Carving of the Three Wise Monkeys in Hase-dera (Kamakura), Japan
Three Monkeys — San-en 三猿, Sanzaru 三猿, or Sanbiki no Saru 三匹の猿.
Wood Carving, ca. 1646 AD. Hase-dera Temple (Kamakura, Japan).
Representation of the proverb “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.”
Figures: Speak No Evil (Iwazaru 言わざる), Hear No Evil (Kikazaru 聞かざる), See No Evil (Mizaru 見ざる).
The Motif and Its Meaning
The motif of the Three Wise Monkeys — Iwazaru (言わざる, “speak no evil”), Kikazaru (聞かざる, “hear no evil”), and Mizaru (見ざる, “see no evil”) — is one of the most recognizable symbols in Japanese art and spirituality. It represents the ethical message of avoiding evil and maintaining moral purity. In the form of carvings and paintings, it appears in many temples; one important example can be found at Hase-dera in Kamakura.
Location — Hase-dera, Kamakura (Kanagawa Prefecture), Japan
The panel carving known as the “Three Wise Monkeys” is located at Hase-dera Temple (also written as Hasedera) in the city of Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture. Kamakura lies on Sagami Bay, southwest of Tokyo.
For geographical orientation:
Kamakura — Hase-dera: about 50 km in a straight line from Tokyo.
Nikkō (Tōshō-gū): about 140 km north of Tokyo.
Distance between Hase-dera (Kamakura) and Nikkō Tōshō-gū: about 170–180 km in a straight line.
Official temple website (also in English): https://www.hasedera.jp/en/
Map of Japan showing the locations of the most famous carvings of the Three Wise Monkeys — Nikkō (Tōshō-gū, 1630) and Kamakura (Hase-dera, 1646).
Form and Dating of the Carving
The panel with the Three Monkeys at Hase-dera is a wooden relief incorporated into the doors or entrance panels of one of the temple buildings. It is dated to the mid-17th century — most often cited as the year 1646, corresponding to the early Edo period (江戸時代).
Specialist literature confirms its existence, for example in Ikuo Hirayama’s Sacred Wood Carvings of Japan, where the author describes a “fine carving of the three wise monkeys” on the wooden doors of Hase-dera, dated to the mid-17th century.
Authorship and Workshop
The author of the panel is not definitively known — the absence of a signature or clear attribution is common for many sacred works of the Edo period. Temple carvings were often created in artisan workshops commissioned by temples; the makers acted as anonymous master craftsmen, and the work was regarded primarily as an offering and as part of the sacred cultural space. Thus, the lack of an identified author does not diminish the artistic value of the panel but rather reflects the production practices of that era.
Function of the Panel within the Temple Structure
The monkey panel serves simultaneously:
a symbolic function — referring to the moral message;
a protective function — apotropaic images placed at entrances to ward off misfortune and illness;
an educational function — reminding visitors of virtue, restraint, and moral discipline.
In the context of Hase-dera, the panel incorporated into the doors or above them fits into the temple’s iconographic program, where woodblock prints, carvings, and plant motifs together create a harmonious narrative of protection, longevity, and spiritual purity.
Historical and Political Context: Early Edo and the Tokugawa Rule
Time of Creation — Political and Cultural Context
Both important realizations of the Three Monkeys motif (Nikkō and Hase-dera) were created during the early Edo period — an era politically shaped by the Tokugawa clan. This period (1603–1868) was a time of relative stability after centuries of civil wars; power was centralized under the Tokugawa, and the new political order also influenced material culture and artistic commissions.
Tokugawa Shogunate — who ruled at the time the panels were made
Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543–1616) — founder of the clan and the first shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty; he formally established the shogunate in 1603 (ruled briefly as shogun from 1603–1605, but his authority and influence lasted until his death in 1616).
During the dating of the panels (ca. 1630 for Nikkō, ca. 1646 for Hase-dera), power was held by Tokugawa Iemitsu, the third Tokugawa shogun (ruled 1623–1651). It was under his reign that political and ideological stability took shape, fostering the development of monumental sacred art and woodcarving.
Political influence on sacred works
The Tokugawa rule brought an intensification of sacred commissions and the development of religious centers, with Nikkō Tōshō-gū standing out as the Tokugawa family mausoleum and a site of strong symbolic promotion of the clan’s power. This partly explains why iconographic realizations associated with the Tokugawa (such as the Three Monkeys panel in Nikkō) are more widely known and better studied than their counterparts in other temples, even though they are chronologically close (Nikkō ca. 1630, Hase-dera ca. 1646 — both within the first decades of Iemitsu’s reign).
Three Monkeys — San-en 三猿, Sanzaru 三猿, or Sanbiki no Saru 三匹の猿.
Wood Carving, ca. 1630 AD. Nikkō Tōshō-gū Shrine (Nikkō, Japan).
Representation of the proverb “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.”
Figures: Hear No Evil (Kikazaru 聞かざる), Speak No Evil (Iwazaru 言わざる), See No Evil (Mizaru 見ざる).
Comparison: Nikkō vs Hase-dera — Similarities and Differences
Similarities
Chronology: both carvings date from the first half of the 17th century (Nikkō ~1630; Hase-dera ~1646).
Theme: identical iconographic message (“see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil”).
Political context: both works emerged during the early Edo period and the rule of the Tokugawa clan (specifically under Tokugawa Iemitsu).
