Yin Kaishan
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Yin Jiao (), better known by his
courtesy name A courtesy name ( zh, s=字, p=zì, l=character), also known as a style name, is an additional name bestowed upon individuals at adulthood, complementing their given name. This tradition is prevalent in the East Asian cultural sphere, particula ...
Kaishan (), titled Duke Jie of Xun, was a general and officer in Sui and Tang dynasties of China. Because of his remarkable contributions during the unification wars of Tang dynasty, Yin Kaishan was listed as one of 24 founding officials of the Tang dynasty honored on the Lingyan Pavilion.


In history

Yin Kaishan became popular at a young age because of his outstanding skills in writing and calligraphy. He served as the county magistrate in Taigu and Shi'ai counties during the
Sui dynasty The Sui dynasty ( ) was a short-lived Dynasties of China, Chinese imperial dynasty that ruled from 581 to 618. The re-unification of China proper under the Sui brought the Northern and Southern dynasties era to a close, ending a prolonged peri ...
. When
Li Yuan Emperor Gaozu of Tang (7 April 566 – 25 June 635), born Li Yuan, courtesy name Shude, was the founding emperor of the Tang dynasty of China, reigning from 618 to 626 CE. Under the Sui dynasty, Li Yuan was the governor in the area of modern- ...
, the later Emperor Gaozu of Tang, rebelled against Sui dynasty in Jinyang in 617, Yin Kaishan joined the rebellion force. Li Yuan appointed him to be the assistant in the grand general's office. Soon after that, Yin Kaishan took part in the
Battle of Huoyi A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
, the key battle that secured Li Yuan's success in establishing the
Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...
. Yin Kaishan also took part in campaigns against
Xue Ju Xue Ju () (died 618), formally Emperor Wu (武皇帝, "Martial"), was the founding emperor of a short-lived state of Qin at the end of the Chinese Sui dynasty, whose state was eventually destroyed by the Tang dynasty. He rose against Sui rule i ...
, a warlord based in
Jincheng Jincheng is a prefecture-level city situated in the southeast of Shanxi province, China. It shares its border with Henan province to the south and southeast. The city is recognized as an industrial hub, with coal mining being one of its key indu ...
, and
Liu Wuzhou Liu Wuzhou (劉武周; died 28 August 622?) was a rebel leader who rose against the rule of the Chinese Sui dynasty late in the dynasty's history, and he took imperial style—although it was not completely clear whether the title he took was kh ...
, a warlord based in northern
Shanxi Shanxi; Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanised as Shansi is a Provinces of China, province in North China. Its capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-level cities are Changzhi a ...
. During the battle against Xue Ju, Yin Kaishan was defeated because he underestimated the enemy and did not obey the order from
Li Shimin Emperor Taizong of Tang (28January 59810July 649), previously Prince of Qin, personal name Li Shimin, was the second Emperor of China, emperor of the Tang dynasty of China, ruling from 626 to 649. He is traditionally regarded as a co-founder ...
, the chief general of Tang in this campaign. Yin was demoted after the battle due to his fault. However, in the next
battle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force co ...
against Xue Ju's son
Xue Renguo Xue Rengao (; died 618), also known as Xue Renguo (),The ''Old Book of Tang'' and the ''New Book of Tang'' both gave his name as Xue Rengao, but the ''Zizhi Tongjian'' gave his name as Xue Renguo. was an emperor of the short-lived state of Qin, ...
, Yin Kaishan made major contributions, so he was promoted back to his old position after the war. In the campaign against Liu Wuzhou, Yin Kaishan led a key force of Tang during the Battle of Meiliangchuan. Yin Kaishan assisted
Qin Shubao Qin Qiong (died 638), courtesy name Shubao, better known as Qin Shubao, was a Chinese general who lived in the early Tang dynasty of China. Along with Yuchi Gong, he continues to be worshipped in China as a door god. He is also known by his po ...
in the battle and forced
Yuchi Jingde Yuchi Gong () or Yuchi Rong () (585 – 25 December 658), courtesy name Jingde (), also known by his posthumous name Duke Zhongwu of E, was a Chinese military general who lived in the early Tang dynasty. Yuchi Jingde and another general Qin Sh ...
, a top warrior serving for Liu Wuzhou, to surrender to Tang. In 619, Yin Kaishan was appointed to be the minister in the Ministry of Personnel. Then, he joined the campaign led by
Li Shimin Emperor Taizong of Tang (28January 59810July 649), previously Prince of Qin, personal name Li Shimin, was the second Emperor of China, emperor of the Tang dynasty of China, ruling from 626 to 649. He is traditionally regarded as a co-founder ...
against
Wang Shichong Wang Shichong (; 567– August 621), courtesy name Xingman (行滿), was a Chinese military general, monarch, and politician during the Sui dynasty who deposed Sui's last emperor Yang Tong and briefly ruled as the emperor of a succeeding state ...
and
Dou Jiande Dou Jiande (; 573 – 3 August 621) was a Chinese rebel leader who led the agrarian rebels who rose against the rule of Emperor Yang of Sui near the end of the Chinese Sui dynasty. Generally considered the kindest and most able of the agraria ...
, the two most powerful rivals of Tang dynasty at that time. After the
Battle of Hulao The Battle of Hulao, ( zh, t=虎牢之戰) or Battle of Sishui (汜水之戰, Wade–Giles: Ssŭ Shui), was a decisive Tang victory over the rival Zheng and Hebei-based Xia polities during the transition from Sui to Tang. The battle took place ...
, Tang dynasty captured both Wang and Dou. Yin Kaishan was given a title of Duke of Xun by
Emperor Gaozu of Tang Emperor Gaozu of Tang (7 April 566 – 25 June 635), born Li Yuan, courtesy name Shude, was the founding Emperor of China, emperor of the Tang dynasty of China, reigning from 618 to 626 CE. Under the Sui dynasty, Li Yuan was the governor in t ...
after the campaign to award his contributions. In 622, Yin Kaishan died on the way to
Hebei Hebei is a Provinces of China, province in North China. It is China's List of Chinese administrative divisions by population, sixth-most populous province, with a population of over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. It bor ...
to fight against the rebel
Liu Heita Liu Heita () (died March 623( 德六年月,刘黑闼伏诛。) ''Xin Tang Shu'', vol.01; the month corresponds to 7 Mar to 5 Apr 623 in the Julian calendar. Vol.190 of ''Zizhi Tongjian'' dated Liu's capture to the ''ji'mao'' day of the 1st m ...
.


