Nine Holy Cannons Of The Nguyen Dynasty

Introduction

The Nine Holy Cannons or the “Thần Oai Vô Địch Thượng Tướng Quân Cửu Vị” in Vietnamese, are nine bronze cannons cast from January 1803 to January 1804, under Gia Long emperor (1762-1820). These are considered the most beautiful and grand cannons of Vietnam.

Casting materials are all bronze weapons obtained from the Tay Son dynasty. It is the determined proof showing the power of the emperor and to tell people that, the emperor is the winner.

To explore the 9 Holy Canons, Hue Imperial Citadel, Hue royal tombs as well as Thien Mu Pagoda, you should book Hue City Private Tour via Hoi An Private Taxi.

Nine Holy Cannons Hue History

After defeating the Tay Son Dynasty, the Gia Long emperor ordered to collect all bronze weapons and melt them to cast into 9 cannons as evidence for his glorious victory. The casting work officially started on January 31, 1803.

Thus, in order to successfully cast these 9 cannons, Gia Long Emperor was very careful to select the high skillful artists in Hue bronze casting village.

The casting of all nine cannons was completed at the end of December 1804. In the 15th year of Gia Long (1816), the emperor ordained all nine cannons as “Gods of majesty and invincibility of the Supreme General”. The honored content of the ordination is engraved directly on the body of each cannon.

In the past, the Nine Holy Cannons Vietnam were placed in two rows in front of Ngo Mon – the main door of the Imperial Citadel. Nowadays, they are standing at The Nhon gate and Quang Duc gate of Hue Citadel.

The Nguyen Dynasty appointed military officers to regularly stand by these 9 cannons for protection. The emperors often held solemn sacrifices to the Nine Holy Cannons. Since 1886 under the reign of King Dong Khanh, the court abolished this sacrifice, but the guards still often sacrificed themselves.

The Nine Holy Cannons Hue Order and Measurements

The 9 cannons are divided into 2 groups: the “Four Seasons” group includes 4 cannons of Spring – Summer – Autumn – Winter and the “Five Elements” group includes 5 cannons of Metal – Wood – Water – Fire – and Earth.

Each cannon has a length of 5.1m with an inner diameter of the barrel of 22.5cm. On the body, there are details engraved with sophisticated decorative patterns and short descriptions about the background of the cannon. The handle of the cannon is engraved with the name and rank of each gun.

Each cannon has a different weight, the largest cannon weighs 18,400 kg, the lightest gun is 14,300 kg (1 ancient Vietnamese kg = 0.604 kg nowadays).

The average weight of each gun is 11,000kg. 9 holy cannons are placed on a gun rack made of ironwood. They are also elaborately carved with delicate patterns of dragons and clouds. Each gun rack has 4 iron-clad wooden wheels used to move. The average weight of each gun rack is 900kg.

Its Special Role

The nine holy cannons were never used in battle but were only used to fire shots in Imperial Citadel when taking place royal ceremonies such as royal birthday ceremonies, New Year, or Nam Giao esplanade.

Part of the reason is that these cannons are very heavy and difficult to move to the battlefield. Partly because Hue Citadel was quite peaceful until the French attacked Thuan An harbor in 1883. At that time, the cannons were outdated compared with the modern cannons of the rival. Therefore, the Nine Holy Cannons Hue carry symbols that are used to protect the capital as gods.

The Value of 9 Holy Cannons

The 9 Holy Cannons Hue is considered a beautiful sculpture, showing the peak art – metallurgy and bronze casting techniques of the Nguyen Dynasty. After more than 200 years, the Nine Holy Cannons Vietnam still exist almost intact, present as an important part of the cultural heritage system of Thua Thien Hue province. On October 1, 2012, these cannons were recognized by the Prime Minister as a national treasure of Vietnam.