In Toaist China,
between the third and sixth centuries C.E., it was believed three worms, known
as sanshi, lived within each person and, on the night of koshin no hi,
would rise into the sky and report the individual’s sins to the King of Heaven,
who would shorten someone’s life based on the severity of their transgressions.
To prevent the sanshi’s reportage, the Chinese would celebrate
throughout the night of koshin no hi to keep themselves awake and halt
the worms from leaving their body. As Chinese customs transitioned into
Japanese culture, koshin no hi became a night to pray to the monkey god Sanno
Gongen for a long life while practicing the act of seeing no evil, hearing
no evil, and speaking no evil throughout their everyday life to give the sanshi
nothing to report. From this practice, the three wise monkeys – Iwazaru,
Kikazaru, and Mizaru – emerged and spread throughout Eastern societies,
appearing in everything from artwork to the Jizo statue in Sugamo,
Japan.[1]
Works Referenced
Hiroshi, Aramata. “Do
Monkeys Have Secret Powers?” Nipponia 25 (2003): 24-25.
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[1] Hiroshi, 25.
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