Sacred Stable - Nikko, Japan
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denben
N 36° 45.433 E 139° 35.942
54S E 374949 N 4068855
The sacred stable with a frieze of carved monkeys is located on the Nikko Tosho-gu site in Nikko, Japan.
Waymark Code: WMZ8BQ
Location: Tochigi, Japan
Date Posted: 09/27/2018
Views: 1
The Three Wise Monkeys get all the attention, but the famous panel of “See/Hear/Speak No Evil”, a traditional symbol in Chinese and Japanese culture, is just one of eight carved scenes depicting the arc of life. In any case, the monkeys are incorporated into the outer face of an Edo-era stable because they were thought to protect the animals inside. The stable sits just past the storage buildings of the Toshogu Shrine, and were carved by Hidari Jingaro in the 17th Century.
The frieze of carvings is about eight to ten feet off the ground. Each panel is about five feet wide by three feet tall, and they wrap around two sides of the building. An overhang has kept the carvings in decent condition.
Together with Futarasan Shrine and Rinno-ji, Nikko Tosho-gu forms the Shrines and Temples of Nikko UNESCO World Heritage Site, with 42 structures of the shrine included in the nomination. Five of them are designated as National Treasures of Japan, and three more as Important Cultural Properties.
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