Jiang Ziya ( century BC – 11th century BC), also known by several other names, also known by his

posthumous name A posthumous name is an honorary Personal name, name given mainly to revered dead people in East Asian cultural sphere, East Asian culture. It is predominantly used in Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, Malaysia and Thailand. ...

as the Duke Tai of Qi, was the founding monarch of the Qi state. He was a military general and strategist who assisted

King Wen of Zhou King Wen of Zhou ( zh, c=周文王, p=Zhōu Wén Wáng; 1152–1050 BC, the Cultured King) was the posthumous title given to Ji Chang ( zh, c=姬昌), the patriarch of the Zhou state during the final years of Shang dynasty in ancient China. J ...

and

King Wu of Zhou King Wu of Zhou (; died ), personal name Ji Fa, was the founding king of the Chinese Zhou dynasty. The chronology of his reign is disputed but is generally thought to have begun around 1046 BCE and ended with his death three years later. Ki ...

overthrow the

Shang dynasty The Shang dynasty (), also known as the Yin dynasty (), was a Chinese royal dynasty that ruled in the Yellow River valley during the second millennium BC, traditionally succeeding the Xia dynasty and followed by the Western Zhou d ...

and establish the

Zhou dynasty The Zhou dynasty ( ) was a royal dynasty of China that existed for 789 years from until 256 BC, the longest span of any dynasty in Chinese history. During the Western Zhou period (771 BC), the royal house, surnamed Ji, had military ...

. Following their victory in the

Battle of Muye The Battle of Muye, Mu, or Muh () was fought between forces of the ancient Chinese Shang dynasty led by King Zhou of Shang and the rebel state of Zhou led by King Wu. The Zhou defeated the Shang at Muye and captured the Shang capital Yin, ...

, he continued to serve as a Zhou minister. He remained loyal to the regent Ji Dan (Duke Wen of Zhou) during the

Rebellion of the Three Guards The Rebellion of the Three Guards (), or less commonly the Wu Geng Rebellion (), was a civil war, instigated by an alliance of discontent Zhou princes, Shang loyalists, vassal states and other non-Zhou peoples against the Western Zhou governme ...

; following the Ji Dan's punitive raids against the restive

Dongyi The Dongyi or Eastern Yi () was a collective term for ancient peoples found in Chinese records. The definition of Dongyi varied across the ages, but in most cases referred to inhabitants of eastern China, then later, the Korean peninsula and Jap ...

, Jiang was enfeoffed with the land of Qi. He established his seat at

Yingqiu Linzi () was the capital city of the Chinese Qi (state), Qi state. The ruins of the city lie in modern-day Linzi District, Shandong, China. The city was one of the largest and richest in China during the Spring and Autumn period. Upon occupying ...

(in modern-day Linzi, Zibo,

Shandong Shandong is a coastal Provinces of China, province in East China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River. It has served as a pivotal cultural ...

). He has been worshipped as a war god since the Han and, especially, Tang dynasties. He is also celebrated in Chinese literature, and is one of the main heroes in the Ming-era ''

Investiture of the Gods ''The Investiture of the Gods'', also known by its Chinese titles () and is a 16th-century Chinese novel and one of the major Written vernacular Chinese, vernacular Chinese works in the gods and demons (''shenmo'') genre written during the Min ...

''.

Names

The first ruler of Qi bore the

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...

Shang. The nobility of ancient China bore two

surname In many societies, a surname, family name, or last name is the mostly hereditary portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family. It is typically combined with a given name to form the full name of a person, although several give ...

s, an ancestral temple surname and a lineage surname. His were Jiang () and Lü (), respectively. He had two

courtesy name A courtesy name ( zh, s=字, p=zì, l=character), also known as a style name, is an additional name bestowed upon individuals at adulthood, complementing their given name. This tradition is prevalent in the East Asian cultural sphere, particula ...

s, Shangfu (; "Esteemed Father") and Ziya (; lit. "Master

Ivory Ivory is a hard, white material from the tusks (traditionally from elephants) and Tooth, teeth of animals, that consists mainly of dentine, one of the physical structures of teeth and tusks. The chemical structure of the teeth and tusks of mamm ...

, Master

Tusk Tusks are elongated, continuously growing front teeth that protrude well beyond the mouth of certain mammal species. They are most commonly canine tooth, canine teeth, as with Narwhal, narwhals, chevrotains, musk deer, water deer, muntjac, pigs, ...

