Why are the knife-making skills of backward nomadic peoples higher than those of the Han Dynasty? Explore the history of iron art! The editor will give you a detailed introduction below, and then read on~
Sun's golden cudgel is the dazzling weapon in "Journey to the West". The original work introduces the origin of the golden cudgel: Taishang Laojun made it from nine rounds of fine iron and gave it to Dayu to control floods. It's called Dinghai Deep Iron.
Original:
This stick is made of nine-turn wrought iron, forged by the old teacher himself in the furnace. Wang Yu used the four seas and eight waters as an example to derive the number of true gods.
The stars in the middle are arranged in dark colors, and the ends are covered with gold. The design is full of ghosts and gods, and is also engraved with dragon patterns and phoenix seals.
Coincidentally, "Journey to the West" also has an iron weapon. Its popularity is second only to Ruyi Golden Cudgel! That’s right, it’s Zhu Bajie’s nine-tooth rake!
Chapter 19: Zhan Yundong realized the Eight Precepts and Xuanzang collected the Heart Sutra.
Original:
This is to temper the sacred wrought iron and polish it into a smooth work. The old teacher moved the hammer by himself, and Mars added the charcoal powder by himself.
To elevate wrought iron to such a high status. What metal is this?
Iron art is often mentioned in ancient poems, Buddhist scriptures and novels, but most of them are just a few words. There are currently no special characters on iron art. The author organizes the information according to the order of dynasties, and finally reveals the mystery of iron art.
Artisan forged iron/Damascus knife
Wrought iron appeared in the early Western Han Dynasty.
In the TV series "Journey to the West", Wang Hui gave Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty a precious Xiongnu sword-Lu Jing before going out to conquer the Xiongnu. Liu Che was surprised when he saw this scene. He sent Zhang Qian to Yuezhou and brought back the skills of training fine steel. Is the historical reason for Zhang Jian's mission to the Western Regions really related to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty exploring refined steel technology?
Some people question how the backward nomadic Huns' knife-making technology is superior to that of the Han Dynasty.
The Iron Age in China was relatively late. The weapons of the Warring States Period were still mainly bronze. The weapons of the Qin Terracotta Warriors are evidence of this.
The real breakthrough in iron-making technology came during the Western Han Dynasty. It was not until the Western Han Dynasty that China entered the era of large-scale application of iron. This may be related to the fact that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty opened up transportation to the Western Regions and introduced steel technology from the Western Regions.
French scholar Cambre pointed out that Afghanistan produces what Westerners call the most precious "Indian steel." Liang's swords were forged in Persia and Syria. Ancient Indian steel was famous all over the world and people fought for it.
Feng Jiasheng, a historian of science and technology, pointed out in his work that since the Han and Jin Dynasties, the so-called wrought iron in China has been refined steel, which is Indian steel from Persia in the Western Regions. These historical materials are the historical basis for Zhang Qian's acquisition of refined steel smelting technology from Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. The fundamental reason for Zhang Jian's mission to the Western Regions was to seek allies to attack the Huns. Finding good steel technology may be one of the secondary tasks.
——Persian products during the Northern and Southern Dynasties——
During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the term “wrought iron” appeared for the first time. Records: "The Persian horizon produces gold, silver, stone, coral. Diamond, fire, wrought iron,". There is no record here anymore, because only the word "wrought iron" is mentioned.
-Sui Dynasty, wrought iron musical instruments-
Tang Dynasty, engraving
Zhou Shu, the earliest historical record of wrought iron, said that "the Kingdom of Persia. Elephants, lions, large bird eggs, diamonds, wax, wrought iron, copper, and tin.” Lin Hui's "Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty" said: "Wrought iron is the essence of foreign countries, such as Shang Yinbin. Wrought iron is the essence of foreign countries. It is made of various irons, or is extremely refined and superior to iron." This is the earliest To explain the meaning of wrought iron, the object of "auspicious" refers to the Western Regions. Of course, the Tang Dynasty was also the first dynasty to write iron art into poetry. For example, Yuan Zhen praised its sharpness and said, "A diamond cone pierces jade, and an iron sword blows its hair." According to these three earliest accounts, it can be accurately said that wrought iron was introduced to China in the Tang Dynasty.
