Item number: A4367

Reference number: ANQP#32-6

Year: AD 1418-1427

Material: Bronze

Size: 20.9 x 20.9 x 0.5 mm

Weight: 1.75 g

Provenance: Spink 2023

This numismatic specimen represents a Vietnamese imitation casting of the Han Yuan Tong Bao. The original currency was commissioned during the Qianyou period (AD 948–950) by Emperor Yin of the Later Han—the second and final sovereign of that dynasty. This regime was established by the Shatuo Turks and centred upon the North Huabei Plain during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, an era of fragmented authority following the collapse of the Tang Dynasty.

The physical form of the coin adheres to the traditional circular shape with a square central perforation characteristic of the Sinospheric cultural realm. The obverse inscription reads Han Yuan Tong Bao, (or Hán Nguyên Thông Bảo in Vietnamese) following a vertical then horizontal sequence (top-to-bottom, right-to-left). While the characters Yuan, Tong, and Bao were originally rendered in clerical script, the character Tong on this imitation specimen approximates the running script style. The characters Bao (寶) exhibit a narrower width. The reverse is plain and devoid of markings. Both faces feature broad outer rims, though the calligraphic details appear faint and flattened.

The Later Han was founded by Liu Zhiyuan, a Shatuo Turk and prominent general of the Later Jin who governed Hedong (modern-day Taiyuan, Shanxi). Following the collapse of the Later Jin under Khitan incursions in AD 947, Liu seized the power vacuum in central China to declare himself Emperor in Taiyuan. He styled his state “Han”—historically distinguished as the Later Han to differentiate it from the Western and Eastern Han dynasties. The regime relied heavily upon the Shatuo military elite, perpetuating the volatile political structure of the Five Dynasties wherein regional military governors (jiedushi) and martial figures dominated the civil administration. Following Liu Zhiyuan’s death in AD 948, his son Liu Chengyu ascended as Emperor Yin. His reign was marked by youth and a lack of political authority, leading to the usurpation of power by court favourites and eunuchs, which created severe friction with the military leadership. In an attempt to consolidate power, the Emperor plotted the execution of veteran generals, most notably Guo Wei. This provoked a revolt; in AD 951, Guo Wei led an army into the capital, and Emperor Yin was assassinated during the coup, resulting in the immediate dissolution of the Later Han after a duration of only four years. Guo Wei subsequently founded the Later Zhou. Following these events, Liu Min, the younger brother of Liu Zhiyuan, established the Northern Han. Although he allied with the Liao to oppose the Later Zhou and suffered significant defeats, the state persisted until its eventual annexation by Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty.

In AD 1400, the powerful minister Ho Quy Ly deposed the final monarch of the Tran Dynasty to establish the Ho Dynasty. Subsequently, former Tran officials petitioned the Yongle Emperor of the Ming Dynasty to intervene and restore the Tran lineage. In AD 1406, the Ming launched a punitive expedition under the pretext of “relieving the people and punishing the guilty,” successfully capturing Ho Quy Ly and his son the following year. However, the Ming Emperor reneged on his promise to restore the Tran heirs. Claiming that the Tran bloodline was extinct, he issued an imperial decree in AD 1407 annexing Annam into Chinese territory as the Giao Chi Branch Commissioners’ Office. This period of direct Chinese administration was characterised by draconian governance and heavy taxation, inciting persistent local uprisings.

In AD 1416, Le Loi, a member of the landed gentry from Lam Son in Thanh Hoa Province, entered into a solemn covenant with eighteen associates at Lung Nhai. He formally initiated the Lam Son Uprising against the Ming in AD 1418. Initially, the insurgents faced severe military setbacks and famine within the mountainous regions of Thanh Hoa. However, supported by strategists such as Nguyen Trai, Le Loi adopted a doctrine of “conquering hearts” and “avoiding strength to strike weakness.” In AD 1424, the forces pivoted southward to capture Nghe An, Tan Binh, and Thuan Hoa, establishing a secure strategic base. By AD 1426, the insurgent army launched a northern campaign, decisively defeating Ming forces at the Battle of Tot Dong–Chuc Dong and besieging the administrative centre of Dong Quan (modern-day Hanoi). In AD 1427, facing two relief armies led by Liu Sheng and Mu Sheng, the insurgents successfully ambushed and killed Liu Sheng at the Battle of Chi Lang–Xuong Giang, annihilating the Ming main force. Ultimately, the Ming general Wang Tong was compelled to negotiate a peace treaty at Dong Quan, resulting in a total withdrawal of Ming troops. In AD 1428, Le Loi ascended the throne, and Nguyen Trai composed the Binh Ngo Dai Cao (Great Proclamation upon the Pacification of the Wu) to declare the restoration of Vietnamese sovereignty and peace. Le Loi was posthumously known as Le Thai To.