"), which were used for respectful address by his peers. The names Jiang Shang and Jiang Ziya became the most common after their use in the popular Ming-era

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

'' Fengshen Bang'', written over 2,500 years after his death. Following the elevation of Qi to a

duchy A duchy, also called a dukedom, is a country, territory, fiefdom, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess, a ruler hierarchically second to the king or Queen regnant, queen in Western European tradition. There once existed an important differe ...

, he was given the

, on occasions left untranslated as "Duke Tai". It is under this name that he appears in

Sima Qian Sima Qian () was a Chinese historian during the early Han dynasty. He is considered the father of Chinese historiography for the ''Shiji'' (sometimes translated into English as ''Records of the Grand Historian''), a general history of China cov ...

's ''

Records of the Grand Historian The ''Shiji'', also known as ''Records of the Grand Historian'' or ''The Grand Scribe's Records'', is a Chinese historical text that is the first of the Twenty-Four Histories of imperial China. It was written during the late 2nd and early 1st ce ...

''. He is also less often known as "Grand Lord Jiang" (; Jiang Taigong), Taigong Wang (), and the "Hoped-for Lü" (Lü Wang; 呂望).Long Jianchun (龍建春) (2003). ''Discussion on Taigong's surname, clanname, given name and titles'' 《"太公"姓氏名号考论》. <苏秦始将连横>臆说之一. Taizhou Academy Newspapers (台州学院学报) 2nd semester, 2003. as Jiang Ziya was seen as the sage – whom

's ancestor Revered Uncle Ancestor Lei () (also titled 太公 "Great ~ Grand Lord") had prophesied about and hoped for – to help the Zhou prosper.

Background

The last ruler of the Shang dynasty,

King Zhou of Shang King Zhou (; ) was the pejorative posthumous name given to Di Xin of Shang () or Shou, King of Shang (), the last king of the Shang dynasty of ancient China. He is also called Zhou Xin (). In Chinese, his name Zhòu ( 紂) also refers to a horse ...

, was a tyrant who spent his days with his favorite concubine Daji and executing or punishing officials. After faithfully serving the Shang court for approximately twenty years, Jiang came to find King Zhou insufferable, and feigned madness in order to escape court life and the ruler's power. Jiang was an expert in military affairs and hoped that someday someone would call on him to help overthrow the king. Jiang disappeared, only to resurface in the Zhou countryside at the apocryphal age of seventy-two, when he was recruited by King Wen of Zhou and became instrumental in Zhou affairs. ''The Seven Military Classics of Ancient China''. New York: Basic Books. 2007. p. 27. It is said that, while in exile, he continued to wait placidly, fishing in a tributary of the

Wei River The Wei River () is a major river in west-central China's Gansu and Shaanxi provinces. It is the largest tributary of the Yellow River and very important in the early development of Chinese civilization. In ancient times, such as in the Records ...

(near today's

Xi'an Xi'an is the list of capitals in China, capital of the Chinese province of Shaanxi. A sub-provincial city on the Guanzhong plain, the city is the third-most populous city in Western China after Chongqing and Chengdu, as well as the most populou ...

) using a barbless hook or even no hook at all, on the theory that the fish would come to him of their own volition when they were ready.

Hired by King Wen of the Zhou

King Wen of Zhou, (central Shaanxi), found Jiang Ziya fishing. King Wen, following the advice of his father and grandfather before him, was in search of talented people. In fact, he had been told by his grandfather, the Grand Duke of Zhou, that one day a sage would appear to help rule the Zhou state. The first meeting between King Wen and Jiang Ziya is recorded in the book that records Jiang's teachings to King Wen and King Wu, the '' Six Secret Teachings'' (太公六韜). The meeting was recorded as being characterized by a mythic aura common to meetings between great historical figures in ancient China. Before going hunting, King Wen consulted his chief scribe to perform divination in order to discover if the king would be successful. The divinations revealed that, "'While hunting on the north bank of the Wei river you will get a great catch. It will not be any form of dragon, nor a tiger or great bear. According to the signs, you will find a duke or marquis there whom Heaven has sent to be your teacher. If employed as your assistant, you will flourish and the benefits will extend to three generations of Zhou Kings.'" Recognizing that the result of this divination was similar to the result of divinations given to his eldest ancestor, King Wen observed a vegetarian diet for three days in order to spiritually purify himself for the meeting. While on the hunt, King Wen encountered Jiang fishing on a grass mat, and courteously began a conversation with him concerning military tactics and statecraft. The subsequent conversation between Jiang Ziya and King Wen forms the basis of the text in the '' Six Secret Teachings''. When King Wen met Jiang Ziya, at first sight he felt that this was an unusual old man who is angling with a straight hook hanging out of water, and began to converse with him. He discovered that this white-haired fisherman was actually an astute political thinker and military strategist. This, he felt, must be the man his grandfather was waiting for. He took Jiang Ziya in his coach to the court and appointed him prime minister and gave him the title Jiang Taigong Wang ("The Great Duke's Hope", or "The expected of the Great Duke") in reference to a prophetic dream Danfu, grandfather of Wenwang, had had many years before. This was later shortened to Jiang Taigong. King Wu married Jiang Ziya's daughter Yi Jiang, who bore him several sons.