In popular culture

In folk stories, Yin Kaishan was regarded as one of the four guards (the other three being Liu Hongji, Duan Zhixuan and Ma Sanbao) to protect
Li Shimin Emperor Taizong of Tang (28January 59810July 649), previously Prince of Qin, personal name Li Shimin, was the second Emperor of China, emperor of the Tang dynasty of China, ruling from 626 to 649. He is traditionally regarded as a co-founder ...
when he was the Prince of Qin. During the campaign against
Goguryeo Goguryeo (37 BC – 668 AD) (; ; Old Korean: Guryeo) also later known as Goryeo (; ; Middle Korean: 고ᇢ롕〮, ''kwòwlyéy''), was a Korean kingdom which was located on the northern and central parts of the Korea, Korean Peninsula an ...
, Yin Kaishan and the other three guards were killed by
Yŏn Kaesomun Yŏn KaesomunSome Chinese and Korean sources stated that his surname was Yŏngae () and personal name was Somun (), but the majority of sources suggest a one-syllable surname and a three-syllable personal name. (; 594–666) was a powerful milit ...
in the battle at Fenghuang Mountain. In the classic novel ''
Journey to the West ''Journey to the West'' () is a Chinese novel published in the 16th century during the Ming dynasty and attributed to Wu Cheng'en. It is regarded as one of the Classic Chinese Novels, great Chinese novels, and has been described as arguably the ...
'' by
Wu Cheng'en Wu Cheng'en (, c. 1500–1582Shi Changyu (1999). "Introduction." in trans. W.J.F. Jenner, ''Journey to the West'', volume 1. Seventh Edition. Beijing: Foreign Languages Press. pp. 1–22. or 1505–1580), courtesy name Ruzhong (), was a Chines ...
, the monk
Xuanzang Xuanzang (; ; 6 April 6025 February 664), born Chen Hui or Chen Yi (), also known by his Sanskrit Dharma name Mokṣadeva, was a 7th-century Chinese Bhikkhu, Buddhist monk, scholar, traveller, and translator. He is known for the epoch-making ...
was said to be the son of Yin Wenjiao, who was Yin Kaishan's daughter.


Family

Yin Kaishan is a descendant of the Yin clan from Chen Prefecture, which was one of the powerful clans during the
Southern dynasties The Northern and Southern dynasties () was a period of political division in the history of China that lasted from 420 to 589, following the tumultuous era of the Sixteen Kingdoms and the Eastern Jin dynasty. It is sometimes considered as ...
. Great-great-grandfather: *Yin Ren: A general under the Prince of Yuzhang during the
Southern Qi Qi, known in historiography as the Southern Qi ( or ) or Xiao Qi (), was a Chinese imperial dynasty and the second of the four Southern dynasties during the Northern and Southern dynasties era. It followed the Liu Song dynasty and was succee ...
dynasty Great-grandfather: *Yin Gaoming: An officer in the Ministry of Wars during the
Liang dynasty The Liang dynasty (), alternatively known as the Southern Liang () or Xiao Liang () in historiography, was an imperial dynasty of China and the third of the four Southern dynasties during the Northern and Southern dynasties period. It was pre ...
Grandfather: *Yin Buhai: An officer of the Board of Agriculture during the
Chen dynasty The Chen dynasty (), alternatively known as the Southern Chen (南陳 / 南朝陳) in historiography, was a Dynasties in Chinese history, Chinese imperial dynasty and the fourth and last of the Northern and Southern dynasties#Southern dynasties, ...
, also a famous artist Granduncles: *Yin Bu'ning: A high-ranked officer during the Liang and Chen dynasties *Yin Buyi *Yin Buzhan *Yin Buqi Father: *Yin Sengshou: an imperial secretary of the
Sui dynasty The Sui dynasty ( ) was a short-lived Dynasties of China, Chinese imperial dynasty that ruled from 581 to 618. The re-unification of China proper under the Sui brought the Northern and Southern dynasties era to a close, ending a prolonged peri ...
Brother: *Yin Qinzhou (586 - 7 November 645): epitaph was found Son: Yin Kaishan did not have any sons. However, his nephew Yin Yuan was considered as his son after the formal adoption to succeed his title of nobility.''Jin Shi Lu'' by Zhao Mingcheng in
Song dynasty The Song dynasty ( ) was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Fiv ...
:


References

{{Twenty-four meritorious officials of Lingyan Pavilion 622 deaths 6th-century births Tang dynasty generals Sui dynasty generals Transition from Sui to Tang