The Three Inscriptions
[司母戊 ]
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Three Inscriptions on the Houmuwu ding.
Three Inscriptions on the Houmuwu ding.
Ink Rubbing, 1948.
Ink Rubbing, 1948.
The three inscriptions – 后母戊 – are translated as ‘Queen Mother Wu’. This refer to the posthumous title of the particular individual to whom the sacrifices and offerings were made for.[1] Inscriptions are a form of “dedication …to the service of deceased ancestors.”[2] Therefore, these markings show not only the object's connection to those of elite and royal rank, but the attitude and expression of respect toward the recipient of this vessel, especially in the afterlife.
The final character - ‘wu’ - denotes a link to Shang king Wu Ding and the “mu” - meaning "mother" - specifies that the subject was the consort of Wu Ding.[3] While the last two characters indicate the ancestral title of the mother consort, the identity is not specified. However, the object is seemingly made with the intent for a descendant (or descendants) of Wu Ding to pay tribute to and honour their mother, and to perhaps ‘uphold’ her social status. Robert L. Thorpe argues that it seems to show the status of her and Wu Ding’s sons – Zu Geng and Zu Jia.[4]
Three Inscriptions on the Houmuwu ding.
Three Inscriptions on the Houmuwu ding.
THE NAME DEBATE
THE NAME DEBATE
OR
OR
Although the vessel is currently given the official name of Houmuwu, it was formerly known as Simuwu. There are continuing disputes over the specific identification of the first character of the inscription, for characters in the Shang dynasty were often written in its mirroring form, and the "hou" (后) could be read as "si" (司) – which means "worship." [5] Therefore, the interpretation of the latter reading would be "worship the Mother Wu." If we are to consider the latter interpretation, it could potentially remove the title of ‘Queen’ and perhaps further complicates the identity of the deceased ancestor.
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Reference:
[1] Lillian Lan-ying Tseng, “Monumentality and Transnationality: The Fascination with Gigantic Ding Bronze Vessels in Modern China,” in Art History and Fetishism Abroad: Global Shiftings in Media and Method, eds. Gabriele Genge and Angela Stercken (Bielefeld: Transcript, 2014), 290.
[2] Ruth D. Whitehouse, Macmillan Dictionary of Archaeology (London: Macmillan Reference Books, 1983), 432.
[3] Jiantang Han, Chinese Characters, trans. Wang Guozhen and Zhou Ling (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2012), 31.
[4] Robert L. Thorp, China in the Early Bronze Age: Shang Civilization (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2006), 198.
[5] Tseng, “Monumentality and Transnationality,” 290.
Images:
Ink Rubbing, 1948: Lan-ying Tseng, “Myth, History, and Memory: The Modern Cult of the Simuwu,” in Chinese Culture Centenary, (Taipei: National Museum of History: 1999), 764. Figure 3.
Wang Nanqing, “后母戊鼎”的定名经历了怎样的认识过程 ["Houmuwu Ding" and the Process of Understanding Its Name]," Zhejiang Radio and TV Group. Last Modified December 24, 2016. http://n.cztv.com/news/12358335.html2016-12-24.
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