Attack of the Shang

After King Wen died, his son King Wu, who inherited the throne, decided to send troops to overthrow the King of Shang. But Jiang Taigong stopped him, saying: "While I was fishing at Panxi, I realised one truth – if you want to succeed you need to be patient. We must wait for the appropriate opportunity to eliminate the King of Shang". Soon it was reported that the people of Shang were so oppressed that no one dared speak. King Wu and Jiang Taigong decided this was the time to attack, for the people had lost faith in the ruler. The bloody

then ensued some 35 kilometres from the Shang capital Yin (modern day Anyang, Henan Province). Jiang Taigong charged at the head of the troops, beat the battle drums and then with 100 of his men drew the Shang troops to the southwest. King Wu's troops moved quickly and surrounded the capital. The Shang King had sent relatively untrained slaves to fight. This, plus the fact that many surrendered or revolted, enabled Zhou to take the capital. King Zhou set fire to his palace and perished in it, and King Wu and his successors as the Zhou dynasty established rule over all of China. As for Daji, one version has it that she was captured and executed by the order of Jiang Taigong himself, another that she took her own life, another that she was killed by King Zhou. Jiang Taigong was made duke of the

State of Qi Qi, or Ch'i in Wade–Giles romanization, was a ancient Chinese state, regional state of the Zhou dynasty in History of China#Ancient China, ancient China, whose rulers held Zhou dynasty nobility, titles of ''Hou'' (), then ''Gong (title), Go ...

(today's

province), which thrived with better communications and usage of its fish and salt resources under him. As the most notable prime minister employed by King Wen and King Wu, he was declared "the master of strategy"—resulting in the Zhou government growing far stronger than that of the Shang dynasty as the years elapsed.

Personal views and historical influence

An account of Jiang Ziya's life written long after his time says he held that a country could become powerful only when the people prospered. If the officials enriched themselves while the people remained poor, the ruler would not last long. The major principle in ruling a country should be to love the people; and to love the people meant to reduce taxes and corvée labour. By following these ideas, King Wen is said to have made the Zhou state prosper very rapidly. His

treatise A treatise is a Formality, formal and systematic written discourse on some subject concerned with investigating or exposing the main principles of the subject and its conclusions."mwod:treatise, Treatise." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Acc ...

on military strategy, '' Six Secret Strategic Teachings'', is considered one of the Seven Military Classics of Ancient China. In the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

he was accorded his own state temple as the martial patron and thereby attained officially sanctioned status approaching that of

Confucius Confucius (; pinyin: ; ; ), born Kong Qiu (), was a Chinese philosopher of the Spring and Autumn period who is traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages. Much of the shared cultural heritage of the Sinosphere originates in the phil ...

Family

Wives: * Lady, of the Ma lineage () * Shen Jiang, of the Jiang clan of Shen () Sons: * First son, Prince Ji (; 1050–975 BC), ruled as Duke Ding of Qi from 1025 to 975 BC * Prince Ding () * Prince Ren () * Prince Nian () * Prince Qi () * Prince Fang () * Prince Shao () * Prince Luo () * Prince Ming () * Prince Qing () * Prince Yi () * Prince Shang () * Prince Qi () * Prince Zuo () Daughters: * First daughter, Yi Jiang () ** Married

(d. 1043 BC), and had issue (

King Cheng of Zhou King Cheng of Zhou (; 1055–1021 BC), personal name Ji Song, was the second king of the Chinese Zhou dynasty. The dates of his reign are 1042–1021 BCE or 1042/35–1006 BCE. Ji Dan, Duke of Zhou served as regent during his minority. His pare ...

