The Ten Legendary Swords of China come from various historical sources like Shi Ji (史记), Yue Jue Shu (越绝书), Lie Zi (列子) and Wu Yue Chun Qiu (吴越春秋). Though some of the swords may not really exist, they symbolised various virtues that the Chinese held on to in the past. There are also many groups depending on the swords.
Chengying Sword (承影剑)
The Chengying Sword is one of the legendary swords. It was long yet fast and stable. It was strong yet thin. It was later kept by a collector called Kong Zhou (孔周) during the Spring Autumn Period. The Chengying Sword represents the aspect of a body. The body is constantly influenced by the Qi so it looks like it exists but returns to nothing eventually. It is the sword of Elegance and Precision.
One day Kong Zhou was practicing the Chengying Sword at a forest outside Wei’s border. Kong Zhou held the grip with both of his hands. One could see the hilt but not the blade. On the north wall, there seemed to be a floating shadow of a blade that vanished as the day became brighter. During the evening, the blade’s faint shadow emerged again. When swung, the blade made an elegant cut towards an old mulberry tree. At first, nothing seemed to happen except for a cutting sound. Then, a south wind blew and the tree toppled. As the night became darker, the blade vanished again. Hence, this long blade that has a shadow but no form was called Chengying Sword.
In Lie Zi (列子.汤问), Wei Hei Luan (魏黑卵) killed Qiu Bing Zhang (丘邴章) out of revenge. Qiu Bing Zhang’s son Lai Dan (来丹) wanted to avenge his father’s death. Lai Dan was very strong-willed but his body was very weak. He could eat rice grain by grain and walk in the direction of the wind. Even though he really wanted vengeance, he did not have the strength to hold any weapons. Lai Dan also did not want to rely on others and swore to kill Wei Hei Luan with his own hands. Wei Hei Luan was a very powerful person. He could win against a hundred enemies at once and was not someone to be defeated easily. He blocked swords with his neck, blocked arrows with his chest and break blades with his body.
Lai Dan’s friend asked him, “You hate Wei Hei Luan to the extreme and yet he looked down on you. What do you plan to do?”
Lai Dan did not have any idea and wanted his friend to help him. Lai Dan’s friend then told him about a legend. He heard that the ancestors of Kong Zhou from Wei received a beautiful sword from the ancient King of Shang. Even when a child used it, he could defeat three armies. Lai Dan went to Wei and met Kong Zhou. Without saying anything, Lai Dan forced Kong Zhou to take in his family and then explained to him the situation.
Kong Zhou replied, “I have three swords and you can take any one of them. However, they cannot kill people. I will briefly describe their properties. The first sword is called Hanguang Sword. You cannot see it no matter how hard you try. When you use it, it feels like it is not there. When it hits an object, you do not feel that the object is physical. Even when the blade passes through the object, there is no feeling. The second sword is Chengying Sword. At dawn or dusk, you can see a faint image of an object when you look at the sword from the north. However, you cannot see its true shape. When the sword touches an object, you will hear a slight sound. When it passes through an object, you will not feel any pain. The third sword is called Xiaolian Sword. In the day, you can see its shadow but cannot see its reflection. At night, you can see its reflection but can not see its shape. When it hits an object, it will snap it. Once the blade passes, the object will become uncut. Even though pain could be felt, there is no blood. These three swords have been passed down for thirty generations and have not been used. They are kept in a chest and have not been opened.”
Even so, Lai Dan insisted on using the second one. So Kong Zhou returned his wife and children. Then he accompanied Lai Dan to fast for seven days. On a half sunny-half cloudy-day, Lai Dan received the Chengying Sword. He thanked Kong Zhou twice and returned home. From then on, Lai Dan followed Wei Hei Luan while carrying the sword. One night, Wei Hei Luan was drunk and rested below a window. Lai Dan chopped at Wei Hei Luan thrice but he did not feel anything. Lai Dan thought Wei Hei Luan was dead so he quickly left. At the door, he met Wei Hei Luan’s son and swung three times at him too. Wei Hei Luan’s son laughed at his ridiculous behaviour. At this moment, Lai Dan finally understood that this sword could never kill a human. He returned home disappointed. When Wei Hei Luan woke up, he scolded his wife for removing his clothes while he was sleeping. He woke up with a blocked throat and a sore waist. His son then came and told his father that Lai Dan met him near the door and waved three times at him. His entire body was sore and his limbs were numb.
