Gan Jiang (Chinese: 干將; pinyin: Gān Jiàng) and Mo Ye (Chinese: 莫邪; pinyin: Mò Yé) were a swordsmith couple who lived during the Spring and Autumn Period of Chinese history. A pair of swords were forged by and named after them.
According to the historical text Wuyue Chunqiu, King Helü of Wu ordered Gan Jiang and Mo Ye to forge a pair of swords for him.[1] However, the blast furnace failed to melt the metal. Mo Ye suggested that there was insufficient human qi in the furnace so the couple cut their hair and nails and cast them into the furnace, while 300 children helped to blow air into the bellows. In another account, Mo Ye sacrificed herself to increase human qi by throwing herself into the furnace. The desired result was achieved after three years and the two swords were named after the couple. Gan Jiang kept the Ganjiang Sword for himself and presented the Moye Sword to the king. The king was angered when he discovered Gan Jiang had kept one of the swords so he had Gan Jiang killed.
Before his death Gan Jiang had already predicted the king's reaction, so he left behind a message for Mo Ye and their unborn son telling them where he had hidden the Ganjiang Sword. Several months later, Mo Ye gave birth to Gan Jiang's son, Chi, and years later she told him his father's story. Chi was eager to avenge his father and he sought the Ganjiang Sword. At the same time, the king dreamed of a youth who desired to kill him and, in fear, he placed a bounty on the youth's head. Chi was indignant and, filled with anguish, he started crying on his way to enact his vengeance. An assassin found Chi, who told the assassin his story before committing suicide. The assassin was moved and decided to help Chi fulfill his quest.
The assassin severed Chi's head and brought it, along with the Ganjiang sword to the overjoyed king. The assassin asked the king to have Chi's head boiled and he told the king that he needed to take a closer look in order for the head to decompose faster. The king bent over the cauldron and the assassin seized the opportunity to decapitate him, his head falling in to the cauldron alongside Chi's. The assassin then cut off his own head, which also fell in to the boiling water. The flesh on the heads was boiled away such that none of the guards could recognise which head belonged to whom. The three heads were eventually buried together at Yichun County, Runan, Henan, and the grave is called "Tomb of Three Kings".[2]
Historical texts Xunzi and Mozi from the Warring States Period mention the existence of the Ganjiang and Moye Swords.
The official biography of Zhang Hua in the historical text Book of Jin records that the two swords reappeared during the early Jin Dynasty. The swords were later buried at Yanping Ford (present-day Yanping District, Nanping, Fujian). A monument for the swords stands is still present in Yanping District.
Mount Mogan in Deqing County, Zhejiang, is named in memory of Gan Jiang and Mo Ye.