Shu Yu of Tang Ji Yu, commonly known as "Yu, oyalUncle of Tang" (), was the founder of the Tang state (later renamed "Jin" by his son and successor, Ji Xie). He was a son of King Wu of Zhou and Yi Jiang and the younger brother of King Cheng of Zhou. He was a ...

) His descendants acquired his personal name Shang as their surname.

In literature

In the popular Ming-era novel Investiture of the Gods, Jiang Ziya is represented as a disciple of the Kunlun sect practicing Chan Taoism. Aside from fortune-telling, he is able to perform supernatural feats such as mounting clouds, using his internal energy to breathe out a divine fire from his mouth, releasing thunder and lightning at will, creating illusions to conceal the presence of an entire army, and through the use of ritual and incantation, of summoning wind storms to carry away hundreds of refugees, of bringing about snow in order to freeze the Shang army encamped in a mountain valley, and of conjuring a barrier made of the water of the North Sea in order to protect the Zhou capital. He is ruthless with his enemies, usually executing captive generals from the Shang side, but is loyal to the Zhou cause. When outmatched by another wielder of supernatural powers, Zhao Gongming, he employs underhanded means on the advice of another thaumaturge named Lu Ya, employing a voodoo-like ritual involving building a straw effigy of his rival which is later shot at with arrows, leading to Zhao's death.

In Taoism

Chiang Tzu-ya at K-un-lun- Project Gutenberg eText 15250

Jiang Ziya has been revered as a god in temples throughout China since the Han dynasty. The height of his worship as a war god occurred under the reign of

Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Emperor Xuanzong of Tang (; 8 September 685 – 3 May 762), personal name Li Longji, was an Emperor of China, emperor of the Tang dynasty of China, reigning from 712 to 756. His reign of 44 years was the longest during the Tang dynasty. Throu ...

, when Jiang was to be worshipped by candidates for military examination, and by generals before and after victory in military campaigns. In Chinese and

Taoist Taoism or Daoism (, ) is a diverse philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao ( zh, p=dào, w=tao4). With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', ...

belief, Jiang Ziya is sometimes considered to have been a Taoist adept. In one

legend A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess certain qualities that give the ...

, he used the knowledge he gained at

Kunlun The Kunlun Mountains constitute one of the longest mountain chains in Asia, extending for more than . In the broadest sense, the chain forms the northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau south of the Tarim Basin. Located in Western China, the Kunlu ...

to defeat the Shang's supernatural protectors

Qianliyan Qianliyan is a Chinese folk religion, Chinese sea god, sea and door god. He usually appears with Shunfeng'er as a guardian of the list of Mazu temples, temples of the sea goddess Mazu (goddess), Mazu. Name The name "Qianliyan" literally means ...

and

Shunfeng'er Shunfeng'er is a Chinese folk religion, Chinese sea god, sea and door god. He usually appears with Qianliyan as a guardian of the list of Mazu temples, temples of the sea goddess Mazu (goddess), Mazu. Name The name "Shunfeng'er" literally means ...

, by using magic and invocations. He is also a prominent character in the Ming-era ''

'', in which he is Daji's archrival and is personally responsible for her execution. The storyline present throughout the novel revolves around the fate of Jiang Ziya. He is destined to deify the souls of both humans and immortals who die in battle using the "List of Creation" (Fengshen bang, 封神榜), an index of preordained names agreed upon at the beginning of time by the leaders of the three religions. This list is housed in the "Terrace of Creation" (Fengshen tai, 封神臺), a reed pavilion in which the souls of the deceased are gathered to await their apotheosis. In the end, after defeating the Shang forces, Jiang deifies a total of 365 major gods, along with thousands of lesser gods, representing a wide range of domains, from holy mountains, weather, and plagues to constellations, the cyclical nature of time, and the five elements. There are two '' xiehouyu'' about him: *Grand Duke Jiang fishes – those who are willing jump at the bait (), which means "put one's own head in the noose". *Grand Duke Jiang investiture of the gods – omitting himself (), which means "leave out oneself". Liexian Zhuan, a book on Taoist immortals, contains his short legendary biography:

In popular culture

Manga

* The protagonist of '' Hoshin Engi'', Taikoubou (Tai Gong Wang), is based on Jiang Ziya. However, his personality is quite comical.

