The ancients used ji steel to make the edge and wrought iron to make the haft and 'trunk'. The character is pronounced zhan refers to its clear - zhan zhan ran - black colour. Īmong the names of ancient swords are Zhanlu and Yuchang. Gongbu (Artisanal Display) - Had patterns like flowing water that stop like pearls at the spine.The King of Chu used it to direct his army against a Jin invasion. Taie (Great Riverbank) - Had patterns like the waves of a flowing river.Goujian used it to cut a gash in his thigh as self-punishment when he mistakenly executed an innocent person. Longyuan (Dragon Gulf) - Its shape resembled a high mountain and a deep gulf.Juque (Great Destroyer) - Said to be incredibly durable and withstand even hitting or stabbing rock.As a result it gained a reputation for causing its user to be disloyal. It was hidden in a cooked fish presented to King Liao at a banquet. Used by Helü of Wu to assassinate his uncle, Liao of Wu. Yuchang (Fish Belly) - A short dagger said to be capable of cleaving through iron as if it were mud.Haocao/Panying (Bravery/Hard) - Said to have been imbued with the aspect of lawlessness and was, therefore, of no use to anyone.When Helü became aware of King Zhao of Chu's possession of Zhanlu, he attacked Chu. It was said to be sensitive to its owner's behaviour and left of its own accord for the state of Chu when Helü's conduct offended it. Zhanlu/Pilü (Black) - A sword made from the finest of the five metals and imbued with the essence of fire.Chungou/Chunjun (Purity) - Its patterns resembled a row of stars in a constellation.He also made three swords for King Goujian of Yue, named Longyuan (龍淵), Tai’e (泰阿) and Gongbu (工布). Donald Wagner Legendary swords Īccording to the Yuejue shu (Record of Precious Swords), the swordsmith Ou Yezi forged five treasured swords for Gan Jiang and King Zhao of Chu, named, respectively, Zhanlu (湛盧), Juque (巨闕), Shengxie (勝邪), Yuchang (魚腸) and Chunjun (純鈞). Most iron swords are also long, and the development of the long bronze sword is often considered to be related to the development of the long iron sword. An example from the First Emperor's mausoleum. A rather sudden development, perhaps in the mid-third century BC, is the bronze "long sword", typically about a metre long. The early bronze swords are seldom over 50 cm in length and are sometimes referred to as "short swords". By around 500 BC, however, the sword and shield combination began to be regarded as superior to the spear and dagger-axe. Still, iron and steel tools were not produced in significant quantities until much later. China started producing steel in the 6th century BC. At this point, at least some soldiers used the jian rather than the dagger-axe due to its greater flexibility and portability. īy the late Spring and Autumn period, jians lengthened to about 56 cm. These short stabbing weapons were used as a last defense when all other options had failed. īronze jians appeared during the Western Zhou. Knives were found in Fu Hao's tomb, dated c. Ornate sword hilts from the Spring and Autumn period Outside of China, Chinese swords were also used in Japan from the third to the sixth century AD, but were replaced with native Japanese swords by the middle Heian era. However, longer swords have been found on occasion. īesides specialized weapons like the Divided Dao, Chinese swords are usually 70–110 cm (28–43 in) in length. In modern times, the ceremonial commissioned officer's sword of the Chinese navy has been patterned after the traditional jian since 2008. They switched to wrought iron and steel during the late Warring States period. Bronze jians appeared during the Western Zhou period. The jian has been translated as a long sword, while the dao has been translated as a saber or a knife. Jians are straight swords, while daos are single-edged swords and mostly curved from the Song dynasty forward. Historically, a Chinese sword is classified into two types, jian and dao. Spring and Autumn period jian, Warring States jian, Qin dynasty jians, Han dynasty jian, Ming dynasty jian, Qing dynasty jian
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