Religious role: both temples held important local and regional functions in religious and cultural practices.
Differences
Scale and prestige: Nikkō Tōshō-gū is an extensive Tokugawa mausoleum complex of national importance, richly decorated and funded at the central level — which amplified its fame. Hase-dera, by contrast, is a Buddhist temple with a long history and regional significance, reflecting a different type of worship and financing.
Scholarly and media recognition: the works in Nikkō received greater academic and media attention (numerous studies, monographs, conservation projects), while the Hase-dera panel, despite its age and artistic value, remains less frequently studied in accessible literature.
Institutional function: Nikkō is strongly tied to Tokugawa clan propaganda (as a mausoleum), whereas Hase-dera serves more traditional Buddhist functions within a local religious framework.
State of research, sources, and photographic documentation
Information about the Hase-dera panel appears in mixed sources: from travel guides (e.g. Japan-Guide), through tourist accounts (TripAdvisor, travel blogs), to specialist literature on woodcarving (including mentions in works such as Sacred Wood Carvings of Japan by Ikuo Hirayama). In photographic archives (e.g. Wikimedia Commons, various photo collections), reproductions of the panel can be found, although full conservation reports or monographic analyses are scarce or less easily accessible.
The official Hase-dera website provides general information about the temple and its treasures, but not always detailed descriptions of all artistic elements — hence some confirmations come from specialist literature and museum publications.
“On the wooden doors of Hase Dera in Kamakura, there is a fine carving of the three wise monkeys, dating back to the mid-17th century (1646).” — Ikuo Hirayama, Sacred Wood Carvings of Japan (Kyoto National Museum).
Why is Hase-dera less studied than Nikkō? — Hypotheses and research questions
Although the Hase-dera panel, dated to the mid-17th century (around 1646), has clear iconographic significance, in both popular and academic literature it pales in comparison to the “cult” representation from Nikkō. Below is a set of hypotheses and questions worth verifying:
Political and institutional prestige
Did Nikkō, as the Tokugawa clan’s mausoleum, attract larger funds, patronage, and conservation initiatives, resulting in more research and publications?
Did the strong connection with powerful patrons influence the better documentation and promotion of Nikkō both domestically and abroad?
Availability of sources and archives
Does the lack of widely accessible conservation catalogues or digital copies for Hase-dera limit research opportunities?
Could the documentation exist only in local temple archives or Japanese-language publications — is that a sufficient explanation?
Academic canon and researcher preferences
Does the historiography of sacred art studies privilege centers of greater political and ceremonial importance, leading to uneven research distribution?
Do younger researchers and PhD students more often choose “well-established” and well-funded topics, leaving Hase-dera in the shadows?
Tourism and media promotion
Did Nikkō receive stronger promotion as a national heritage site (tourism, guidebooks, media), while Hase-dera — though popular — never gained comparable international exposure?
Does higher visibility directly influence the number of studies and photographic reproductions?
Conservation status and funding
Has the poorer preservation of the panel or lack of conservation opportunities limited detailed publications?
Do the limited financial resources of local temples affect the availability of specialist documentation?
Other possible causes
Are there cultural, religious, or local archival practices that make it harder to disseminate information about Hase-dera?
Could it simply be the lack of comparative critical studies — leaving open ground for new research?
Open questions
Why is the Hase-dera carving, despite its age and iconographic significance, so poorly studied compared to the Three Monkeys panel in Nikkō? Is this the result of uneven academic interest (linked to the prestige of sites and political patronage), gaps in the digitization of sources, or perhaps issues of preservation and limited conservation funding? Or could there be entirely different reasons we are not yet aware of? If you have knowledge on this topic — please share it with us, and thank you in advance.
Comparative Curiosities
When looking at the two most famous Japanese carvings of the Three Wise Monkeys — in Nikkō Tōshō-gū (1630) and in Hase-dera Temple, Kamakura (ca. 1646) — a few fascinating differences can be observed.
Order of the monkeys
On the Nikkō panel, the sequence from left to right is: Kikazaru (hear no evil) → Iwazaru (speak no evil) → Mizaru (see no evil).
In Hase-dera, however: Iwazaru (speak no evil) → Kikazaru (hear no evil) → Mizaru (see no evil).
The “Speak No Evil” gesture (Iwazaru)
In Nikkō, the monkey covers its mouth with both hands — clear and unambiguous.
In Hase-dera, Iwazaru makes the gesture differently: only the left hand covers the mouth, while the right rests on the knee. A subtle but meaningful difference.
Why so?
Although only 16 years apart, the depictions differ in such an essential detail. This may stem from a different interpretation of the symbol by the artists, or from local traditions. It could also explain why the Hase-dera carving remained less well-known for a long time — its message is less literal, more open to interpretation.
👉 What do you think? Why did the Hase-dera artist depict Iwazaru in such an unusual way?
CONTACT
We cannot be certain. If you have data, publications, archival references, or personal observations regarding the Hase-dera panel (or comparisons with Nikkō), please get in touch — every clue will help us enrich our knowledge and prepare a reliable study.
If you have other interesting materials related to the Three Monkeys motif (photos, sketches, articles, temple catalogues, or if you know of other temples or shrines where this motif appears), we would also be very grateful to receive them.
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Thank you for every contribution — together we can build a reliable archive of the Three Monkeys.