Video games

* In the scenario "Chinese Unification" of the '' Civilization IV: Warlords'' expansion pack, Jiang Ziya is the leader of the

. * He is also playable in video games ''Aizouban Houshin Engi'', ''Hoshin Engi 2'' and '' Mystic Heroes''. * Jiang Ziya is a playable character in Koei's '' Warriors Orochi 2''. In the game, he is alternatively referred to as Taigong Wang. A stark contrast to the historical accounts, however, would be that he is portrayed as a handsome young man, who is quite arrogant, although he is still a divinely gifted strategist and a good man at heart. He is often referred to by others, namely Fu Xi,

Nüwa Nüwa, also read Nügua, is a mother goddess, culture hero, and/or member of the Three Sovereigns of Chinese mythology. She is a goddess in Chinese folk religion, Chinese Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism. She is credited with creating humani ...

and Daji as "boy". The reason for his radically improvised design may be to emphasize his rivalry with Daji, whose character design depicts her as being young and beautiful as well. Their clashes are loosely inspired by the ''Fengshen Yanyi''. * In ''

Final Fantasy XI also known as ''Final Fantasy XI Online'', is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), originally developed and published by Square (video game company), Square and then published by Square Enix as the eleventh main installme ...

'', the item "Lu Shang's Fishing Rod" is awarded to players for catching 10,000 carp. It is noteworthy for its ability to catch both small and large fish, and is notoriously hard to break. * In ''

Final Fantasy XIV ''Final Fantasy XIV'' is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed and published by Square Enix. Directed and produced by Naoki Yoshida and released worldwide for PlayStation 3 and Windows in August 2013, it replaced ...

'', Taikoubou is available in the Japanese language version of the game as a title for catching 100 different fish in A Realm Reborn, Heavensward or Stormblood areas. * In the online game '' War of Legends'', Jiang Ziya is a playable monk, with 45 "ability". * In the game ''Eiyuu Senki'', Tai Gong Wang is one female amongst the ancient heroes player will encounter in the game. * In '' Dragalia Lost'', Jiang Ziya is the name of an obtainable female Qilin adventurer. * In December 2021, '' Fate/Grand Order'' revealed Taikoubou (one of Jiang Ziya's aliases) as a new obtainable servant in the game. * He is a hero unit in the Immortal Pillars expansion to '' Age of Mythology: Retold''.

Food

* In

Vietnamese cuisine Vietnamese cuisine encompasses the foods and beverages originated from Vietnam. Meals feature a combination of five fundamental tastes (): sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and Piquant, spicy. The distinctive nature of each dish reflects one or more ...

, the grilled fish dish

Chả cá Lã Vọng Cha ca La Vong (''Chả cá Lã Vọng'' in Vietnamese) is a Vietnamese cuisine, Vietnamese grilled fish dish originally from Hanoi. The dish is traditionally made with hemibagrus (''cá lăng'' in Vietnamese), which is a genus of catfish. The fi ...

is named after Jiang, specifically after his title "Lü Wang" (Lã Vọng in Vietnamese).

Films

* ''

Jiang Ziya Jiang Ziya ( century BC – 11th century BC), also known by several other names, also known by his posthumous name as the Duke Tai of Qi, was the founding monarch of the Qi state. He was a military general and strategist who as ...

'' – 2020 Chinese 3D computer-animated fantasy adventure film directed by Cheng Teng and Li Wei. The plot is loosely based on the classic novel ''

'', attributed to Xu Zhonglin. * Huang Bo portrays Jiang Ziya in '' Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms'' (2023) and its sequel, '' Demon Force'' (2025).

Literature

* In '' The Poppy War'' trilogy by R. F. Kuang, Jiang Ziya is the name of a loremaster at the Sinegard Academy, and the protagonist's primary mentor figure.

Notes

External links

Jiang Taigong: The Supreme Strategist

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jiang, Ziya 11th-century BC Chinese monarchs Ancient Chinese military writers Deified Chinese men Founding monarchs in Asia Investiture of the Gods characters Monarchs of Qi (state) from the House of Jiang Military strategists Zhou dynasty generals 11th-century BC rebels