Introduction
“The mountain of Chijin,
Burst open to bring forth tin,
The stream at Ruoye,
Dried up and brought forth copper,
The Master of Rain washed the metal clean,
The Lord of Thunder manned the bellows,
Dragons and serpents stoked the furnace
The Sky God piled up the charcoal
The Great Unity inspected the proceedings from above,
The Heavenly Essence descended to it.”
– Xue Zhu on making of the legendary sword
Chunjun 纯钧
By
500 BCE, during the Spring and Autumn Period of China. Armies have begun to
favour the sword and shield as weapons compared to the spear and dagger-axe.
Two famous regions for their quality of swords were the Southern states of Wu
and Yue. Swords in this period were made out of bronze and were around 50
centimetres, any longer and it will break. Many Kings wielded powerful swords
of legend and just like in Anglo-Saxon England[1],
the practice of naming their swords has arisen. For this video, we will cover 7
of these legendary swords and leave the rest for next time.
Legendary
Swords
The
first legendary sword is Chun Jun, also known as Purity. Chun Jun was the
second large blade crafted by master craftsman Ou Ye. When King Goujian of Yue
presented it to Xue Zhu, an expert at evaluating swords, he suddenly seemed to
collapse. Xue Zhu wobbled as if terrified, and went down the steps in deep
thought, arranging his clothes so that he could sit and look at them. His hands
trembled and shook, clasping together like a peony. Chunjun shone like a row of
stars in a constellation. Its surface was pure as the waters flowing over a
dam. Its cutting edge as sharp as a razor. Its composition is as lustrous as ice
crystals. Chunjun was found in 1966 in Hubei province. The blade fitted its
scabbard perfectly and created a vacuum that prevented the blade from rusting,
preserving the sword perfectly even after two thousand years. Today it can be
viewed at the Hubei Provincial Museum.
Our
second blade is Zhan Lu, roughly translated to as Deep black. Zhanlu was the
first sword made by Ou Ye and is said to be the finest sword in existence. It
is made from the finest of five metals, the essence of fire, it transmits its
qi and embodies numinous power, when drawn it shines when sheathed it remains
awe-inspiring. Zhanlu was so coveted that the King of Qin raised an army to
attack Chu over its possession. It is said that Zhanlu watches the behaviour of
its owner and if its wielder ever goes against moral principles, the sword will
leave its owner and his kingdom will fall apart. When King Helü of Wu failed to
behave with moral integrity, Zhanlu left his hands and ended up with the king
of Chu.
The
third blade is Juque, the Great Destroyer. Juque was said to be able to pierce
bronze cauldrons and smash iron pots until they are completely grounded down to
powder, hence the name The Great Destroyer. King Goujian of Yue said that when
Juque was first made, a member of his harem was crossing in front of him in a
chariot, driving a team of four white deers. The driver suddenly lost control
of his deers, at which point the King Goujian drew his sword and pointed at them,
at which the four deers reared up, despite being free from their harness.
Our
fourth blade is Yuchang, known as Fish belly. It is a short blade made by Ou
Ye. During a banquet between Helü of Wu and his uncle King Liao of Wu, Helü hid
Yuchang in a cooked fish and waited for it to be presented. Once the fish is
served, Helü drew the sword Yuchang and stabbed King Liao. Yuchang was able to
pierce the King’s Changyi armour three times. Being responsible for
familicide, Yuchang was henceforth known as an unlucky sword and was used as a
burial object.
The
fifth blade is Longyuan, also known as Dragon Gulf, named for its shape resembling
climbing a high mountain and looking down into a deep gulf. King Goujian of Yue
once used Longyuan to execute an innocent person by cutting a gash in his
thigh, leaving him to bleed out to death.
The
sixth blade is Taie, the Great Riverbank, named for its majestic and vigorous
patterning, like the waves of a flowing river. The King of Chu led his armies
with Taie in an attempt to break out of a siege by Jin. The moment the blade was
drawn and pointed at the enemy, Jin soldiers were frightened into disarray and
massacred to a man by the Chu forces.
The
seventh blade is Gongbu, translating to Artisanal Display. It has a pattern
like ceaseless flowing water, rising to the spine and then stopping, like pearls
that can only hem a garment. There are other blades like Shengxie, Moye, and
Ganjiang, but we will talk about them another time.
Historical
Background
Ancient
bronze swords typically do not have a long shelf-life. We even have a text on
the proper handling of swords from the period that quotes like an instruction manual
“If you test them on flesh they cut apart oxen and horses; if you test them on
metal they cleave bowls and basins; but if you place them on a pillar and
strike, they will be broken into three pieces; and if you position them on a
stone and hit, they will be crushed into hundreds of bits.”.
The
Kingdoms of Wu and Yue were famous sword-producing regions, with quantities and
qualities of excavated swords far surpassing their northern counterparts. This
is consistent with the southern preference for close-combat fighting styles
compared to longer-range battles in the north, reflecting the difference
between infantry fighting as opposed to chariot-based warfare.
Historical
Accuracy and Difficulties
But
what about the historical accuracy of sword legends, like the Great Destroyer
Juque, said to be able to ground iron into dust. It pains me to say that the
legends were probably untrue, but the swords probably did really exist. Firstly,
it is incredibly hard to date the sources of text that mentioned legendary
swords. Second, there is a lack of mention of legendary swords in other ancient
texts from the period, making it difficult to cross-reference the legends. And
lastly, many of the stories told don’t exactly match up to their historical
contexts, like how the sword Zhanlu could travel from Wu to Chu via Qin,
suggesting that the authors had no idea where Qin was in relation to Wu and
Chu.
However,
it is perhaps more interesting to examine the strategic purpose of these
legends. They were derived exclusively from the south, which in the eyes of the
northern states became a land of myth where swords swim through rivers to find
their rightful owners and women duel men in forests. Their legends helped to
affirm the high status of their wielders and their stories helped to feed its
perceived importance and quality. By the time the stories of these legendary swords
have reached us, enough time has been given to embellishments of romance and
fantasy to capture the popular imaginations of future generations. For more
information, check out Chapter Thirteen: The Record of Precious Swords in the
Book The Glory of Yue by Olivia Milburn. Thank you.
References
Davidson, Hilda. The Sword in Anglo-Saxon England:
Its Archaeology and Literature. Woodbridge: Boydell Press, 1994.
Milburn, Olivia. “The Record of Precious Swords” In The
Glory of Yue: An Annotated Translation of the Yuejue Shu, 273-93. BRILL,
2010.
[1] See Hilda Davidson, The Sword
in Anglo-Saxon England, 177, for a discussion of swords such as Afspringr
(Flexible) and Kvernbítr (Quern-cleaver).
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