Artisan forged iron/Damascus knife
In the Song Dynasty, expensive wrought iron
Records: "Exchange trade law. It is easy to make money, with gold and silver. Wrought iron, tortoise skin, tortoise skin, agate, car pipe, water essence," it can be seen that in the Song Dynasty, iron art was as important as gold and silver, and there should be more at that time. In addition, the Southern Song Dynasty's "Wei Shu Biography of the Western Regions" mentions the "Jinshui General Control" iron knife, which is the earliest record of a patterned iron knife. It can be said that at this time, iron art was gradually recognized by people.
——Yuan Dynasty, Iron Art Bureau——
It is recorded that “The Iron and Steel Bureau ranked eighth grade”. The formal establishment of the Iron Art Bureau and Iron Art Organization shows that iron art is very popular among the government and should have spread widely in China by then. Of course, the admiration for iron art in the Yuan Dynasty is not only reflected in official records, but also deeply reflected in novels. In the year AD, the two martial arts swords and the 62-kilogram ink-and-wash sword made by Hua He were both made of wrought iron. In addition to weapons, some important characters in the novel include green frost, iron helmets, iron armor series, etc. Therefore, the Yuan Dynasty should have appreciated iron art very much.
The Yuan Dynasty was the heyday of iron smelting. During the three western expeditions of the Mongol Empire, a large number of weapon forging craftsmen were plundered from Damascus in Central Asia and forged into blacksmiths to serve the court. There are a large number of blacksmiths here, including local craftsmen from the Central Plains and craftsmen from surrounding areas conquered by Mongolia. A blacksmith must preserve his craft by passing it down from his father to his son. The blacksmith system was not abolished until the Qing Dynasty.
Artisan forged iron/Damascus knife
Ming Dynasty, synonymous with magic weapon
It is recorded that Liu Qi "used a 120-pound iron knife and it immediately spun like flying , known as Liu Dadao in the world. Liu Qi was an outstanding anti-Japanese general in the Ming Dynasty and was known as "the most brave general in the late Ming Dynasty". One of his distinctive features was that he carried a 100-kilogram forged iron knife with him, so people nicknamed him Liu Dadao at that time.
In the year of "Tripitaka", the weapons of Sun Wu and Zhu Bajie were also made of iron. The author believes that wrought iron is a very powerful weapon material.
Artisan forged iron/Damascus knife
——Qing Dynasty, written in the dictionary——
Mao Qiling's "The Sound and Meaning of the Four Books and Five Classics" on "Yi: Tie Ming" ” gives a very concise definition. However, this situation changed in the late Qing Dynasty and modern times. The meaning of "fine" is added to the original meaning of "fine".
-Shanggudao Square of the Republic of China-
In 1917, descendants of the Smith family of the Yuan Dynasty established the Gudaofang, using folding and forging techniques to make iron swords. It is quite famous in Zhili area. "Ancient Knife Workshop" is the predecessor of today's handicraft workshop.
Wrought iron refers to hand-forged Damascus steel. It is an alloy steel made from high-quality high-carbon steel as raw material, which is laminated, heated, folded, and repeatedly forged. It's hard and sharp, hard and soft. Particularly striking are the repeated forgings of Damascus steel knives, which are stacked and intertwined with steel. The knife is covered with winding patterns, some like water waves, some like roses, and some like feathers, which are unpredictable.
The ancient description of wrought iron can be summarized into three points: first, it comes from Central Asia and Persia. The second is the combination of soft and hard, with excellent performance. Third, there is a pattern. "Song Shi Shi Huo Zhi" describes Ruyi's golden cudgel as "full of ghosts and gods", while "Catalog of Smoke and Clouds" calls it a "snowflake iron sword".