Digital cards, postcards, GIFs & Japanese e-cards
On this page, you will find a variety of materials related to the Three Wise Monkeys motif.
We have gathered them into one collection and divided them into several categories to make it easier for you to find the content that interests you.
🔵 Digital cards (Digital greeting cards)
Online greeting cards designed for sending via the Internet, especially popular during the early days of the digital era.
🟡 Postcards (Printed postcards)
Classic printed collectible postcards featuring the Three Wise Monkeys motif.
🟣 GIFs (Animated graphics)
Iconic animations from the early days of the Internet — GIFs, memes, and short loops featuring the 3@ symbol.
🟢 E-cards (Japan) (Japanese prepaid transport cards)
In Japan, the term “e-card” has a completely different meaning than in the rest of the world.
It refers to prepaid transportation cards — initially magnetic and now contactless — used for paying fares, micro-payments, and small purchases.
Many of them are released as special limited editions, often featuring unique designs and sometimes the Three Wise Monkeys motif.
Limited editions
Collectible editions of Japanese e-cards are a true phenomenon.
They are released to mark anniversaries, holidays, sporting events, and especially during the Year of the Monkey in the traditional Chinese zodiac calendar.
The Three Wise Monkeys motif appeared on selected cards, particularly in the years 1992, 2004, and 2016, which were Years of the Monkey,
and some of these limited editions today reach very high prices on the collectors’ market.
Collector’s curiosity
In our gallery, you will also find unique gems, such as a New Year postcard from 1932 by Takahashi Haruka (Shunka),
featuring the Three Wise Monkeys motif.
This is a rare example of Japanese applied art, showing how deeply the symbol
“see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” was embedded in the visual culture of that time.
The original postcard is part of the collection at the
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston – Leonard A. Lauder Collection of Japanese Postcards.
On our website, we present it purely for informational, educational, and collector’s purposes.
Join our collection!
📬 Do you have your own e-cards, GIFs, memes, or other digital images related to the Three Wise Monkeys motif?
Or maybe you have photos of Japanese transport cards, postcards, or vintage graphics from the old days?
Perhaps your uncle, aunt, cousin, brother, sister, mother-in-law, friend, or partner has something hidden in a drawer, an attic box, or an old family album?
If so, we would be delighted if your finds could become part of our gallery or our planned exhibition.
Feel free to send us photos, scans, or screenshots!
📧 Send them to: welcome[@]threemonkeys.center
📝 Or use the contact form available in the Contact section.
