Tomb of Deng Yu

Tomb of Deng Yu

The Tomb of Deng Yu is a cultural relic protection unit of Jiangsu Province.

The Tomb of Deng Yu is situated at Dengfu Mountain west of Yuhuatai, outside Zhonghua Gate in Nanjing, now near Yuhua West Road. Deng Yu was a founding hero of the early Ming Dynasty. Originally named Youde, he was given the name Yu by Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang. He was from present-day Sixian County, Anhui Province. As a youth, he joined the peasant rebel army with his father and elder brother during the late Yuan Dynasty, later leading his troops to defect to Zhu Yuanzhang, where he repeatedly achieved military merit. He rose to the positions of Right Chancellor of the Jiangxi Provincial Administration Commission and Pacification Commissioner of the Huguang Provincial Administration Commission. In the early Hongwu years, when General Xu Da led a northern campaign, Deng Yu was ordered in the 10th year of Hongwu (1377) to lead a campaign against the Tubo (Tibetan) region. He fell ill and died on his way back at Shouchun. Posthumously honored as Prince Ninghe, with the posthumous title “Wushun,” he was buried at Dengfu Mountain.

In front of the tomb stands a spirit way stele, positioned on the right side of the main spirit way. The stele is 5.05 meters tall, with a top slab measuring 0.98 meters in height, 1.35 meters in width, and 0.43 meters in thickness. Both sides feature relief carvings of four coiled dragons, and inscriptions in seal script reading “Spirit Way Stele of Prince Ninghe Wushun of the Great Ming, Bestowed by Imperial Decree.” The main body of the stele is 2.82 meters tall, 1.16 meters wide, and 0.33 meters thick. The front features 33 lines of regular script inscription, with up to 94 characters per line. The inscription is titled “Inscription of the Spirit Way Stele of the Late Founding Meritorious Official and Distinguished Loyal General Deng Yu, Posthumously Honored as Prince Ninghe Wushun, Duke of Wei, Grand Master for Glorious Happiness, Right Pillar of State.” Most of the text remains clearly legible. Behind the stele, there are stone carvings including one stone pillar, two stone horses with their grooms, two stone sheep, two stone tigers, and two civil and two military officials, all arranged on either side of the spirit way. The stone pillar has a remaining height of 1.6 meters, topped with a peach-shaped finial and supported by a lotus base. The stone horse stands upright, measuring 2.7 meters in length and 1.6 meters in height. The horse groom stands with hands clasped in front of the chest, wears a hat and long robe, and is 1.57 meters tall. The stone sheep lies in a crouching position, 1.09 meters high. The stone tiger crouches, 1.48 meters tall. The civil officials wear wide-sleeved court robes, silk belts, tassel ornaments, decorative patterns, hats, and hold ceremonial tablets, standing 2.58 meters tall. The military officials wear armor, with hands resting on swords. The right military official’s helmet is damaged halfway, with a remaining height of 2.22 meters. All stone carvings are relatively well preserved.

The tomb mound is a raised earthen hill, approximately 6 meters in diameter and 2 meters in height, about 100 meters away from the spirit way. In front of the mound is a slightly square-shaped stone altar, smaller at the base and larger at the top (0.87×0.82 meters at the base, 1.01×0.99 meters at the top, 0.42 meters high), with four running script characters incised in intaglio reading “High as Mountains, Long as Rivers” on the top. On the north side are inscribed the words “Prince Ninghe Wushun” and “Erected Respectfully by Descendants of the Deng Clan in Early Summer of the 54th Year of Guangxu.” A horizontal stele lying nearby is inscribed with “Tomb of Prince Ninghe Wushun of the Ming Dynasty, Deng,” erected in the 18th year of Guangxu (1892) in September by Deng Xianfu, the 16th-generation descendant of Deng Yu.

Due to construction needs, the stone carvings of Deng Yu’s Tomb were relocated in 1986.

Further Reading:

· First and Second Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Jiangsu Province