Jian
181413
221223441
2008-06-23T16:18:57Z
Mickea
4352308
[[WP:UNDO|Undid]] revision 221222968 by [[Special:Contributions/156.34.45.175|156.34.45.175]] ([[User talk:156.34.45.175|talk]]) Vandalism.
{{For|the novel of the same name|Eric Van Lustbader}}
{{redirect|Chinese sword||Chinese swords}}
{{otheruses}}
{{Chinese|pic=Jian (sword).jpg|t=劍|s=剑|shinjitai=<big>剣</big><br/><small>It is also used unofficially <br/>in [[Republic of China|TW]], [[Hong Kong|HK]], [[Macau|MO]] and [[South Korea|KR]].</small>|p=jiàn|w=chien<sup>4</sup>|j=gim3|kana=けん|tradhep=ken|nihon=ken|hangul=검|rr=geom|mr=kŏm, (after a<br> [[Voice (phonetics)|voiced]] [[phoneme]])<br> gŏm|qn=kiếm}}
The '''''jian''''' is a double-edged straight [[sword]] used during the last 2,500 years in [[China]]. The first Chinese sources that mention the ''jian'' date to the 7th century BC during the [[Spring and Autumn Period]];<ref>Ebrey, ''Cambridge Illustrated History of China'', 41.</ref> one of the earliest specimens being the [[Sword of Goujian]].
Historical one-handed versions have blades varying from 45 to 80 centimeters (17.7 to 31.5 inches) in length. The weight of an average sword of 70-centimeter (28-inch) blade-length would be in a range of approximately 700 to 900 grams (1.5 to 2 pounds). There are also larger two-handed versions used for training by many styles of [[Chinese martial arts]].
In Chinese folklore, it is known as '''"The Gentleman of Weapons"''' and is considered one of the four major weapons, along with the ''[[Gun (staff)]]'', ''[[Qiang (spear)]]'', and the ''[[Dao (sword)|Dao (sabre)]]''.
==Parts of the ''jian''==
A guard or [[hilt]] protects the hand from an opposing blade.
The shape of the guard can be described as short wings pointing either forward or backward depending on the era and region of manufacture. A minority of ''jian'' featured the disc-shaped guards associated with ''[[Dao (sword)|dao]]''. A handle behind the guard can accommodate the grip of both hands or one hand plus two or three fingers of the other hand. Two-handed ''jiàn'' of up to 1.6 meters (65") in length, known as ''shuangshou jian'', existed but were not as common as the one-handed version. The longer two-handed handle could be used as a lever to lock the opponent's arm if necessary. Grips are usually of fluted wood or covered in rayskin, with a minority being wrapped with cord.
The end of the handle was finished with a [[pommel]] for balance, to prevent the handle from sliding through the hand if the hand's grip should be loosened, and for striking or trapping the opponent as opportunity required — such as in "withdrawing" techniques. The pommel was historically [[peening|peened]] onto the [[Tang (weaponry)|tang]] of the blade; thereby holding together as one solid unit the blade, guard, handle, and pommel. Most ''jian'' of the last century or so are assembled with a threaded tang onto which the pommel or pommel-nut is screwed.
Sometimes a [[tassel]] is attached to the hilt. During the [[Ming Dynasty]] these were usually passed through an openwork pommel, and in the [[Qing Dynasty|Qing]] through a hole in the grip itself; modern swords usually attach the tassel to the end of the pommel. Historically these were likely used as [[lanyard]]s, allowing the wielder to retain the sword in combat. There are some sword forms which utilize the tassel as an integral part of their swordsmanship style (sometimes offensively), while other schools dispense with sword tassels entirely. The movement of the tassel may have served to distract opponents, and some schools further claim that metal wires were once worked into the tassels for impairing vision and causing bleeding when swept across the face. The tassel's use now is primarily decorative.
The blade itself is customarily divided into three sections for leverage in different offensive and defensive techniques. The tip of the blade is the ''jiànfeng'', meant for stabbing, slashing, and quick percussive cuts. The ''jiànfeng'' typically curves smoothly to a point, though in the Ming period sharply angled points were common. Some antiques have rounded points, though these are likely the result of wear. The middle section is the ''zhongren'' or middle edge, and is used for a variety of offensive and defensive actions: cleaving cuts, draw cuts, and deflections. The section of blade closest to the guard is called the ''jiàngen'' or root, and is mainly used for defensive actions; on some late period jian, the base of the blade was made into an unsharpened [[ricasso]]. These sections are not necessarily of the same length, with the ''jiànfeng'' being only three or four inches long.
