Yuwen Hu

Yuwen Hu (宇文護) (513^[1] – 14 April 572^[2]), courtesy name Sabao (薩保, also a title, which can be traced back to sartpāw “caravan leader”, but was used as given name, in many cases by Buddhists - referring to the metaphorical meaning of wise leader),^[3]^[4] formally Duke Dang of Jin (晉蕩公), was a regent of the Xianbei-led Northern Zhou dynasty of China. He first came into prominence as the nephew of Western Wei's paramount general Yuwen Tai, and after Yuwen Tai's death in 556, he became the guardian to Yuwen Tai's son Yuwen Jue.

In 557, he forced Emperor Gong of Western Wei to yield the throne to Yuwen Jue (Emperor Xiaomin), establishing Northern Zhou. However, Yuwen Hu dominated the political scene, and after Emperor Xiaomin tried to seize power later that year, he killed Emperor Xiaomin and replaced him with another son of Yuwen Tai, Emperor Ming. In 560, he poisoned Emperor Ming, who was succeeded by another son of Yuwen Tai, Emperor Wu. In 572, Emperor Wu ambushed Yuwen Hu and killed him, personally taking power.

^ Yuwen Hu's mother Lady Yan once wrote a letter to him; in it, she mentioned that Yuwen was born in the Year of the Snake. Volume 11 of Book of Zhou also recorded that Yuwen was 11 (by East Asian reckoning) when his father died (in 524). Putting the two together, it is likely that Book of Zhou had a slight error here, and that Yuwen was actually 12 (by East Asian reckoning) when his father died.
^ Volume 171 of Zizhi Tongjian recorded that Yuwen was killed on the bingchen day of the 3rd month of the 4th year of the Taijian era of the reign of Emperor Xuan of Chen. This date corresponds to 14 April 572 on the Gregorian calendar.
^ Grenet F. et al., Zoroastrian scenes on a newly discovered Sogdian tomb in Xi’an, Northern China//Studia Iranica 33, 2, 2004, p. 274
^ Fuxi S., Investigations on the Chinese version of the Sino-Sogdian bilingual inscription of the tomb of Lord Shi//E. de la Vaissière and É. Trombert (eds.), Les Sogdiens en Chine, Paris, 2005, p. 52

[1] Yuwen Hu's mother Lady Yan once wrote a letter to him; in it, she mentioned that Yuwen was born in the Year of the Snake. Volume 11 of Book of Zhou also recorded that Yuwen was 11 (by East Asian reckoning) when his father died (in 524). Putting the two together, it is likely that Book of Zhou had a slight error here, and that Yuwen was actually 12 (by East Asian reckoning) when his father died.

[2] Volume 171 of Zizhi Tongjian recorded that Yuwen was killed on the bingchen day of the 3rd month of the 4th year of the Taijian era of the reign of Emperor Xuan of Chen. This date corresponds to 14 April 572 on the Gregorian calendar.

[3] Grenet F. et al., Zoroastrian scenes on a newly discovered Sogdian tomb in Xi’an, Northern China//Studia Iranica 33, 2, 2004, p. 274

[4] Fuxi S., Investigations on the Chinese version of the Sino-Sogdian bilingual inscription of the tomb of Lord Shi//E. de la Vaissière and É. Trombert (eds.), Les Sogdiens en Chine, Paris, 2005, p. 52

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Yuwen Hu

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