Xiaolian Sword (宵练)
Xiaolian Sword is one of the Three Swords of the Shang King. It is one of the swords Kong Zhou possessed and signifies the aspect of wind. Like wind, it regulates cold, heat, wind and wetness in the body and creates illnesses. As one of the three states of the body, it never kills a human but is also slowly killing.
Xuanyuan Sword (轩辕剑)
Xuanyuan Sword is also known as Xuanyuan Xiayu Sword (轩辕夏禹剑). It was forged by the copper gathered by deities from the first mountain and presented to the Huang Emperor. It was later handed to Yu the Great. One face of the sword is carved with the sun, moon and stars. The other face of the sword is carved with mountains, rivers, grass and forests. One side of the hilt has methods of agriculture carved into it while the other side has all the information about the four seas. The Xuanyuan Sword possesses unlimited power and can be used to slay evil spirits. It represents the entire Chinese clan and is called the Sword of Sainthood.
In Guang Huang Di Dong Xing Ji (广黄帝东行纪), Huang Emperor gathered copper from the first mountain and crafted a magnificent sword on which he inscribed all the information of the universe. After he passed away, the Huang Emperor was buried in Qiao Mountain (乔山) together with his sword. Five hundred years later, the mountain collapsed with the sword still inside.
Zhanlu Sword (湛卢)
The Zhanlu Sword is crafted by Ou Ye Zi (欧冶子), a famous blacksmith, during the Spring Autumn Period. The Zhanlu Sword is the leader of the Five Legendary Swords of Ou Ye Zi. The mountain on which Ou Ye Zi did his work was called Zhan Lu Mountain. It is situated in Song Xi County. Zhanlu Sword can predict the new power of the world. It is called the Sword of Righteousness.
Zhanlu Sword was recommended by the King of Yue. The word “Zhan” meant clarity, brightness, importance and happiness. The word “Lu” meant pure darkness, hunting dogs, loyalty and ultimate victory. Hence, when combined together, it meant that this sword was like an adorable hunting dog with bright eyes and pitch-black skin that won all battles. Hence, this is a sword of utmost luck.
When King Yun Chang of Yue ordered Ou Ye Zi to forge swords for him, Ou Ye Zi brought his wife, his daughter and his son-in-law everywhere to find a good place. When they saw how abundant and beautiful Zhan Lu Mountain was, they decided to stay there. After three years of hard work, Ou Ye Zi forged the Zhanlu Sword which was the first of the five swords he would create. The Zhanlu sword could slice hair and mince metal at the touch of its blade. There was nothing this sword could not cut.
After the Zhanlu Sword was created, King Yun Chang treated it as a national treasure. When Yue was destroyed by Wu, King He Lv of Wu obtained the sword. However, the sword disappeared one day. Then, a sword appeared by the pillow of King Zhao of Chu. The king brought in an experienced person who informed him that this was the Zhanlu Sword. He explained that King He Lv of Wu was not righteous as he killed King Liao of Wu for the throne. He also slaughtered thousands of people for their women, causing much sadness for the people. The sword, however, was a representation of great leadership. From then on, the Zhanlu Sword became a symbolism for a new kingdom.
Chixiao Sword (赤霄剑)
Chixiao Sword is a sword of the emperor. It belonged to Liu Bang. On the blade is its name “Chixiao” and it is three chi long. The Chixiao Sword was used by Liu Bang to slay the white snake at Da Ze (大泽). The blade was created during the rebellion. It looked similar to a Qin sword with patterns. It was decorated with seven colour jewels. Its glow was ice cold.
Tai’e Sword (泰阿剑)
The Tai’e sword is forged by Ou Ye Zi and Gan Jiang, his son-in-law during East Zhou Dynasty. It is called the Sword of Might.
Chu’s capital had been surrounded by the Jin army for three years. The Jin attacked Chu for the treasure – the Tai’e Sword. This sword was said to be the creation of Ou Ye Zi and Gan Jiang but the blacksmiths claimed that this was not so. They believed that the Tai’e Sword was already present since the primordial times. It had no form and no trace of existence. It was only when the time was right, the earth was abundant and the people were in harmony then it would take on a physical appearance.
Since Jin was the most powerful at that time, the King of Jin believed that he had the most right to the sword. However, the sword was in the weakest kingdom of Chu. When the sword appeared, it even had the words “Tai’e” engraved on its blade naturally. The King of Jin demanded the King of Chu to surrender the sword but was rejected. Hence, the King of Jin decided to destroy Chu and obtain the sword after that. As the Chu army was weak, the Jin army quickly pushed into the capital and trapped the people for three years. As resources in the capital began to deplete quickly, the Chu knew they were going to die soon.