Throughout the war of resistance against the Ming, numerous currencies were cast to finance military operations, often imitating the inscriptions of historical Chinese and Vietnamese coinage. These specimens typically exhibit a light brownish copper hue, a thin flan, and delicate inscriptions, with the Bao character featuring a noticeably wide “crown” element. The calligraphy employs a mixture of seal and clerical scripts interspersed with regular and running styles; the rims on the reverse are frequently indistinct. In Japanese numismatic catalogues, such coins are exemplified by the An-phap Nguyen-bao and are classified under the “An-phap” (An-fa) category of hand-cast imitations.

物件編號: A4367

參考書目編號: ANQP#32-6

年代: 公元 1418-1427 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 20.9 x 20.9 x 0.5 mm

重量: 1.75 g

來源: 斯賓克拍賣行 2023

這是一枚越南仿鑄的「漢元通寶」。原為唐朝滅亡後，五代十國豪強割據之際，以華北平原為中心的沙陀族政權後漢，其次帝也是末帝的漢隱帝，於乾祐年間(公元948-950年)，所鑄行之「漢元通寶」。

錢幣形制為漢文化圈傳統的方孔圓錢。正面錢文「漢元通寶」，由上而下，由右至左對讀。「元、通、寶」字原為隸書，仿鑄品之「通」字近行書。「寶」字寬較窄。錢背光素無文。面背外輪寬闊，文字漫漶平夷。

後漢開國者為沙陀人劉知遠，原為後晉重要將領，鎮守河東(今山西太原一帶)。公元947年，後晉因契丹入侵而滅亡，劉知遠乘中原權力真空之際於太原稱帝，國號「漢」，史稱後漢，以別於東漢與西漢。後漢政權在制度與軍事上高度倚賴沙陀軍事集團，延續五代以來藩鎮強勢、武人干政的政治結構，統治基礎薄弱。公元948年，劉知遠病逝後，其子劉承祐即位，後稱後漢隱帝。隱帝在位期間年少而缺乏政治威望，朝政逐漸落入近臣與宦官之手，並與掌握軍權的重臣產生嚴重對立。其為削弱武將勢力，試圖誅除以郭威為首的宿將，引發反彈。公元951年，郭威率軍入京，隱帝在政變中被殺，後漢隨即滅亡。郭威隨後稱帝，建立後周。後漢自立國至滅亡僅歷四年。後周立國後，劉知遠弟劉旻自立為帝，是為北漢。曾連遼抗周，最終大敗，但未滅國。最後北漢由宋太宗趙光義所滅。

公元1400年，權臣胡季犛廢黜陳朝末帝自立，建立胡朝。隨後，陳朝遺臣向明成祖朱棣告狀，請求明廷出兵復興陳氏王室。公元1406年，明朝派遣大軍以「弔民伐罪」為名南下征討胡朝，並於隔年成功生擒胡季犛父子。胡朝覆滅後，明成祖並未如最初承諾般尋找陳朝後裔復位，而是以「陳氏子孫絕滅」為由，於公元1407年下詔將安南併入中國版圖，設立「交趾等處承宣布政使司」，直接派官管理，期間治政苛烈，賦稅沉重，起義不斷。

公元1416年，出身清化省藍山鄉的豪族黎利，與十八位志士於龍崖會誓，隨後於公元1418年正式舉兵反明，是為藍山起義(Khởi nghĩa Lam Sơn)。起義初期，起義軍在清化山區遭遇多次軍事挫敗與糧食匱乏的困境，一度陷入絕境，但在軍師阮廌等人的輔佐下，黎利採取「攻心為上」與「避實擊虛」的策略，於公元1424年轉戰南下奪取乂安、新平與順化，建立穩固的後方根據地。隨後，起義軍於公元1426年北伐，在崒洞祝洞之戰大敗明軍，並包圍當時的政治中心東關城(今河內)。公元1427年，面對明朝派出的柳升與沐晟兩路援軍，起義軍在支棱—昌江之戰中成功伏殺柳升，徹底摧毀明軍主力。最終，明將王通被迫在東關城下與黎利議和，雙方締結會誓，明軍全數撤離越南。公元1428年，黎利正式稱帝，並由阮廌代筆發表《平吳大誥》，宣告越南重新恢復主權與和平，同年即位為帝，是為黎太祖。

抗明戰爭期間，為籌集軍資，仿造漢地和大越歷史上的錢文鑄造了許多貨幣。其銅色呈淡褐色，錢體較薄，錢文纖細，且「寶」字寬冠。書體採用篆、隸書並參雜楷、行書；背廓多不鮮明。這類錢幣於日人錢譜中多以「安法元寶」為代表，歸為「安法手」。