Item number: A1942

Year: ND

Material: Bronze

Size: 35.4 x 25.3 x 2.1 mm

Weight: 16.1 g

Provenance: Da Chen Stamps and Coins Collection 2015

This is an charm, or “hua qian” (decorative coin), employed as a talisman to safeguard the household and ward off malevolent influences. Its form is that of a round coin with a square central hole, complete with both outer rim and inner border. The diameter of the coin exceeds that of most standard circulating currency.

On the obverse, the inscription “Zhenzhai Zhibao” (鎮宅之寶, “Treasure to Guard the House”) is arranged in a symmetrical, mirrored layout and rendered in regular script. Between the characters are images of auspicious beasts, which may represent the Four Divine Creatures (“si ling”). Based on their forms, the upper left appears to depict a phoenix, the upper right a turtle, the lower left a qilin, and the lower right a dragon. However, if these figures indeed correspond to the “si ling”, their orientations do not entirely align with traditional cosmological associations—for instance, the dragon, typically associated with the east, should not be directly opposite the phoenix, which is linked to the south. Thus, the precise symbolic meaning remains subject to further interpretation.

The reverse side bears the inscription “Qu xie zhen xiong” (驅邪鎮凶, “Expel Evil and Suppress Misfortune”) written vertically in regular script near the upper edge. Surrounding the central aperture on the lower half are five ritual implements, possibly derived from exorcistic practises of a particular Daoist sect. The most clearly identifiable is the “hulu” (gourd) located directly beneath the hole. In certain variants of “hua qian” bearing the same “Zhenzhai Zhibao” inscription, this gourd is inscribed with the characters “Baiyun Guan” (白雲觀), suggesting a potential connection to the Baiyun Temple, the ancestral temple of the Quanzhen Daoist tradition in Beijing. However, no historical evidence substantiates this link, and details remain unclear. The “hulu” is also the attribute of Tieguai Li, one of the Eight Immortals, yet the five ritual implements here cannot be definitively matched with the Immortals’ respective attributes, and this interpretation remains conjectural. In ritual contexts, the “hulu” symbolises the containment of malevolent spirits and the generation of life; by homophonic association with “fu lu” (fortune and emolument), it also conveys auspicious meanings.

To the left of the aperture appears a depiction resembling a book chest or “shu ji”, a portable case used to store texts. Although not typically regarded as a ritual implement, it serves as a container for scriptures and talismans in exorcistic ceremonies, allowing practitioners easy access during ritual performance. The “Chanzhen Yishi”, a Ming dynasty “zhanghui” (chaptered) novel, contains an episode in which a practitioner retrieves a talisman from such a chest for magical combat.

The upper left image appears to be a “yu gu” (fish drum), the predecessor of the modern “muyu” (wooden fish), which is struck rhythmically during scripture chanting. In ritual contexts, the sound produced symbolises the invisible and supernatural power to subdue demons. The lower right resembles a bronze mirror, whose physical ability to reflect light is metaphorically extended to the power of repelling evil. The mirrored image was also believed to represent a space capable of containing supernatural forces. As early as the Han dynasty, bronze mirrors were regarded as apotropaic objects; Ge Hong’s “Baopuzi”, composed during the Eastern Jin dynasty, records techniques for exorcism and cultivation involving mirrors.

The upper right figure may represent either a ritual banner or a “fa ling” (ritual bell). In ritual settings, banners are typically erected outside the altar, mounted on poles with fluttering streamers, whose quantity, form, and colour carry distinct symbolic meanings and functions. The “fa ling”, by contrast, is a hand-held implement shaken by Daoist priests during rites to drive away spirits.

The use of buried or concealed coins for “yansheng” (apotropaic architectural practises) dates back to the Liang dynasty of the Southern Dynasties. The “Quanzhi” by Song dynasty authors records examples such as the “coin placed in the clothing storeroom of the palace master”. Coins were placed at auspicious locations to avert misfortune and repel evil. Later practises included burying them underground or concealing them in beams. In the Qing dynasty, precious boxes placed atop beams in the Hall of Supreme Harmony and the Hall of Mental Cultivation within the Forbidden City contained ingots of gold and silver, coins, talismans, and other protective objects.

物件編號: A1942

年代: ND

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 35.4 x 25.3 x 2.1 mm

重量: 16.1 g

製造地:

來源: 大城郵幣社 2015

這是一枚花錢，用於鎮宅厭勝。形制為方孔圓錢，外輪內廓俱全，幣徑大於大多數制錢。

花錢的正面為「鎮宅之寶」對讀，真書。字間以瑞獸相隔，可能為四靈，而以形態分辨四靈，左上應為鳳，右上為龜，左下為麟，右下為龍。但若為四靈，則四靈之方位無法一一相應，如龍處東方，不應與南方之鳳相對，故具體涵義仍待考。

花錢的背面上方為「驅邪鎮凶」真書直書。下方圍繞穿孔，有五件法器，可能源於某道派之驅邪科儀。最能確定者，為穿孔正下方葫蘆，在某些「鎮宅之寶」花錢版本中，葫蘆上書「白雲觀」三字，疑與北京全真道祖庭白雲觀有關，但於史無憑，細節不詳。葫蘆同時也是八仙中，鐵拐李之法器，但五法器與八仙不能一一對應，於此僅聊備一說。葫蘆於科儀中，以其功能象徵收納邪祟、生化萬物。以其諧音「福祿」象徵好運。穿孔左方之圖樣貌似為書篋，或書笈，即可背負的書箱。於驅邪儀式中一般不用作法器，而是作為經書、符籙的容器，俾利隨時取用。於明代章回小說《禪真逸史》中，便有自書篋取符鬥法的橋段。左上方貌似為魚鼓，發展為今天的木魚，常於誦經時敲擊，以控制節奏。而於儀式中，敲擊木魚可以無形的罄音象徵震懾妖魔的超自然力量。右下角貌似為銅鏡，其反射光線的物理特性，被引申為能夠禳災避禍，而鏡中的現實倒影，被理解為可收納超自然力量的空間。自漢代始，鏡可辟邪之觀念便逐漸發展，東晉葛洪《抱朴子》中，便已記載以鏡修練、厭勝之方術。右上角貌似為旗旛或法鈴。旗旛於科儀時一般立於法壇之外，舉常竿而懸飄帶，其數量、形制、顏色象徵各異，作用也各有不同。法鈴為道士手持法器，作法時搖舌作響以驅邪擊祟。

藏錢以厭勝建築，南朝梁時已有出現，即宋人《泉志》中所載「台主衣庫錢」。於吉位放置鎮庫錢以辟邪禳災。後亦有埋於地下與藏於梁上者。清代故宮太和殿、養心殿之梁上寶匣，匣中便存有金銀元寶、錢幣、符籙等鎮物。