One day, Jin sent an ambassador to give a final warning. He declared that if Chu refused to hand over the sword, they would charge in and destroy everything. The King of Chu was stubborn. He told his commanders that he would personally fight the enemy. If the capital was taken, he would use the Tai’e Sword to kill himself. Then, his commanders were to quickly carry the sword to Tai Hu (太湖) and throw the sword in. In this way, the Tai’e Sword would always belong to Chu.
The next day, the King of Chu headed outside and saw that he was greatly outnumbered. As they fought, the King of Chu knew he was going to lose. He lamented his fate and unsheathed his sword and pointed towards the enemy. Suddenly, a gust of Qi came and created a terrible storm. The Jin army began to panic and was eventually destroyed. After this incident, the King of Chu asked the sage Feng Hu Zi what happened. Feng Hu Zi explained that the power of Tai’e Sword did not come from physical strength. Instead, it drew upon the inner strength to unleash its power.
Longquan Sword (龙泉剑)
The Longquan Sword was created during the Spring Autumn Period by Ou Ye Zi and Gan Jiang. It was said that in order to forge this sword, they split Ci Mountain (茨山) and created a stream. The streamed flowed towards the oven and formed the North Dipper formation. After the sword was completed, the blade looked like a beautiful dragon sleeping in a stream. Hence it was called Longyuan (龙渊). During the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Gaozu of Tang was called Li Yuan. To avoid offending the emperor, the sword’s name was hence changed to Qixing Longquan Sword. It is called the Sword of Faith.
In the book Wu Yue Chun Qiu (吴越春秋), during the Spring Autumn Period, Wu Zi Xu’s (伍子胥) entire family was killed by corrupted ministers. He was also chased by the Chu army. When he reached the shores of Chang Jiang, the waves were huge and he could not cross. Yet, the soldiers behind him were also not slowing down. As he was panicking, he suddenly saw a small boat moving quickly towards him. The fisherman asked him to get on the boat and the boat vanished. Seeing no signs of Wu Zi Xu, the soldiers left. After that, the fisherman brought Wu Zi Xu back to shore and treated him to a feast. Wu Zi Xu was extremely grateful and asked for the fisherman’s name. The fisherman only asked him to call him Mr Fisherman. Wu Zi Xu thanked him profusely and left. However, he returned shortly after and gave the fisherman the Longquan Sword as a gift. He also requested the fisherman not to reveal his whereabouts. Upon receiving the sword, the fisherman was very disappointed as he felt that Wu Zi Xu thought he saved him out of greed. Hence, the fisherman decided to demonstrate his purity by killing himself with the sword. Wu Zi Xu regretted his actions immediately.
Ganjiang Sword (干将) and Mo’ye Sword (莫邪)
Ganjiang Sword is a paired sword with Mo’ye Sword. Ganjiang Sword is a male sword and is created from the ores of five mountains and gold from the six directions. It can only be forged after three months. The Mo’ye Sword is forged with hair, claws, gold and metal as material. It also requires three hundred servants to bring coal to the oven. Together, they are called the Sword of Love.
Ganjiang Sword and Mo’ye Sword were inseparable. In fact, they were named after Ou Ye Zi’s daughter Mo Ye and son-in-law Gan Jiang. Gan Jiang was very hardworking and Mo Ye was very gentle. When the King of Wu ordered Gan Jiang to forge a sword, Mo Ye cooled him as he worked and wiped away his sweat. After three months, the gold and metal ores refused to fuse. This worried Gan Jiang and he sighed at the thought of being executed. That night, Mo Ye suddenly laughed. Gan Jiang was creeped out by this but knew why she laughed so suddenly. He warned her not to do it. Mo Ye did not reply and continued to laugh.
When Gan Jiang woke up the next morning, he did not see Mo Ye beside him. He became very worried and rushed to the oven. Mo Ye was working hard in the forge and when she heard Gan Jiang call her, she smiled and wept. Mo Ye collapsed on the floor and she declared that they would always be together as a pair of swords. Gan Jiang then gave the Ganjiang Sword to the King of Wu but the news of him hiding Mo’ye Sword quickly reached the king’s ears. The king sent his men and captured Gan Jiang. Gan Jiang became depressed and asked the sword what should he do. Suddenly, the sword flew out of the drawer and became a beautiful white dragon. The dragon flew away and the Mo’ye Sword also disappeared. At that time, the Ganjiang Sword also vanished from the king’s side.
