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| 錦衣衞 | |
 A Jinyiwei guard's tablet which says: Jinyiwei commander Ma Shun. | |
| Secret Police overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1368–1644 |
| Type | Secret police Intelligence agency |
| Jurisdiction | Ming Dynasty China |
| Headquarters | Forbidden City "Eastern Bureau" |
| Employees | 14,000 (peak strength) |
TheEmbroidered Uniform Guard (traditional Chinese:錦衣衞;simplified Chinese:锦衣卫;pinyin:Jǐnyīwèi;lit. 'brocade-clothing guard') was the imperialsecret police that served theemperors of theMing dynasty inChina.[1][2] The guard was founded by theHongwu Emperor, founding emperor of Ming, in 1368 to serve as his personal bodyguards. In 1369, it became an imperial military body. They were given the authority to overrule judicial proceedings in prosecutions with full autonomy in arresting, interrogating and punishing anyone, including nobles and the emperor's relatives.
The Embroidered Uniform Guard was tasked with collecting military intelligence on the enemy and participation in battles during planning. The guards donned a distinctive golden-yellow uniform, with a tablet worn on his torso, and carried a sword (Dao) known as the embroidered spring knife (繡春刀;Xiù chūn dāo).
The Jinyiwei originated as early as 1360. They served asZhu Yuanzhang's personal bodyguards and defended him during a battle with the warlordChen Youliang. After Zhu founded the Ming dynasty and became the Hongwu Emperor, he doubted his subjects' loyalties towards him and was constantly on guard against possible rebellions and assassinations. One of the early duties of the Jinyiwei was to help the emperor spy on his subjects. The Hongwu Emperor increased the Jinyiwei's duties later, allowing them to inspect his officials at work in the capital city, before formally establishing it in 1382 with about 500 members. Their numbers subsequently increased to around 14,000 in just three years.
In 1393, the Hongwu Emperor reduced the Jinyiwei's duties after they allegedly abused their authority during the investigation of a rebellion plot by generalLan Yu, in which about 40,000 people were implicated and executed. When theYongle Emperor ascended to the throne, he was afraid that his subjects might be discontented with him, because he came to power by usurping his nephew's throne (seeJingnan campaign). He reinstated the Jinyiwei's authority to increase his control over the imperial court. The Jinyiwei was disbanded after 262 years of existence whenLi Zicheng's rebel forcesoverthrew the Ming dynasty in 1644.
The Embroidered Guard were authorized to overrule judicial proceedings in prosecuting those deemed asenemies of the state, granted with full autonomy in arresting, interrogating,detaining them without trial and punishing them, without going throughdue process. They were bound to the service of the emperor and took direct orders from him. They also served aspolitical commissars for the Ming armies in times of war. In the later years of the Ming dynasty, the Jinyiwei were placed under the control of theEastern Depot faction. As the government sank into corruption, the Jinyiwei was constantly used as a means of eliminating political opponents through assassinations and legal prosecutions.
The headquarters of the Jinyiwei was to the west ofTian'anmen Square where theGreat Hall of the People is located at present.
Guards wore the following:[3]
