Mastodawn

Many responses to my post with photos of the Shintō-Buddhist hybrid shrine Nikkō Tōshō-gū (日光東照宮) dedicated to the first Shōgun Tokugawa Ieyasu at permalink https://hcommons.social/@SteveMcCarty/116460012855652237 included a question from @gclef
> Interesting, thanks for sharing that! Noted the three monkeys motif... is there a Japanese story/parable about them? Familiar with the western version, just wondering about cultural variations.

The three monkeys originated in the 17th Century with a Japanese pun based on an ancient Confucian saying, and the photo I showed was its most prominent illustration. It entered the West in the 19th Century and took on more of a cynical meaning than the austere Asian version, although Japanese has a common expression for pretending not to see something dicey.

Here are more photos of the exceptionally ornate Nikkō Tōshō-gū.

Publications as a Professor in Japan: https://japanned.hcommons.org

#Nikko #Toshogu #Buddhism #Shinto #shrine #Japan #travel #architecture #photography #photos

Steve McCarty 🇯🇵Apr 24

Returned home to Ōsaka from the best ever trip to the Tōkyō region, staying with our sons, meeting friends, and going to beautiful places. Let's start with Nikkō Tōshō-gū (日光東照宮), a shrine dedicated to the first Shōgun Tokugawa Ieyasu who united Japanese civilization four centuries ago. It's unusually gorgeous and ornate by traditional Japanese aesthetic standards, reflecting warlord grandiosity, but it still blends nicely with the mountain woods. The first photo shows what I noticed first as a researcher, the syncretism of Buddhism with indigenous Shintō. One especially famous feature is the three monkeys who bespeak 'see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil.' That last one is a trouble spot when you speak two languages 😆.

#Nikko #Toshogu #Buddhism #Buddhist #temple #Shinto #shrine #Japan #nature #culture #sightseeing #travel #architecture #woodcarving #photography #photos

Daniel Mar 13

I'm not entirely sure what this is, but on this cold day it was covered in a layer of ice, so perhaps some kind of small pond or tank. Whatever its purpose, it bestowed beauty in its simplicity.

#photography #stone #water #tank #gold #ice #morning #temple #nikkō #tōshōgū #japan

Nikkō Tōshōgū, Nikko, Japan

Daniel Jan 23

The intricately detailed, carved, and painted features and ornaments in Japan will never cease to astound me. I believe this particular fellow to be a dragon, though I say that with about as much confidence as they seem to be exhibiting. It's alright; you've got this, dragon - I believe in you.

#nikko #toshogu #shrine #tochigi #japan

Nikkō Tōshōgū Shrine, Nikko, Tochigi, Japan

♥ Michaela / ミ匕ャエラ 🇪🇺🇯🇵🇺🇦🏳️‍🌈Nov 14, 2025

Heute war ich in Ueno im Tōshō-gū Schein. Heute war es schön warm und sonnig. Nach einen kleinen Spaziergang im Park, bin ich noch zu Ameyoko gegangen und habe dort auch etwas gegessen. Eine leckere Reisbowl mit Thunfisch. Leider konnte ich nicht so viel unternehmen, da ich gerade Probleme mit meinem Knie habe. Es ist geschwollen und schmerzt.
#japan #tokyo #ueno #toshogu #ameyoko