At Pincheng County, a youthful white dragon appeared at Nanping Lake. The dragon was compassionate and brought rain when needed. This allowed the county to flourish and was eventually renamed to Fengcheng County. However, people observed that the white dragon was constantly waiting for something. Sometimes, people would catch it crying. After six hundred years, the governor of Fengcheng, Lei Huan, was fixing the city walls when he found a stone chest. Within it was the Ganjiang Sword. Lei Huan was delighted and decided to bring the sword with him. When he reached Nanping Lake, the sword at his waist flew towards the lake. Then, a black dragon and a white dragon rose from the water and thanked Lei Huan profusely. After entwining around each other, they went into the lake. At this moment, the people no longer saw the white dragon.
The next day, an ordinary couple came to the county. The husband was a highly skilled blacksmith. He only offered to fix farming tools and refused to touch any weapons. While he worked hard, his wife would cool him off and wipe away his sweat.
Yuchang Sword (鱼肠剑)
Yuchang Sword was a famous dagger hidden in a fish belly and used to kill King Liao of Wu. Hence it was called Yuchang Sword (fish intestine sword). It symbolises valour. Some say that the patterns of the sword looked like the guts of a cooked fish. Some say that the sword was so small that it could be hidden in the gut of a fish.
The Yuchang Sword was said to be forged by Ou Ye Zi as ordered by the King of Yue. He used metal from Chi Jin Mountain (赤堇山), bronze from Ruo Ye Stream (若耶溪) and worked throughout the storm. When the Yuchang Sword was finished, Xue Zhu was invited to take a look and he said that this sword went against the natural phenomena. The ministers would kill their lords with it. Sons would kill their fathers with it. After Yue gifted this to Wu, it landed on Helv of Wu’s hands together with the Shengxie Sword and Zhanlu Sword.
Once there was an individual called Zhuan Zhu (专诸). He lived in Magang (马港) and worked as a butcher. He had sunken eyes and a huge mouth. His back was broad like a tiger and his waist was thick like a bear. He was very strong and very filial to his mother. He was well known for being a hero of justice. When Wu Zi Xu ran to Wu state, he heard of Zhuan Zhu’s abilities. Wu Zi Xu went to see King Liao of Wu and told him the benefits of vanquishing Chu. However, the king told him that this was a selfish request and it did not concern Wu.
Wu Zi Xu also knew that Helv of Wu was planning to kill King Liao of Wu. Hence, he looked for Helv instead and brought Zhuan Zhu to him. Helv of Wu’s father was King Zhufan of Wu. King Zhufan had three brothers – King Yuji of Wu, Yu Mei and Ji Zha. King Zhufan knew that Ji Zha was talented but did not want to be the crown prince. Hence, after King Zhufan died, the throne was passed to King Yuji of Wu. After King Yuji, Yu Mei took over. After Yu Mei died, it was Ji Zha’s turn. Instead, Ji Zha ran away and refused to be king. So Yu Mei’s son King Liao of Wu became the new king. Helv of Wu was jealous that he was not given the throne and started plotting against King Liao of Wu.
When Zhuan Zhu arrived, Helv of Wu treated him well. On the ninth year, King Ping of Chu died. In spring, King Liao of Wu saw the decline of Chu and immediately sent Gai Yu and Shu Yong to surround Chu. He also sent Ji Zha to Jin to observe the feudal lords. Chu sent their soldiers to cut off the Wu army’s routes, preventing them from returning. At this moment, Helv of Wu told Zhuan Zhu to kill King Liao. In the fourth month, Helv of Wu and his guards invited King Liao of Wu for a feast. All the king’s relatives were invited and the place was heavily guarded. Halfway through the feast, Helv of Wu said he had a foot disease and left the room. Then he asked Zhuan Zhu to put a dagger in the belly of the fish. As the fish was brought to the king, Zhuan Zhu killed the king with the dagger. Seeing this, everyone started to panic. Zhuan Zhu was killed by the guards and Helv became known as Helv of Wu. He then awarded Zhuan Zhu’s son with a prestigious position.
Chunjun Sword (纯钧)
Chunjun Sword is the Sword of Unsurpassed Nobility. It was created by Ou Ye Zi as ordered by King Goujian of Yue.
During the Spring Autumn Period, King Goujian of Yue suffered many years of hardship and finally defeated Wu. He took a nice afternoon snap and felt very happy. After having a nice cup of freshly brewed Longjing tea, King Goujian sent his men to find Xue Zhu. Xue Zhu was from Qin and he was traveling in Yue at that moment. Even though Xue Zhu was young, he was known as the top sword-reading master.
