Bronze vessels from the Yin and Zhou periods

Japanese: 殷周青銅器 - いんしゅうせいどうき

…Everyday items and ornaments made from metals, as well as the techniques for processing them, are generally referred to as metalwork. Humans began using metals very anciently, with the use of gold and copper already known in Egypt around 5000 BCE. Of the metals, gold, silver, copper, and meteoric iron were the first natural metals to be extracted by humans, and at first they were used in their natural state by hammering or cutting them, but as metallurgical technology developed, casting technology also emerged, and copper, tin, lead, antimony, and other metals began to be extracted from ores, leading to the production of copper alloys such as bronze and cupro-nickel. …

From [Zhou]

...It is also used as the name of an ancient Chinese dynasty, and the period and culture in which it existed. 1050? - 256 BC. According to the Records of the Grand Historian, the founder was Hou Ji, an agricultural official of Emperor Yao. Hou Ji's descendant 15 generations later, King Wu, defeated Emperor Xin (King Zhou) of the Shang Dynasty at Muye (Qixiang County, Henan Province) around 1050 BC, overthrew the Shang Dynasty, and founded the dynasty. The dynasty was destroyed in 771 BC, and was rebuilt in 770 BC in the east at Luoyi, Chengzhou (Luoyang City, Henan Province), but was completely destroyed by the Qin Dynasty in 256 BC under the reign of the 37th king, King Zhan. ...

[Copper]

…The stone molds in Europe are in stark contrast to those found in China, and this indicates the existence of good quality clay suitable for casting molds. The surfaces of large castings weighing tens of kilograms are decorated with extremely fine and intricate patterns, making them the pinnacle of precision casting technology, and this tradition has led to the mass production of minted coins. Coins that are used frequently require a hardened surface and clear patterns, and the precision technology that made it possible to cast patterns on Shang and Zhou bronzes was fully utilized in the production of minted coins. …

*Some of the terminology used to refer to "Yin and Zhou Bronze Artesian" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

Japanese:

…金属を素材として作られた日常品や装飾品，またその加工技術で，一般に金工と呼ばれている。人類が金属の使用を開始した時期は非常に古く，前5000年ころのエジプトですでに金と銅の使用が知られている。金属のうち金，銀，銅，隕鉄は最も早くから人類が採取した自然金属で，はじめは天然の状態のものを打ったり切ったりして使用していたが，やがて冶金技術が発達すると同時に鋳造技術もおこり，銅，錫（すず），鉛，アンチモンなどが鉱石から採取されるようになり，青銅，白銅など銅合金が作られるようになった。…

【周】より

…中国古代の王朝名，またこの王朝が存立した時代，文化の名にも使用する。前1050？‐前256年。《史記》によると，尭帝の農官であった后稷（こうしよく）が始祖とされる。后稷の15世後の子孫の武王が，前1050年ころ殷王帝辛(紂王)を牧野(河南省淇県)で破り，殷を倒して，王朝を創設した。この王朝は前771年に一度滅び，前770年東の成周洛邑(河南省洛陽市)に再興され，前256年第37代赧王（たんおう）のとき秦によって完全に滅ぼされる。…

【銅】より

…ヨーロッパにおける石型ときわだった対照を示しているが，これは鋳型に適した良質の粘土の賦存を物語っている。数十kgに及ぶ大型鋳造品の表面を，きわめて微細精緻な文様で飾る殷周青銅器は精密鋳造技術の粋であり，この伝統は鋳造貨幣の量産につながっている。使用頻度の高い貨幣は，表面を硬化し，文様書体も明確にする必要があるが，殷周青銅器文様鋳造を可能とした精密技術は鋳貨にいかんなく発揮された。…

※「殷周青銅器」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について | 情報

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