saru

monkey

The monkey is a zodiac animal, so it is easy to find mamori and miyage with monkeys on them.

The monkey is part of early Japanese folklore and religion. Gods of the Road, sometimes in the form of a monkey, protected villages from evil intruders, especially from the northeast. Monkeys were also kept in horse stables to protect horses. Musubi-zaru are "knotted monkeys," with knots (musubi) associated with marriage (like our "to tie the knot") and sacred protection.

Symbols of Japan: Thematic Motifs in Art and Design
Merrily Baird