King Wen of Zhou was the posthumous title given to Ji Chang, the patriarch of the Zhou state during the final years of Shang dynasty in ancient China. Ji Chang himself died before the end of the Zhou-Shang War, and his second son Ji Fa completed the conquest of Shang following the Battle of Muye, and posthumously honored him as the founder of the Zhou dynasty. Many of the hymns of the Classic of Poetry are praises to the legacy of King Wen. Some consider him the first epic hero of Chinese history.
King Wen of Zhou
Painting of King Wen of Zhou by Kanō Sansetsu. Japan, Edo period, 1632.
As depicted in the album Portraits of Famous Men c. 1900 CE, housed in the Philadelphia Museum of Art
King Wu of Zhou was the founder and first king of the Zhou dynasty. The chronology of his reign is disputed but is generally thought to have begun around 1046 BCE and ended with his death three years later.
Depiction of King Wu by Ma Lin
As depicted in the album Portraits of Famous Men c. 1900 CE, housed in the Philadelphia Museum of Art