The Sword of King Gou Jian

King Gou Jian's Sword, Chun Jun (純鈞青銅劍)

The sword of King Gou Jian is a historical treasure of the Chinese people.

But they say a sword is only as good as the man who wields it.
Gou Jian was one of those rare people, worthy to own a legendary sword.

Gou Jian (勾踐) was the king of the state of Yue (越) near the end of the Spring and Autumn Period (~475 B.C.E.) in Chinese history.

As with most of China's history, King Gou Jian's time was one of constant conflict and turmoil. His life-long rival, King Fu Chai (夫差) of  the state of Wu (吳),  had a weapon of similar prestige, an ancient bronze spear, also referred to as a Mao (矛).

King Fuchai's Spear (夫差青銅矛)

Gou Jian fought against the State of Wu for many years. One unsuccessful attempt ended with him being captured, and forced to serve as a hostage in Wu for 3 years.

When he was allowed to go back to his kingdom, it is said that he ate bile, to remind himself of the bitter shame of his defeat, and the suffering of both himself, and his people, and secretly vowed revenge on King Fu Chai.

He quietly built up his forces, waiting for the right moment to strike again. It was at this time that he sought out the legendary swordsmith Ou Ye Zi (歐冶子) who made his legendary bronze sword, which was named, Chun Jun (純鈞). Ou Ye Zi made several other legendary swords, but that story will be told later. (note: Gou Jian's Sword, Chun Jun is the only sword made by him that has been rediscovered in the modern era)

Around 473 B.C.E. King Gou Jian defeated Wu's forces, and it was King Fu Chai's turn to taste the bitterness of defeat, but rather than surrender, he committed suicide. After King Fu Chai's death, the state of Yue annexed Wu, and the war between these two kingdoms was finally over.

After the state of Chu (楚) conquered the state of Yue in the Warring States Period, the whereabouts of the Sword of King Gou Jian remained a mystery until 1965 where it was found in a tomb near Jiangling (江陵) in Hubei province (Note: near this site is also where King Fu Chai's spear was found in 1983, and this region is part of what once was the state of Chu).

This was certainly one of the greatest archaeological finds in all of China.
Miraculously, when it was drawn from its sheath, it had no sign of corrosion or decay, and not only that, it was still razor sharp. This is astonishing for a sword that is over 2000 years old! Normally, a bronze sword would corrode and turn green within a short number of years. (5-10 years if exposed to normal weathering/oxidation, and possibly less than that in southern China's extremely humid climate!)

However the sword's preservation is the subject of some debate. Some skeptics claim the sword only looked pristine after restoration work was done on it. However, the excavation team firmly state that it had little to no corrosion when they unearthed it.

The Sword of King Gou Jian, and the Spear of King Fu Chai both reside in the Hubei Provincial Museum in Wuhan.



References (in Chinese):

• Info on the story of King Gou Jian:
• Sima Qian- 史記 Shiji, or "Records of the Historian"
• (Han) Yuankang- 越絶書 Yuejueshu, or "The Absolute Book of Yue" 
• Zhao Ye- 吳越春秋 Wu Yue Chunqiu or "The Spring and Autumn Annals of Wu and Yue"

• Info on exhibits at the Hubei Provincial Museum:
• http://baike.baidu.com/view/51507.htm