The Martial Temple in the Song

Abstract

ABSTRACT The Martial Temple during China's Song dynasty (960–1279) was the locus of the government's efforts to define the scope of correct martial activity with the entire empire. Correct martial behaviour was defined by the selection of 72 martial exemplars, generals and strategists from history, as well as men who helped found the dynasty. These exemplars were the counterpoint to the Civil Temple that faced it, where Confucius and his 72 close disciples were worshipped. Although the Civil and Martial Temples were sites for worship by the emperor, there is some evidence that there were branch temples around the empire. While the civil exemplars were historically fixed, the martial exemplars were fluid and the subject of regular debate. The martial exemplars, unlike the civil exemplars, were often men from non-elite backgrounds who were far more accessible to the non-elite population of the Song. As such, they were paradigmatic models of non-elite, male service to the state. The Martial Temple was a ritual site that established universal guidelines for legitimate martial practice. Exemplary figures would receive sacrifices not only from the Song state but also quite possibly from subsequent dynastic governments. Some of the chosen exemplars were later absorbed into popular culture through theatre and novels because of that ritual status. Others proceeded in the opposite direction, raised to prominence in literature, and then moved into the Martial Temple.