The three wise monkeys are a Japanese pictorial maxim, embodying the proverbial principle "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil".[1] The three monkeys are
- Mizaru (見ざる), "does not see", covering his eyes
- Kikazaru (聞かざる), "does not hear", covering his ears
- Iwazaru (言わざる), "does not speak", covering his mouth.[2]
Lafcadio Hearn refers to them as the three mystic apes.[3]
There are at least two divergent interpretations of the maxim: in Buddhist tradition, it is about avoiding evil thoughts and deeds. In the West, however, it is often interpreted as dealing with impropriety by turning a blind eye.[4]
Outside Japan the monkeys' names are sometimes given as Mizaru, Mikazaru[5][failed verification] and Mazaru,[6] as the last two names were corrupted from the Japanese originals.[7][8] The monkeys are Japanese macaques, a common species in Japan.
- ^ Wolfgang Mieder. 1981. "The Proverbial Three Wise Monkeys," Midwestern Journal of Language and Folklore, 7: 5- 38.
- ^ Oldest reference to the correct monkey names in English. Source:
- Japan Society of London (1893). Transactions and proceedings of the Japan Society, London, Volume 1. Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner and Co. p. 98.
- ^ Lafcadio Hearn (1894). Glimpses of unfamiliar Japan, volume 2, p. 127.
- ^ Pornpimol Kanchanalak (21 April 2011). "Searching for the fourth monkey in a corrupted world". The Nation. Thailand. Archived from the original on 28 August 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
- ^ "Mikazaru - Google Search". www.google.com.
- ^ Oldest reference of the incorrect Mazaru in Google Books. Source:
- Anderson, Isabel (1920). The spell of Japan. Page. p. 379.
- ^ Worth, Fred L. (1974). The Trivia Encyclopedia. Brooke House. p. 262. ISBN 978-0-912588-12-4.
- ^ Shipley, Joseph Twadell (2001). The Origins of English Words: A Discursive Dictionary of Indo-European Roots. Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 249. ISBN 978-0-8018-6784-2.