336 Field Museum of Natural History — Anth., Vol. X. 



A sceptre of this make is bestowed by the emperor on the empress on 

 the occasion of the marriage ceremony (G. Deveria, Un mariage 

 imperial chinois, p. 90. Paris, 1887). Much has been written about 

 this curious type, but its real origin and history remains somewhat 

 shrouded in mystery. 



Prof. Giles (Introduction to the History of Chinese Pictorial Art, 

 p. 159) expressed his judgment as follows: "Chao Si-ku, an archaeolo- 

 gist of the thirteenth century, tells us that the Ju-i was originally made 

 of iron, and was used ' for pointing the way ' and also ' for guarding 

 against the unexpected,' i. e. for self-defence. 1 It was, in fact, a kind 

 of blunt sword, and traces of basket-work are still to be found inside 

 what must have been the sword-guard. Later on, when it had come to 

 be merely a part of ceremonial regalia, other materials, such as amber, 

 crystal, jade, lacquer, and bamboo were substituted for iron. This 

 account is confirmed by more recent authorities, and comprises all we 

 really know about the Ju-i, which to-day is frequently sent by friend to 

 friend as a token of good wishes = May you have your heart's desire!" 

 I think this is in general a fair statement of the case, and we may add 

 that in regard to no other object of their culture are the accounts of the 

 Chinese more unsatisfactory than anent the Ju-i. 



The difficulty of archasological research lies in the fact that all the 

 present specimens which can lay claim to a certain age do not go beyond 

 the time of the reign of K'ien-lung (173 6-1 795), and that no ancient 

 specimens of this type have been preserved; consequently, if we read in 

 ancient texts of Ju-i, we have no guaranty that they are identical with 

 those of the present day which, after all, in shape and design may be of 

 recent date only; and as Prof. Giles justly points out, it was a kind of 

 blunt sword, formerly. But how and when the transformation into 

 the modern type was accomplished, escapes our knowledge. Further- 

 more, the expression ju-i may very well occur in an ancient text and 

 simply mean "according to your wish," without having any reference 

 to an instrument so named. It seems to me that this fact has sometimes 

 been overlooked. Thus, e. g., by J. Edkins introducing his article 

 /The Ju-i, or Sceptre of Good Fortune" (East of Asia Magazine, 



*In his recent article on Jade (Adversaria Sinica, No. 9, p. 321), Prof. Giles 

 gives the following translation of this passage from the Tung Vien ts'ing lu: "The 

 men of old used the Ju-i for pointing or indicating the way, and also for guarding 

 themselves against the unforeseen. It was made of wrought iron, and was over 

 two feet in length, ornamented with patterns in silver either inlaid or overlaid. Of 

 late years, branches of trees, which have grown into the shape required, and also 

 pieces of bamboo, highly polished to resemble jade, and prepared without the aid 

 of hatchet or awl, have been very much in vogue." "In support of the first clause 

 of the above," Prof. Giles adds, "we find in history such passages as (fifth century): 

 'The Emperor pointed at him with -his Ju-i and said;' 'The Emperor rapped on the 

 table with his Ju-i in token of approbation,' etc." 



