The 17th century lintel carving that first popularized the Three Wise Monkeys can still be seen at the Tosho-gu shrine in Nikko, Japan. The message of these famous Japanese macaques, Mizaru, covering its eyes, Kikazaru, covering its ears, and Iwazaru covering its mouth, is ambiguous; are they a roadmap to a good life or a warning against those who turn a blind eye to evil? Human nature being the same the world over, it is a universal quandary, and the famous image has become culturally ubiquitous. The ca. 19th – early 20th Century artisan of our exceptional example was grounded in the spirit of Tendai Buddhism & the grotesque style of Kagura masks associated with Shinto rituals. He was also skilled in the fine art of “block carving,” a technique that exploits the organic qualities of the timber. Strung vertically on a knotted silk cord, the three monkeys are worked in a heavy, dense wood that could be native to Japan or in one of the often-imported hardwoods such as rosewood, ebony, & Bombay Blackwood. Our Mizaru, Kikazaru & Iwazaru are meant to amuse, to provoke, to teach and, like all things Japanese, to please the eye. Condition: Excellent. Dimensions: Each macaque, approx 5". Total hanging length, approx 17.5".