The Spring and Autumn Period, Let's Hold a Covenant! Middle History 15
We have entered the Spring and Autumn period! What kind of era was it?
I would like to quote from Kiichi Toriyama's "A Short History of China: The Yellow River's Water" (Kadokawa Bunko).
In Chinese history, the roughly 300-year period after King Ping (King of Zhou, moved the capital to Luoyi in 770 BC) moved the capital to the east is called the Spring and Autumn period. This name comes from the history book "Spring and Autumn" written by Confucius, who is well known as a sage, which outlines the events of this time.
During this era, barbarians attacked from the north. The Zhou emperor had completely lost his power and could not save the Han people. Therefore, powerful feudal lords rose up, on one hand to revere the King of Zhou and make the other lords swear loyalty, and on the other to repel these invaders. Such powerful lords are called hegemons.
Thus, feudal lords of various sizes appeared throughout China and competed with each other. The first hegemon among these lords was Duke Huan of Qi. Qi was the country where the ancestor was Lu Shang, that "Taigongwang" who was active in cooperation with Zhou, and that is where the saying was born!
I have included a map of the Spring and Autumn period! The simplified character for "Qi" is located to the east of the base of the Shandong Peninsula. It occupies a fairly large area. In the middle is "Zhou," and at the western edge is the large state of "Qin." Wu, Yue, and Chu in the south were peripheral states.
25 [( ) Friendship of Guan and Bao]...Refers to the relationship between very close friends. A close friendship that transcends interests.
26 [Take the ( ) of the ox]...To take the lead.
★ Fill in the blanks with an appropriate single kanji!
There was a power struggle before Duke Huan of Qi took the throne. In 686 BC, Duke Xiang of Qi was killed in a civil war. Before that, feeling their lives were in danger, two of Duke Xiang's younger brothers had gone into exile and were safe. One was Prince Jiu, who was accompanied by Guan Zhong and Shao Hu. The other was Xiaobai, who was protected by Bao Shu and others.
With no leader in the state of Qi due to the civil war, the brothers with rights to the throne aimed to return home. Xiaobai, who was able to return first, took the throne and began a 43-year reign. Jiu, who missed his chance, was killed, and Shao Hu committed ritual suicide. The other attendant, Guan Zhong, was spared thanks to the intercession of his friend Bao Shu. That is how well-coordinated Bao Shu and Guan Zhong were, or rather, they were friends who recognized each other's worth. The saying 25 was born from their deep friendship.
Expressions for inseparable relationships include "friendship of刎頸 (neck-cutting)," "friendship of water and fish," and "friendship of gold and orchid."
Duke Huan of Qi gathered the feudal lords and held a covenant in 651 BC. The purpose was to summon the lords to the King of Zhou and facilitate mutual relations by having the leaders meet face-to-face. A ceremony was held, and they swore to the gods to keep their promises by cutting the left ear of a sacrificial ox and sipping its blood.
If people gather for a purpose and try to do something, some kind of rules are necessary, and since we are human, eating together is common sense for adults regardless of East or West. Here, the person who sipped the blood first from the life of the ox offered to the gods became the hegemon, or leader.
Now, which part of the ox did they cut?
Answer 25: Guan 26: Ear (Gyuji) -> To lead the ox (to dominate/to be in charge)
The person on the left seems to be Duke Huan, and the person on the right is Guan Zhong, who helped him. Duke Huan's face looks somewhat composed and sharp. Actually, all the bronze statues of Chinese figures look like members of the Chinese leadership. They are solid and all look magnificent. I wonder if there is a model for them.
★ This was an article from the goo blog on April 25, 2014.