Ji (polearm)

One of the earliest known appearances of the Ji in the historical record is the fangtian huaji (方天畫戟: "painted heavenly halberd") attributed to the warrior Lü Bu in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

This would be comparable to the famous semi-mythological origin story of the yanyuedao (偃月刀; lit.

"reclining moon blade"), the weapon wielded by Guan Yu (關羽), another character from the novel and a real historical person.

The first historical or archaeological evidence of this polearm comes from an 11th-century illustration in the military manual Wujing Zongyao (武經總要).

[citation needed] The yanyuedao came to be known as the guandao after its invention was anachronistically attributed to Guan Yu himself, due to his wielding the weapon throughout the Romance.

Eastern Zhou bronze ji
Pottery figurines carrying jis from the tomb of the Ming dynasty prince Zhu Tan, 10th son of the Hongwu Emperor
Pottery figurines carrying jis and a large axe from the tomb of Zhu Tan
A double sided halberd on the left, from the tomb of Ming prince Zhu Tan