Earliest Traces of the Three Wise Monkeys in Photograph, Film, and Art
📌 The Beginning – Japan and the Origin of the Symbol
The symbol of the “Three Wise Monkeys” (🙈 see no evil, 🙉 hear no evil, 🙊 speak no evil) originates from Japan and dates back to around 1636 in the Tōshō-gū Shrine complex in Nikkō.
For over 200 years, the motif remained virtually unknown outside Japan, as the country maintained a strict sakoku policy — complete isolation from the outside world (1639–1854).
It was only after Japan opened its borders in 1854, following the Treaty of Kanagawa, that researchers, travelers, collectors, photographers, and artists began to arrive.
From this moment, the symbol gradually reached Europe and the USA, making its first photographic and graphic documentations possible.
📸 When Could the First Photograph of the Three Wise Monkeys Have Been Taken?
🕰 Key Dates:
1826 – First photograph in history (Joseph Nicéphore Niépce)
1839 – Daguerreotype introduced, first public photographs
1854 – Japan opens its borders to the world
1870–1885 – Most probable period of the first photograph of the Three Wise Monkeys motif
1888 – Kodak Camera introduced, the first mass-market camera → beginning of amateur photography
Why is the period 1870–1885 so important?
📌 Technology – Photography was already well-developed by then.
📌 History – The Three Wise Monkeys motif became known to Europeans after Japan opened its borders.
📌 Documentation – Travel photography albums and the first black-and-white images of Japanese art emerged in this period.
📌 Kodak (1888) – Only from this point was photography available to the general public; earlier images were mostly taken by professionals and travelers.
💌 Earliest Known Photos and Postcards of the Three Wise Monkeys 🙈🙉🙊
The oldest known photograph of the Three Wise Monkeys 🙈🙉🙊 sculpture at Tōshō-gū Shrine in Nikkō. Photographer: Tamamura Kōzaburō, c. 1892–1894. Source: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston — public domain
1. Photograph by Tamamura Kōzaburō – c. 1892–1894
📷 Description:
This is probably the earliest known photograph depicting the Three Wise Monkeys relief from the Tōshō-gū Shrine in Nikkō, Japan.
Taken by Tamamura Kōzaburō (1856–1923) — one of the most renowned photographers of the Meiji era — the image was created using the albumen print technique with hand coloring.
It documents the original state of the carving in the late 19th century, before later restorations and natural aging altered its appearance.
📌 Details:
Date: c. 1892–1894
Technique: Albumen print, hand-colored
Photographer: Tamamura Kōzaburō
Location: Nikkō, Japan
Collection: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Status: The earliest known photograph of the Three Wise Monkeys motif
Postcard “Three Wise Monkeys” by Hisui Sugiura, c.1915–1916. Lithograph, Japan. Source: National Crafts Museum (MOMAT)
2. Postcard by Sugii Urushi-sui – c. 1915–1916 (MOMAT, Tokyo)
📮 Description:
This Japanese postcard was designed by Sugii Urushi-sui around 1915–1916 and is considered one of the earliest known postcard illustrations depicting the Three Wise Monkeys motif in a modern, minimalist style.
It shows three simplified silhouettes performing the gestures see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.
The postcard is part of the collection at MOMAT (National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo) and represents a highly valuable record of the early popularization of this symbol in Japanese applied art.
📌 Details:
• Year of creation: c. 1915–1916
• Technique: color lithograph on card
• Artist: Sugii Urushi-sui
• Origin: Japan
• Collection: MOMAT, Tokyo
• Status: probably one of the earliest known Japanese postcards featuring the Three Wise Monkeys motif
One of the earliest known postcards depicting the Three Wise Monkeys 🙈🙉🙊. Design: Takahashi Haruka (Shunka), 1932. Source: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston — public domain
3. New Year’s Postcard by Takahashi Haruka – 1932 (MFA Boston)
📬 Description:
This New Year’s postcard was designed by Takahashi Haruka (Shunka) and published by Seikyokudō in 1932.
It presents the Three Wise Monkeys 🙈🙉🙊 in a stylized, graphic form and is considered one of the oldest and best-preserved Japanese postcards featuring this motif.
The original is part of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston collection, within the Leonard A. Lauder Collection of Japanese Postcards.
📌 Details:
• Year of creation: 1932
• Technique: color lithograph
• Artist: Takahashi Haruka (Shunka)
• Publisher: Seikyokudō
• Origin: Japan
• Collection: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
• Status: one of the oldest well-preserved Japanese postcards featuring the Three Wise Monkeys motif
🎥 The Three Wise Monkeys in Cinema – Searching for the Earliest Trace
The first official public film screening took place on December 28, 1895, in Paris, where Auguste and Louis Lumière presented their short film
🎬 “La Sortie de l’usine Lumière”.
This event is widely regarded as the birth of cinema.
But when did the Three Wise Monkeys symbol first appear on screen?
Thanks to our research at the Three Monkeys Center 😊 we’ve uncovered an extraordinary lead:
🎞️ “Girls” (1919) – considered a lost silent film
The film starred three actresses:
Marguerite Clark, Mary Warren, and Helene Chadwick,
who in one iconic scene performed the 🙈🙉🙊 gesture — the earliest known cinematic reference to the Three Wise Monkeys.
Although the film itself is lost, what remains are:
📌 an original promotional poster
📌 a rare production still
The poster features the humorous tagline:
“See No Man, Listen to No Man, Kiss No Man” — a playful twist on the classic symbol.
Today, “Girls” is regarded as the earliest confirmed use of the Three Wise Monkeys motif in the history of cinema.
Still from the lost film Girls (1919), showing three actresses performing a gesture inspired by the Three Wise Monkeys. Public domain.
Original poster of the film Girls (1919), referencing the Three Wise Monkeys with the slogan “See No Man, Listen to No Man, Kiss No Man.” Public domain.
🔎 Searching for Traces, Evidence & Sources
Our team at Three Monkeys Center 😊 is researching the earliest known traces of the Three Wise Monkeys symbol in:
• historic photographs
• illustrations, drawings, postcards
• movie stills and vintage posters
Your help is invaluable!
Do you have old photos or postcards?
Have you seen a film or poster showing the 🙈🙉🙊 gesture before 1932?
Do you know other leads, facts, or theories?
📧 Contact us: welcome[@]threemonkeys.center
📝 Or use the contact form in the Contact section.
Your materials could become part of our knowledge base and the global historical gallery.
