. The fact is that the second part of all the above actions - “zaru” - is consonant with the Japanese word for monkey. So it turns out to be a kind of play on words, the originality of which only a true Japanese can fully appreciate.

Recently, a fourth monkey has been increasingly added to the monkey trio. Her name is Shizaru, and she personifies the moral of the whole phrase - “I do no evil.” In the images, she covers her tummy or “causal areas” with her paws.

However, Shi-zaru did not take root among its relatives, especially in Asia. According to one statement, the reason for this is the unnaturalness of this monkey, because it was allegedly invented artificially as a well-calibrated marketing ploy.

Another opinion says that the problem is in Eastern numerology, which calls the number “four” bringing misfortune. It stayed that way famous figurine a trio, not a quartet.

Origin of the symbol

The figurine’s hometown is Nikko, which is located 150 kilometers from the capital of Japan – Tokyo. The Japanese love this place, and this is not surprising - the Tosho-gu Shinto shrine is located here. It is a stunning complex of carved buildings - a true masterpiece of wood carving.

No wonder Tosho-gu is included in the list World Heritage UNESCO. But another attraction is the stables. It is here that the carved sculpture “San-zaru” has been displayed above the door since the 17th century. Its author is Hidari Jingoro, the man thanks to whom the three monkeys became known to the whole world.

In Japan people generally love monkeys. In this country, they are considered wise animals, personifying resourcefulness and leading to success.

You can often see a sculpture of a monkey – Migavari-zaru – near houses. In another way, it can be called a double of a monkey. She drives away evil spirits, evil spirits that can attract misfortune, illness, injustice.

Religious overtones

An offshoot of Tendai Buddhist thought, the monkey symbol reached Japanese lands through the Chinese Buddhist monk Saicho in the 8th century. Even then, three monkeys meant practical intelligence and boundless wisdom.

Indeed, gladly accepts and supports wise saying from the mouth of Sanzaru: there is no need to notice the evil that is happening around, just as there is no need to commit it, feed it, and then the path to Enlightenment will be cleaner and easier.

Moreover, figurines of monkeys are quite often used in Buddhist shrines. But it would be wrong to assume that they originate in philosophy.

In fact, the three “zaru” go back to the Japanese cult of Koshin, which, in turn, “migrated” from the Chinese Tao religion. According to Kosin’s belief, a person is inhabited by certain entities that watch over the owner.

If he cannot cope with internal evil, once every two months these entities find out the master’s secrets about atrocities, directing them to the Almighty.

Three monkeys on the walls of Toshogu Temple, Nikko city, Japan

To avoid punishment, a person needs not to see, not to hear evil, not to talk about it and not to commit, but dangerous days, when entities can break out, you shouldn’t even sleep!

Similar worldly wisdom associated with renunciation and renunciation of atrocities exists in many religious movements and their sacred texts: in Hindu, Christian, Muslim, Judaic, Jain religion.

Conclusion

Thank you very much for your attention, dear readers! May wisdom and luck never leave you.