Shaohuan Sword

[Shaohuan Jian]

Shaohuan Jian, in the late spring and autumn period, is 54 cm long, 5 cm wide, and weighs 0.88 kg
This Shao Jian is a weapon of the Jin State. It was unearthed in Liyu Village, Shanxi Province. It is known that there are three Tongming Jian
The front of this sword is broken, the ridge is concave between the two sides, the width is oblique, the front is narrow, the thick grid is inverted concave, the round stem is without hoop, and the round head. The grid is inlaid with gold and turquoise animal face patterns, and the sword jewelry is inlaid with gold cloud patterns
There are 20 gold inlaid inscriptions on the ridge of the sword, with 10 characters on each side: “On the auspicious day, the first day is for Yuan Dynasty, and Xuanliu is for Lu. I have more than one name, and the stomach is less than one.” “Xuanliu” and “Pu Lu” are the metal materials of making the sword, tin and copper, and “stomach” is the same as “name”. The main idea of the inscription is: on the auspicious day of Renwu, this handy sword was made of tin and copper. I gave this sword a name, called “Shao Fen”.

少虡剑另面青铜剑示意图