宜侯夨簋中“宜”非江南吴国新考

A New Study to Argue that the Yi in the Inscription on Yihouze Gui Is Not State Wu in Yangtze Delta

宜国是传世文献佚记的西周诸侯国之一。若非宜侯夨簋、霸伯盘等青铜器的出土,人们无由发现它的历史踪迹。然而在宜侯夨簋被发现后,学者多将其视为江南吴国的铜器,用以考索吴国早期的历史。实际上,宜侯夨在徙封宜地之前为虞国之君,而虞国是武王时期分封吴国虞仲在晋南地区新建的国族。后来康王将虞侯夨徙封至宜,其地在今河南宜阳,而非江苏丹徒或其它地方。近出霸伯盘铭文中的“宜姬”不仅显示了宜为姬姓国族的事实,也提供了宜国与霸国相近而交往密切的证据。康王徙封虞侯夨于宜,使其与应国相互配合,共同组成抵御淮夷、南向拓疆的重要防线,以便实现周初经略南土的战略目标。

State Yi is one of the un-documented vassal states during the Western Zhou period.Without the excavation of Yihouze Gui(宜侯夨簋),Babo Plate(霸伯盘),and some other bronze vessels,the trace of this state might never be noticed.After the discovery of Yihouze Gui,however,most scholars regarded it as a bronze vessel of state Wu in Yangtze Delta and made use of it in their investigation of the early Wu history.As a matter of fact,Yihouze was the ruler of State Yu(虞),while State Yu was established in the southern region of Jin(晋)by King Wu of the Western Zhou Dynasty.It was King Kang of the Western Zhou relocated Yihouze to Yi,which was in Yiyang(宜阳)area in present Henan Province,rather than in Dantu(丹徒)of Jiangsu Province,nor anywhere else either.The word"Yiji"in the inscriptions of the recently unearthed Babo Plate not only revealed the fact that the clan name Yi is a branch of the Zhou royal clan Ji(姬),but also provided a evidence showing that State Yi had a close relationship with State Ba(霸).King Kang moved Yuhouze to Yi,so that state Yi and state Ying(应)might jointly form up a defense line to resist Huaiyi(淮夷),which were supposed to serve its needs of Southward territory expansion.