Jian blades generally feature subtle profile taper (decreasing width), but often have considerable distal taper (decreasing thickness), with blade thickness near the tip being only half the thickness of the root's base. Jiàn may also feature differential sharpening, where the blade is made progressively sharper towards the tip, usually corresponding to the three sections of the blade. The cross-section of the blade is typically that of a flattened diamond with a visible central ridge, though some are lenticular (eye-shaped) instead; ancient bronze jian sometimes have a hexagonal cross-section.
==Materials==
Jian were originally made from [[bronze]], then [[steel]] as metal technology advanced. There are some, perhaps ceremonial, jian which are carved from a single solid piece of [[jade]].
Traditional jian blades are usually of ''sanmei'' (three plate) construction, which involved sandwiching a core of hard steel between two plates of softer steel. The central plate protrudes slightly from its surrounding pieces, allowing for a sharp edge, while the softer spine protects the brittle core. Some blades had ''wumei'' or five plate construction, with two more soft plates being used at the central ridge. Bronze jian were often made in a somewhat similar manner: in this case an alloy with a high copper content would be used to make a resilient core and spine, while the edge would be made from a high tin-content alloy for sharpness and welded on to the rest of the blade.
The sword smiths of China are often credited with the [[forge|forging]] technologies that traveled to [[Korea]] and [[Japan]] to allow sword smiths there to create such weapons as the [[katana]].
These technologies include folding, inserted alloys, and [[differential hardening]] of the edge. While the Japanese would be more influenced by the Chinese [[Dao (sword)|dāo]] (single-edged swords of various forms), the early Japanese swords known as ''ken'' are often based on jian. The Korean version of the jian is known as the ''[[Korean sword|geom]]'' or ''gum'', and these swords often preserve features found in Ming-era jian, such as openwork pommels and sharply angled tips.
In martial art schools wooden swords are used for training, so most martial arts students' first experience with a jian in modern times is with one of those weapons. In some religious [[Taoist]] sects, those wooden practice swords have come to have an [[esoteric]] ritual purpose, claimed by some to [[metaphor]]ically represent the discipline of an accomplished student.
Contemporary jian versions are often [[forge]]d (shaped with heat and hammer) and assembled by mostly traditional methods for training of practitioners of Chinese martial arts around the world. These jian vary greatly in quality and historical accuracy.
Contemporary jian are also sometimes [[forgery|forgeries]] (artificially aged and misrepresented as original antiques), for sale to tourists and collectors who cannot distinguish them from true antiques.
==Historical use==
The first jian used in China were little more than bronze, two edged, daggers primarily created for close fighting in environments such as forests, where spears and polearms might prove inconvenient. Advances in metallurgy allowed the production of jian which were of modern or near modern lengths by roughly 500 BCE. Though there is significant variation in length, balance and weight between jian from different periods and even within any given period, the general trend of the jian is to be a stabbing weapon. Most designs were also capable of slashing cuts but were poorly designed for chopping; this juxtaposes the jian against the [[Dao (sword)|dao]] which was well designed for chopping and slashing but clumsy as a stabbing weapon.
==Modern use==
[[Image:10th all china games Jian pair 406 cropped.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Wushu jian pair event at the [[Wushu (sport)|10th All China games]]]]
Most Chinese martial arts, such as [[Taijiquan]] for one well-known example, still train extensively with jian, and [[Kung fu (term)|expertise]] in its technique is said by many of them to be the highest physical expression of their martial skills.
However, most jian today are flexible tai-chi or wushu jian used mainly for ceremonial purposes and not for actual combat.
== Jian in popular culture ==
[[Image:Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea - Project Gutenberg eText 15250.jpg|thumbnail|left|180px|"The [[Eight Immortals]] Crossing the Sea" The figure on the lower left wears a jian on his back]]
* There are several [[Taoist immortal]]s who are associated with the jian. One example is [[Lü Dongbin]].
