3 Days Till WorldCon…

At a shrine in Nikko (a couple of hours north of Tokyo) is a carving of the three wise monkeys.

The origin of the original expression is unsure, but it might have come from China.  There are several different interpretations of the meanings of the monkeys, but in Japanese they have an extra meaning that is lost in English.

The monkeys are known as Mizaru (Do not see) Kikazaru (Do not hear) and Iwazaru (Do not speak).

The words are a pun because the negative form of the verb is represented by zaru and the Japanese word for monkey is saru.