The monkey is a paradoxical character in Japanese culture and Shinto mythology; he is cunning and clever in some tales yet lustful and roguish in others — a foil to the more generous and stable aspects of human nature. Sometimes he is representative of greed, while other times he acts selflessly as a messenger of the gods. The monkey is a restless soul above all else, and a mirror for man to examine his own existence. In Saru, the monkeys depict innumerable temperaments, catching them in moments of fearlessness, compassion and mischief.