E0715: Coin Sword

Ethnographic

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Identifier:

E0715

Classification Category:

8:Communication Artifacts ➞ Personal Symbol

Materials:

metal

Dimensions:

47 cm L
9 cm W
2.5 cm H

Provenance of Object:

These coins are from the Qing Dynasty, specifically cast under the reign of the Qianlong Emperor (know as Hongli) from 1736-1796 (Cao). The four characters on the main side of the coins clearly show that these coins are called the qianlong tong bao (Cao). The characters on the backside are of Manchu decent. This is special to these coins because Hongli expanded the Empire to its greatest size in Chinese history. This expansion included the Manchu people (Maxwell). The Chinese government monitored the casting of these coins (Maxwell).

This object was held in the museum that Luther College started in 1877. This museum eventually grew into the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, and following this, non-Norwegian American ethnographic objects were returned to Luther and accessioned into the college’s Anthropology Collection. Without additional documentation, was likely obtained by the Luther College Museum (later the Norwegian-American Museum) between the late 19th century and early 20th century.

Production Date:

Qing Dynasty (1736-1796), I came to this conclusion based on the coins themselves. On one side the four characters say qian long tong bao. Qianlong is an Emperor of the Qing Dynasty, so it is safe to assume these coins were made during his Dynasty because his name is on them (Maxwell). (Hist361)

Use/Function:

This object has two main functions. The first is practical and still possibly used in society today, the second is less likely to be used today, but again still possible.
Religious Use- The coin sword came to existence from the world of Daoism priests. Before the Liu Song Dynasty (420-479 AD) of the Southern Dynasties, swords began to assume an expanded role as instruments used in religious, especially Daoism, rituals (Kohn 122). It was actually vital for anyone that studied Daoism to be capable of casting swords with the ability to dispel evil spirits (Kohn 127-128). In my research I came across a figure of Chinese mythology named Zhong Kui. The Chinese coin sword was actually based off of this character, and that is why it is important to understand his purpose and actions. He was traditionally regarded as a vanquisher of ghosts and evil beings, and reputedly able to command 80,000 demons, his image is often painted on household gates as a guardian spirit, as well as in places of business where high-value goods are involved (Chang 231).
The story that goes along with this character actually explains how this sword in particular is so efficient along with its function in relation to the religious context. In short, this figure came to be because an emperor, Xuanzong, had a dream when he was deathly ill, of a ghost named Zhong Kui, who fought off all of Xuanzong's demons with a giant sword. The Emperor awoke and was healed. From that point the Daoism religion affiliated the eradication of demons with Zhong Kui (Von Glahn 106). From this story we can gather that this coin sword was created to not only heal the sick, but also battle the demons of the spirit world.
Practical Use- Feng shui is one of the Five Arts of Chinese Metaphysics, classified as physiognomy (observation of appearances through formulas and calculations) (Von Glahn 101). This practice discusses architecture in metaphoric terms of "invisible forces" that bind the universe, earth, and humanity together, known as qi (Brunn 176). This is where this coin sword becomes relevant in society. In today's society, the belief in the Daoism ability to heal with the sword is almost non-existent. As a result, the sword has taken up a new function in feng shui. Typically feng shui is widely used to orient buildings, often spiritually significant structures such as tombs, but also dwellings and other structures, in an auspicious manner (Brunn 176). Nowadays the coin sword is used to ward off negative Qi, also known as shar qi, from homes and offices.
In regard to this particular sword, this object is decorated with red thread, and a jaunty tassel with a mystic knot tied to one end. It is said that red thread is used in items to strengthen the item's properties two-fold (Brunn 181). In the Chinese society, people simply hang this sword with its hilt facing a door or window in the central or southwest location of the home. This creates an atmosphere full of positive qi and, thus, feng shui. (Hist361);Comparisons of Mandarin- We first need to analyze the sword’s strings. In this particular sword the string colors are red and yellow. In Mandarin Chinese, the color red (hong 红) is equivalent to joy, but some other Chinese words with the same pronunciation include “great” (hong 宏) and “vast” (hong 洪), thus meaning any object with a red ribbon or string would also be enhanced through the pun of great and vast. Continuing to focus on the string, in this sword the coins have the official seal of the Qianlong Emperor. If we look at the Mandarin Chinese language again, the Chinese word for a ribbon attached to an official seal or medal (i.e. the coins) is shoudai. Shou has the same pronunciation as the word for “longevity” (shou 寿) and since dai is pronounced the same as “generations,” the hidden meaning is “longevity for generations". This further shows that this sword is incredibly efficient.
When we look at this sword there are obviously pieces that are supposed to be attached to it. These pieces play a vital role in the efficiency of the sword. According to the British Museum, when a string or ribbon is shown connecting two or more auspicious objects, the hidden meaning of the string is therefore “to carry along (good luck, good fortune) for generations. (Hist361)

Source Locality:

China

Description:

Sword shaped object made of coins.

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