Gan Jiang and Mo Ye

"Gan Jiang" redirects here. For the river, see Gan River (disambiguation).

Gan Jiang (Chinese: 干將; pinyin: Gān Jiàng) and Mo Ye (Chinese: 莫邪; pinyin: Mò Yé) were a swordsmith couple who lived during the Spring and Autumn Period of Chinese history. A pair of swords were forged by and named after them.

History

According to the historical text Wuyue Chunqiu, King Helü of Wu ordered Gan Jiang and Mo Ye to forge a pair of swords for him.^[1] However, the blast furnace failed to melt the metal. Mo Ye suggested that there was insufficient human Qi (energy) in the furnace so the couple cut their hair and nails and cast them into the furnace, while 300 children helped to blow air into the bellows.^{[citation needed]} In another account, Mo Ye sacrificed herself to increase human Qi by throwing herself into the furnace. The desired result was achieved after three years and the two swords were named after the couple. Gan Jiang kept the Ganjiang Sword for himself and presented the Moye Sword to the king. The king was angered when he discovered the truth and he had Gan Jiang killed.

Before Gan's death, he was aware of his fate and left behind a message for Mo Ye and his unborn son, telling them where the Ganjiang Sword was hidden. Several months later, Mo Ye gave birth to Gan Jiang's son, Chi, and years later she told her son the story of his father. Chi was eager to avenge his father and he sought the Ganjiang Sword. At the same time, the king dreamt about a youth wanting to kill him and he placed a bounty on the youth's head. Chi was indignant and filled with anguish that he started crying during his quest for revenge. Chi met an assassin and he told the assassin his story before committing suicide. The assassin was moved and decided to help Chi fulfill his quest.

The assassin brought Chi's severed head and the Ganjiang Sword to meet the king, who was overjoyed. The assassin asked the king to have Chi's head boiled and he told the king that he needed to take a closer look in order for the head to decompose faster. The king heeded the assassin's words and the assassin seized the opportunity to decapitate the king and throw his head into the boiling water. The assassin then committed suicide by self-beheading and his head fell into the boiling water too. The heads were burnt until the features were no longer recognizable, and they were buried together at Yichun County, Runan, Henan province. The grave was called "Tomb of Three Kings".^[2]

Historical records and legacy

Historical texts Xunzi and Mozi from the Warring States Period mention the existence of the Ganjiang and Moye Swords.

The official biography of Zhang Hua in the historical text Book of Jin records that the two swords reappeared during the early Jin Dynasty. The swords were later buried at Yanping Ford (present-day Yanping District, Nanping, Fujian province). A monument for the swords stands is still present in Yanping District.

Mount Mogan in Deqing County, Zhejiang province, is named in memory of Gan Jiang and Mo Ye.

References

1. ^ Zhao, Ye (c. 50). Wuyue Chunqiu (Wu and Yue in the Spring and Autumn Period).
2. ^ Gan, Bao. In Search of the Supernatural: The Written Record, translated into English by Kenneth J. DeWoskin and James Irving Crump. Stanford University Press, 1996. ISBN 0804725063.