After a while, Xue Zhu arrived. King Goujian of Yue treated him well and brought him to the display. King Yue loved swords and his display cabinet was used to display all the swords he collected. Both of them sat down and King Yue wanted to impress Xue Zhu. He ordered his men to bring his two best swords – the Haocao Sword and Juque Sword. Unexpectedly, Xue Zhu was not impressed. He said that both swords have problems. The Haocao Sword was dull while the Juque Sword was too cumbersome. He did not consider them to be good swords.
The king was surprised and felt ashamed. After thinking, he said something to his valet. Soon, hundreds of armoured men brought a sword over. Xue Zhu thought this was funny and asked what kind of sword they brought. King Goujian then told him it was called the Chunjun Sword. Xue Zhu became so surprised that his hair clip fell to the floor. After a while he regained his composure and steadied himself. Xue Zhu received the sword and checked the scabbard. Then he drew the sword. The hilt was decorated with constealltions and the blade emitted a warm glow like the sun.
King Goujian asked him if it was alright to exchange it for one thousand great horses, three wealthy villages and two great cities. Xue Zhu immediately said it was not alright. The king became curious. Xue Zhu explained to him that there was no other sword like this. The Chunjun Sword was made from the ores of the split Chi Jin Mountain and the bronze from the dried Ruo Ye Stream. During the forging of the sword, the Thunder Deity hit the metal while the Rain Empress poured water. The dragon managed the oven and the Heavenly Emperor filled it with coal. Hence, this sword was the effort of Ou Ye Zi and the deities. After it was completed, the deities returned home, Chi Jin Mountain closed and the Ruo Ye Stream had water again. Ou Ye Zi had used up all his energy and passed away.
Shengxie Sword (胜邪)
The Shengxie Sword is part of another set of Ten Legendary Swords. It was created by Ou Ye Zi during the Spring Autumn Period. It is about 57.8cm long and was used by Helv of Wu to conduct his rituals. During the forging process, Ou Ye Zi believed that the sword absorbed evil energy. As he increased the length by one cun, the sword became more evil by one degree. Hence it was called Shengxie Sword.
Juque Sword (巨阙)
Juque Sword is another sword forged by Ou Ye Zi. It is humongous and very heavy. It is extremely tough and no sword could break it.
When the Juque Sword was first completed, King Goujian of Yue was sitting on the balcony. Suddenly, a carriage lost control and frightened a white deer. King Goujian immediately took the Juque Sword and pointed at the carriage, ordering the soldier to stop. However, just by pointing at it, the carriage was split in half. Shocked, the king ordered his men to bring a huge metal wok. He poke the wok with the sword and created a huge hole. Hence, King Goujian named this sword Juque Sword.
Gongbu Sword (工布剑)
The Gongbu Sword is forged by Ou Ye Zi and Gan Jiang, ordered by the King of Chu. It has a pattern similar to flowing water that stretches from the hilt to the tip of the sword.
One day, the King of Chu sent Feng Hu Zi to Yue so that he could ask Ou Ye Zi to make a sword for him. Ou Ye Zi traveled around Jiang Nan in order to find a place with enough ores, cold water and flint. Finally, he reached Qin Xi Mountain (秦溪山) and saw seven wells below two thousand-year mulberry trees. The wells were arranged in the North Dipper formation and contained freezing water. Then, he went to Ci Mountain to mine for ores. However, he could not find any quality flint to sharpen the sword. He travelled until he reached a nearby mountain which had a flint cave. He felt an unnaturally cold wind in the cave and understood that there was something else in there. He burned incense and bathed himself and fasted for three days. Then, he jumped into the cave and retrieved the perfect flint.
After two years, he created three swords – Longquan Sword, Tai’e Sword and Gongbu Sword. These swords could be folded and could be hung on the waist. Once untied, the swords would revert to its straight form. The swords were so sharp that it could cut a handkerchief gently floating upon it. Seeing this, the King of Chu was delighted and named the land Jian Chi Hu (剑池湖).
Source:
https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E5%8D%81%E5%A4%A7%E5%90%8D%E5%89%91/6414#2
https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E5%AE%B5%E7%BB%83/6683812
https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E8%BD%A9%E8%BE%95%E5%89%91/7022
https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E6%B9%9B%E5%8D%A2/8555443
https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E5%B9%B2%E5%B0%86/2665222
https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E8%8E%AB%E9%82%AA/16549485
https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E7%BA%AF%E9%92%A7/1321236
https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E8%83%9C%E9%82%AA/5723327
https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E5%B7%A8%E9%98%99/4398654
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