Three Kingdoms and Six Dynasties · Ancestral Emperor

Offering Ancestor Emperor Xuan 獻祖宣皇帝

Xianzu Xuan Huangdi

Attested AD 420 - AD 480

Passages: 5
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Offering Ancestor Emperor Xuan was an Ancestral Emperor.

Life and dates

Attested activity

AD 420 to AD 480 獻祖宣皇帝
Strongly inferred · New Book of Tang 12, passages 66, 72

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Spouse of Empress Xuanzhuang (宣莊皇后)
ancestress 祖妣 · Marriage · Widowed
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 12, passage 72
Ancestor of Kaiyuan Divine Martial Emperor (開元神武皇帝)
filial great-grandson 孝曾孫 · paternal line
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 12, passage 72

Career and standing

Offering Ancestor 獻祖
Held
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 12, passages 66, 72
Emperor Xuan 宣皇帝
Held
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 12, passage 72
Attested
Deceased ancestral spirit
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 12, passage 72

Places and affiliations

Polity Tang 唐 · Relation Enshrined by
Strongly inferred · New Book of Tang 12, passage 72
At ancestral temple 宗廟 · Relation Enshrined at
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 12, passages 64, 72

Events and relationships

Received ancestral temple offering
AD 713 to AD 741 開元神武皇帝 · Ritual · Honoree
Dated from the passage context · New Book of Tang 12, passages 66, 70, 72, 89, 93

References in the histories

New Book of Tang, Chapter 12Volume 12 Treatises 2: Rites and Music 2 · 5 passages

謁者引司徒出，詣饌所，司徒奉獻祖之俎。 An usher leads the Minister over Masses to the offering station, where he bears the tray for the Offering Ancestor.

太常卿引皇帝詣罍洗，盥手，洗爵，升自阼階，詣獻祖尊彝所，執尊者舉冪，侍中贊酌汎齊，進獻祖前，北向跪，奠爵。 The Director of Imperial Sacrifices leads the emperor to the washing urn. He washes his hands, rinses the goblet, ascends the eastern steps, and goes to the Offering Ancestor's ritual vessel. The attendant raises the cover; the Palace Attendant intones as he pours the first libation and advances before the Offering Ancestor. He kneels facing north and sets down the goblet.

太祝持版進於神右，東面跪，讀祝文曰：「維某年歲次月朔日，孝曾孫開元神武皇帝某，敢昭告于獻祖宣皇帝、祖妣宣莊皇后張氏。」 The Chief Invoker advances with the board to the spirit's right, kneels facing east, and reads: "In the year ___, on the ___ day of the first month, the filial great-grandson, the Kaiyuan Divine Martial Emperor ___, ventures to announce to the Offering Ancestor Emperor Xuan and the ancestress Empress Xuanzhuang of the Zhang clan."

初，皇帝將復位，太尉詣罍洗，盥手，洗爵，升自阼階，詣獻祖尊彝所，酌醴齊進神前，北向跪，奠爵； When the emperor is about to return to his position, the Grand Commandant goes to the washing urn, washes his hands, rinses the goblet, ascends the eastern steps, and goes to the Offering Ancestor's ritual vessel. He pours the second libation, advances before the spirit, kneels facing north, and sets down the goblet;

次奠懿祖、太祖、代祖、高祖、太宗、高宗、中宗、睿宗如獻祖。 Next he presents offerings to the Accomplished Ancestor, Great Ancestor, Replaced Ancestor, High Ancestor, Taizong, Gaozong, Zhongzong, and Ruizong as at the Offering Ancestor.