Axe

1. (Undated folder sheet note) Purchased from Ton-Ying & Co., New York. For price, see <u>Freer Gallery of Art Purchase List after 1920<e>.

2. (J.A.P., 1944) One of a group of twelve weapons said to have been found at Hsun Hsien, Wei-hui Fu, Honan Province. <u>cf<e>. (34.3).

The cutting edge of the blade, running all the way around the outside has been somewhat damaged; one upper corner is broken off, and the long edge is bent in two different directions, apparently as a result of heavy blows against some unyielding substance. The two latter must have occurred when the metal was relatively new; the former when it was old and brittle. Along the back part of the blade, in low relief, on each side is a sinuous serpent-like dragon with three hook-like projections attached to its side. Along its back is a deep groove; and the head curls around at the top so that it faces upward. Three broad loops attached to the back of the blade serve to hold a haft in place, and its upper end rests in a socket whose sides are decorated with the dragon heads. A fragment of wood, purporting to be from the original haft, remains in the socket and extends down to the second loop.

On one side of the second loop are cast the two characters <u>K'ang Hou<e> [chn], Marquis K'ang. In his report (<u>cf<e>. 34.3), Ch'u identifies this man with K'ang Shu [chn], a son of Wen Wang [chn] and younger brother of Wu Wang [chn], the Chou king who conquered Shang [chn]. According to the surviving records, all of which were compiled many centuries after these events, this son of Wen Wang was named Feng [chn], and was called K'ang Shu. The Duke of Chou, acting as regent for his nephew Ch'eng Wang [chn], put K'ang Shu in charge of the former Shang territory in the east with the title, Marquis of Wei [chn]. The capital of this feudal state was at Chao-ko [chn], the site of the modern ch'i [chn], near Chi [chn] (formerly Wei-hui [chn]) in northern Honan, the place where this group of weapons is said to have been found. (<u>cf<e>. Chavannes, Mem. Hist. I, 246 and Legge, III, ii, 381). K'ang Shu is not referred to as K'ang Hou in the records; but in view of the fact that he was ennobled with the rank of marquis, and that the records are not only of much later date but also in very brief form, such a designation must be admitted as possible, thus placing the weapon in the reign of Ch'eng Wang. In that case it would be related in time to the two ceremonial vessels 30.54 and 33.2.

It should be noted that while the whole group of weapons were reported to have been found together, this fact is not conclusive evidence that they were all made at the same time and place. There is, however, sufficient similarity in the weight, size, and general quality of 34.3, 34.4, and 34.6 to suggest that they had a common origin.

3. (R.J. Gettens, 1962) This bronze was examined and analyzed spectrographically. for details, see Laboratory File.

4. (E.H. West, 1963) The blade was analyzed by spectrographic and wet methods.

5. (Noel Barnard, 1964) Two characters, <u>K'ang-hou<e> [chn] "Marquis K'ang," are cast-in on one side of the weapon. Several other items which presumably were unearthed from the same site contain the same two characters: two <u>fu<e>-hatchets, <u>Shuang-chien Catalogue<e> [2.41,42]; a <u>mou<e>-spear, <u>K'ao-ku<e> hsueh-pao [vol. 4, 1956, pl. 8]; a <u>ling<e>-bell, <u>Shang-chou Catalogue<e> [item 530]; according to Yu Hsing-wu, there were also a <u>lei<e>-vase and a <u>chueh<e>-wine-cup similarly inscribed [Shuang-chien Catalogue<e>, notes, p. 10a].

The Marquis K'ang has been identified with K'ang-shu [chn], a younger brother of Wu Wang [chn] who, according to tradition, was put in charge of the former Shang territory (see pp. 91, 94 in the old Freer Catalogue). Regardless of the uncertainties attending such identification of archaeological name-title records with those of the "classics," it is reasonably acceptable to date the present item, and others found with it, in the early decades of the Chou dynasty. Attention should be drawn to a <u>li<e>--cauldron in the <u>Ning-shou Catalogue [12.26] bearing the same inscription showing thus the existence of a possible related inscription long before the above group came to light. K'ang-hou is mentioned in the K'ang-hou <u>T'u<e> [chn] and in a <u>fang-ting<e>-cauldron is record of a K'ang hou <u>mao<e> (or <u>feng<e>?) [chn] ([chn] or [chn]) [ins. 14.15, <u>San-tai Catalogue<e>3.3a]-there would appear to have been at least two people called K'ang-hou [Marquis of (?) K'ang], thus illustrating the difficulty of seeking parallels in the traditional literature. (26-10-63) 

6. (J. Smith per Keith Wilson, 8/12/2008) Weapon and Armament added as secondary classification.

7. (S. Kitsoulis per Keith Wilson,  20 August 2010) Object name and title changed from "Blade (tao)" to "Axe"; added "Western Zhou dynasty" as peroiod two; date changed from "1050-221 B.C.E." to "ca. 1050-771 B.C.E."; added "with a wood stick."