* The [[bodhisattva]] [[Mañjuśrī]] ([[Chinese language|Ch]]: 文殊 ''Wénshū'') is often depicted holding a jian, which is then referred to as the "sword of wisdom".
* In ''[[Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon]]'', an antique jian, the [[Green Destiny]], is a major plot element in the movie.
* ''[[Hero (2002 film)|Hero]]'', [[Jet Li]]'s titular character uses a steel jian with a central rib split.
* In the [[Pirates of the Caribbean]] film "[[At Worlds End]]", [[Elizabeth Swann]] uses a jian in the climatic battle scene in [[Tia Dalma|Calypso]]'s maelstrom.
* In ''[[The Twelve Kingdoms]]'' the main protagonist and several other characters wield jian-type swords.
* In ''[[Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain]]'' and ''[[The Legend of Zu]]'', many characters use jian with magical or metaphysical abilities.
* In the ''[[Judge Dee]]'' novels by [[Robert van Gulik]], [[Judge Dee]] is portrayed as an expert jian swordsman. His own jian, "Rain Dragon," is eventually buried with his loyal assistant, Chiao Tai, after an enemy of Judge Dee used it to murder him.
* In [[Avatar: The Last Airbender]], [[Sokka]] learns how to use a Jian from a Fire Nation swordsman named Piandao, so skilled, he was able to defeat 100 Fire Nation soldiers.
* During a fight in [[Fearless]] Jet Li uses a Jian against a Spanish fencer.
* [[Syaoran Li]], a character in [[Cardcaptor Sakura]] and the main character of [[Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE]], uses a jian as a weapon.
* Yoshi, an antagonist appearing in the anime-only [[Bount]] arc of [[Bleach (manga)|Bleach]], fights opponents using a combination weapon composed of a jian and battle fan joined at their bases by a chain.
* [[Xianghua]], a popular character from the [[Soul Calibur]] series of [[video games]] uses a Jian.
==See also==
{{wiktionary|剣}}
*[[Chinese swords]]
*[[Kung Fu]]
*[[Sword of Goujian]]
*[[Taijijian]]
*[[World Jianshu League]]
*[[Wudang Mountains]]
*[[Wushu (sport)]]
*[[Zhang Sanfeng]]
==Notes==
{{reflist|3}}
==References==
*{{cite book | author = Chen Fangmei | year= 1995 | title= Illustrated Catalogue of Ancient Bronze Weaponry in the National Palace Museum | publisher= National Palace Museum | id= ISBN 957-562-199-9 }}
*Ebrey, Patricia Buckley (1999). ''The Cambridge Illustrated History of China''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-66991-X (paperback).
*{{cite book | author = [[Scott M. Rodell]] | year= 2003 | title= Chinese Swordsmanship: The Yang Family Taiji Jian Tradition | publisher= Seven Stars Books and Video | id= ISBN 0-9743999-0-6 | url= http://sevenstarstrading.com/booksvideos/chineseswordsmanship/about }}
*{{cite book | author = Tetsutaka Sugawara, Lujian Xing, Mark B. Jones | year= 1998 | title= Aikido and Chinese Martial Arts, Volume 2: Aikido and Weapons Training | publisher= Sugawara Martial Arts Institute | id= ISBN 0-87040-963-8 }}
*{{cite book | author = Zhang Yun | year= 1998 | title= The Art of Chinese Swordsmanship | publisher= Weatherhill | id= ISBN 0-8348-0412-3 }}
==External links==
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urpVZC9kPho&mode=related&search] [[Ma Yueliang]] [[Wu style Taijiquan]] 108 posture jian form video
{{Wushu (sport)}}
[[Category:Chinese swords]]
[[Category:Chinese swordsmanship]]
[[Category:Chinese mêlée weapons]]
[[Category:Weapons of China]]
[[Category:T'ai Chi Ch'uan]]
[[Category:Traditional Chinese objects]]
[[ca:Jian]]
[[de:Jian]]
[[es:Jian]]
[[zh-classical:劍]]
[[it:Jian]]
[[ja:中国剣]]
[[fi:Jian]]
[[vi:Kiếm]]
[[zh:剑]]