Zhou Wuwang 周武王, King Wu of Zhou (www.chinaknowledge.de)

Dec 19, 2010 © Ulrich Theobald

Zhou Wuwang 周しゅう武たけし王おう, King Wu of Zhou, personal name Ji Fa 姬ひめ發はつ, was the founder of the Zhou dynasty (11th cent.-221 BCE). He was the son of Ji Chang 姬ひめ昌あきら, Viscount of the West 西伯さいはく, posthumously called King Wen of Zhou 周しゅう文ぶん王おう.

The Viscount's oldest son Boyi Kao 伯はく邑考 had been killed by the tyrant King Zhou 紂 of the Shang dynasty 商しょう (17th-11th cent. BCE), so that Ji Fa became the crown prince of Zhou.

When he became head of the house of Zhou, Ji Fa moved the residence from Feng 豐ゆたか to Hao 鎬, called Zongzhou 宗そう周あまね (near modern Xi'an 西安しーあん, Shaanxi). He inherited from his fathers a handfull of competent counsellors, like Duke Taigong Wang 太公望たいこうぼう (Jiang Ziya 姜きょう子こ牙きば), Dan, the Duke of Zhou 周しゅう公こう旦だん, Shi, the Duke of Shao 召公奭, San Yi Sheng 散ち宜よろし生なま, Tai Dian 太ふとし顛, or Hong Yao 閎夭.

In the second year of his "reign", his army encountered the royal army of Shang at Mengjin 盟めい津つ. Although Ji Fa had a large army of his own and that of many allies at disposal, he refrained from destroying the army of Shang, because he believed that time was not ripe yet. King Zhou's son Weizi 微ほろ子こ fled the royal court after he had remonstrated against the king's cruel government in vain.

Bi Gan 比ひ干ひ, his uncle, was killed by King Zhou. Only then, Ji　Fa decided to attack the royal army. With the troops of numerous allies from the west, Yong 庸いさお, Shu 蜀しょく, Qiang 羌, Wu 髳, Wei 微ほろ, Lu 盧の, Peng 彭, and Pu 濮, he crossed the Yellow River at Mengjin, met the regional rulers (zhuhou 諸侯しょこう) and made his Great Speech (Taishi 太ふとし誓ちかい) that is also recorded in the history Shangshu 尚書しょうしょ "Book of Documents".

On an auspicious day, the armies met at Muye 牧野ぼくや, not far from the royal residence， where Ji Fa made his famous speech of Muye (Mushi 牧まき誓ちかい). He defeated the royal army, and King Zhou of Shang, recognizing that his rule was come to an end, burned himself on the Lutai Terrace 鹿しか臺だい (or Nandan Terrace 南みなみ單たん臺だい).

Ji Fa thus ended the Shang dynasty and took over regency as king of Zhou. He divided the royal domain into three territories of supervision (sanjian 三さん監かん) to control the former royal domain of the Shang. The state of Bei 邶 was bestowed upon Lu Fu 祿ろく父ちち (also called Wu Geng 武たけ庚かのえ,the son of the late King Zhou of Shang), Yong 鄘 to his own brother Guan Shu 管かん叔, and Wei 衛まもる to his brother Cai Shu 蔡叔 (one source says, to Guan Shu, Cai Shu and Huo Shu 霍叔).

King Wu also dispatched his armies to subdue the last nobles refusing to accept him as the new king. He divided the whole land into states, the most important of which he gave into the hands of his kinsmen and the most loyal comrades. Duke Taigong was bestowed with Qi 齊ひとし, Ji Fa's uncle, the Duke of Shao, with Yan 燕つばめ, and the other uncle, the Duke of Zhou, with Lu 魯. Many other states could stay in the hands of lords who had changed sides from Shang to Zhou, like Jiao 焦こげ, Zhu 祝しゅく, Ji 薊あざみ, Chen 陳ちん, or Qi 杞.

In order to have a tighter control on the Yellow River plain, he planned to establish a secondary capital at Luoyi 雒邑 (modern Luoyang 洛陽らくよう, Henan), but he died before the construction was begun.

Ji Fa was given the dynastic title of King Wu "the Martial". His successor was his son Ji Song 姬ひめ誦, known as King Cheng of Zhou 周しゅう成しげる王おう.

