Ming Warrior/ Guizhou by Kit柒叶- 明锦衣卫
Photo: Kit柒叶
A Ming dynasty Jinyiwei guard in his distinctive "Flying Fish" (faux Dragon) Robe 飞鱼服. Photo taken in the medieval city Zhenyuan in Guizhou, southern China. The Jinyiwei dons the very distinctive silk robes with prismatic embroidered dragon motifs. They were the Ming emperor's guards and secret police. These rare robes- which other times were mostly only given to Ming Dukes, preeminent scholars and ministers, or foreign kings from nearby tributary kingdoms were a sign of high esteem from the emperor for this institution and marked the special powers possessed by the guards.
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Comments
I am not sure about the first few pictures because it looks more like a Chang Dao (or Zhanmadao in Qing era nomenclature) than a Yao Dao. I am not sure if there are two-handed Yaodaos. The last picture has a pretty authentic depiction of a single handed Yaodao
Yeah, Ming had domestic produced curved swords.
Thing is, even katanas are not too incongruous to the Ming either. Off the top of my head according to Chinese sources, Lan Yu 蓝玉 who died 1393 owned 10,000 Katana, Hongwu Emperor was displeased with the general's links with Kyoto and more than 15,000 people were implicated for alleged treason and executed. In fact it was the direct accusation by the Jinyiwei commander. ...Ironically, Hongwu's execution of Lan Yu practically removed any major general who would have protected his young heir and grand son from his ambitious son Zhu Di's usurpation of his appointed heir.
Another one of Hongwu's great ministers, Hu Weiyong, was implicated for allegedly conspiring with Japanese Wokou mercenaries to assassinate Zhu under the guise of being 400 tributaries by having their swords concealed in long candles.
1. How and why did General Lan Yu have such close contact with Japan? Wasn't it the middle of the Sengoku Jidai period?
2. Was Lan Yu such an admirer of Japanese swords? Were katanas as desirable and admired then as they are now?
3. Were the Japanese already considered a threat even in Hongwu's time in early Ming? I thought Timur was the only threat (from the west) and Mongols (from the north) to Ming at this time, it seems the Japanese (from the east) were a potential menace too, conspiring with the Ming Chancellor?? incredible.
4. was Lan Yu really a challenge for Zhu Di? I think Zhu Di would have coopted Lan Yu and converted him to the Yan cause.
Though one of the results of this was the Ming establishment of the Sea Ban.
4. That's not how Hongwu thought given his circumstances. Zhu was a peasant Emperor whose primary designated heir died, in that vulnerable case his overriding concern is pruning out anyone who has the capacity to utterly unseat his new grandson as Emperor. Threat assessment, whether interpersonal or in geopolitics is about "What ifs" and by extensions "who can." In those 2 assessments the general's capabilities marked him as a hedge that must be trimmed so that Jianwen could rule without danger. After all you can't really predict people's actions and once they betray you and swords flashed its too late. Another peasant who founded a dynasty by his wits was Liu Bang and he felt the same pang of threat from Han Xin and thus had him killed. Incidentally after his execution the Xiongnu threat appeared and the Han was humbled.
This was not unique to Hongwu either, Li Shimin himself felt this acutely right before he died, his appointed heir~ his 9th heir was both young and mostly inexperienced. This translate to a very shaky foundation of legitimacy and support from the various ministers. In this environment, a swift usurper with the backing of the army could easily depose them. This is why right before Taizong died he instructed his son to feel out the veteran general Li Shiji 李世勣 by demoting him. That if Li raises a fuss he should then instantly be executed. However if he dutifully obeyed and went back to his duties he would be promptly restored and promoted. Luckily for Li he did the latter. One must realize Hongwu and Taizong (2nd gen) were dynasty founding sovereigns, and must have felt this even more acutely, since they were but self made usurpers who weren't "born in the purple" so don't really have a precedent for the dynasty's succession yet.