Sources:

Chen Quanli 陳ひね全力ぜんりょく, Hou Xinyi 侯ほう欣一きんいち, ed. (1998). Diwang cidian 帝王ていおう辭典じてん (Xi'an: Shaanxi renmin jiaoyu chubanshe), 12.

Huang Banghe 黃き邦和くにかず, Pi Mingxiu 皮がわ明あきら庥, ed. (1987). Zhong-wai lishi renwu cidian 中外ちゅうがい歷史れきし人物じんぶつ詞し典てん (Changsha: Hunan renmin chubanshe), 299.

Liu Mengxun 柳やなぎ孟はじめ訓くん (1997). "Zhou Wuwang mie Shang 周しゅう武たけし王おう滅めつ商しょう", in Men Kui 門もん巋, Zhang Yanqi 張ちょう燕つばめ瑾, ed. Zhonghua guocui da cidian 中華ちゅうか國粹こくすい大だい辭典じてん (Xianggang: Guoji wenhua chuban gongsi), 2.

Liu Xueqin 劉りゅう學まなぶ勤つとむ (1992). "Zhou Wuwang 周しゅう武たけし王おう", in Zhongguo da baike quanshu 中國ちゅうごく大だい百科全書ひゃっかぜんしょ, Zhongguo lishi 中國ちゅうごく歷史れきし (Beijing/Shanghai: Zhongguo da baike quanshu chubanshe), Vol. 3, 1605.

Shaanxi baike quanshu bianweihui 《陜西きょうせい百科全書ひゃっかぜんしょ》編へん委い會かい, ed. (1992). Shaanxi baike quanshu 陜西きょうせい百科全書ひゃっかぜんしょ (Xi'an: Shaanxi renmin jiaoyu chubanshe) 836.

Sheng Guangzhi 盛もり廣ひろ智さとし (1996). "Zhou Wuwang 周しゅう武たけし王おう", in Feng Kezheng 馮克正ただし, Fu Qingsheng 傅でん慶けい升ます, ed. Zhuzi baijia da cidian 諸子しょし百ひゃく家いえ大だい辭典じてん (Shenyang: Liaoning renmin chubanshe), 3.

Xiong Tieji 熊ぐま鐵てつ基もと, Yang Youli 楊有禮れい, ed. (1994). Zhongguo diwang zaixiang cidian 中國ちゅうごく帝王ていおう宰相さいしょう辭典じてん (Wuhan: Hubei jiaoyu chubanshe), 25.

Xu Zhongliang 徐じょ忠良ただよし (1999). "Zhou Wuwang 周しゅう武たけし王おう", in Junshi Kexueyuan Junshi Baike Yanjiubu 軍事ぐんじ科學かがく院いん軍事ぐんじ百科ひゃっか研究けんきゅう部ぶ, ed. Junshi renwu baike quanshu 軍事ぐんじ人物じんぶつ百科全書ひゃっかぜんしょ (Beijing: Zhonggong zhongyang dangxiao chubanshe), 550.

Xue Hong 薛虹 et al., ed. (1998). Zhongguo huangshi gongting cidian 中國ちゅうごく皇室こうしつ宮廷きゅうてい辭典じてん (Changchun: Jilin wenshi chubanshe) 712.

Yi Xingguo 衣ころも興國こうこく, ed. (1988). Shiyong Zhongguo mingren cidian 實用じつよう中國ちゅうごく名人めいじん辭典じてん (Changchun: Jilin wenshi chubanshe), 24.

Yin Yongqian 殷いん永なが千せん (1988). "Zhou Wuwang 周しゅう武たけし王おう", in Zhao Jihui 趙ちょう吉よし惠めぐみ, Guo Hou'an 郭かく厚あつし安やす, ed. Zhongguo ruxue cidian 中國ちゅうごく儒學じゅがく辭典じてん (Shenyang: Liaoning renmin chubanshe), 3.

Zhang Ke 張ちょう克かつ, Huang Kangbai 黃き康やすし白しろ, Huang Fangdong 黃き方かた東ひがし, ed. (1991). Shiji renwu cidian 史記しき人物じんぶつ辭典じてん (Nanning: Guangxi renmin chubanshe) 25.