Item number: A979

Year: AD 1651-1674

Material: Copper

Size: 27.9 x 27.9 x 1.0 mm

Weight: 5.15 g

Manufactured by: Nagasaki, Japan

Provenance:

1. Noonans 2022

2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection

This is a copper coin minted during the tumultuous period of the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. It was commissioned by the Zheng family, who first established their base in Xiamen, Fujian, and later relocated to Taiwan. The coin was struck in Nagasaki, Japan, under the reign title of the Yongli Emperor of the Southern Ming, whom the Zheng family recognised as the legitimate ruler.

The coin has the typical square-holed design commonly seen in Chinese currency, but it is made of red copper, a material customarily used in Japan, which contrasts noticeably with the brass typically used in Chinese coinage. The obverse side of the coin features four Chinese characters, “Yongli Tongbao” (永曆通寶), inscribed in a distinctive seal script, arranged in the order of top, bottom, right, and left. The reverse side of the coin is blank, with no inscriptions or markings.

In AD 1647, Zheng Chenggong (also known as Koxinga), the son of the prominent Fujian maritime merchant Zheng Zhilong and his Japanese mother, rose to prominence in East Asia. Raised with the principles of Bushido and Neo-Confucianism, and honoured with the imperial surname by the Southern Ming’s Prince Tang, Koxinga was deeply influenced by a sense of loyalty and righteousness. The betrayal of his father, who chose to surrender, and the tragic death of his mother at the hands of Qing soldiers, who violated her, drove the 23-year-old Koxinga to vow to “Restore the Ming and overthrow the Qing.” He dedicated himself to the cause, while also expanding the international trade and smuggling network inherited from his father. In AD 1662, he successfully captured the Dutch stronghold in Taiwan, establishing a base to support his extensive military campaigns.

To finance his military campaigns, Koxinga commissioned the minting of Yongli Tongbao coins from the Nagasaki domain in Japan in AD 1651. These coins were produced in two script styles: seal script and running script.

In AD 1662, shortly after Koxinga’s successful conquest of Taiwan, he died due to the dual blows of receiving news of the Yongli Emperor’s death and his son Zheng Jing’s incest. Upon inheriting his father’s enterprise, Zheng Jing continued to use the Yongli era name of the Southern Ming dynasty, despite Westerners referring to his rule in Taiwan as the “Kingdom of Tungning.”

In AD 1666, as Qing forces captured Chinese coastal bases, Zheng Jing, retreating to Taiwan, once again commissioned coinage from Japan to support the island’s economic development. In AD 1674, invited by Geng Jinchong to join the Revolt of the Three Feudatories, Zheng Jing commissioned Japanese minting for the third time to fund military expenses. During his occupation of Fujian from AD 1675 to AD 1679, Zheng Jing also attempted small-scale minting operations in the region.

In AD 1681, after a failed counteroffensive, Zheng Jing, despondent and in poor health, returned to Taiwan and died at the age of 40. In AD 1683, Shi Lang, a former subordinate of Koxinga, led Qing forces to conquer Taiwan. Zheng Kezang, the last ruler of the Zheng family, surrendered with his troops and civilians, thus ending the Zheng family’s 21-year rule over Taiwan.

物件編號: A979

年代: 公元 1651-1674 年

材質: 紅銅

尺寸: 27.9 x 27.9 x 1.0 mm

重量: 5.15 g

製造地: 日本，長崎

來源:

1. 諾南斯 2022

2. 大衛.萊斯利.福布斯.西利舊藏

這是一枚明末清初的亂局之際，先以福建廈門為據點，後來遷移至臺灣的鄭成功家族，尊奉遠在雲南的南明朝廷為正朔，以永曆皇帝的年號委託日本長崎鑄造的銅錢。

錢幣形制為典型的方孔錢，其材料為日本習慣採用的紅銅，跟中國使用的黃銅原料有著明顯的差異。錢幣正面按照上、下、右、左的順序，依序以極具特色的篆書書法鐫刻漢字「永曆通寶」四字。錢幣背面則是光背，沒有任何文字或圖案。

公元1647年，叱吒於東亞的福建大海商鄭芝龍和日本母親所生的鄭成功，自幼受到強調忠誠的武士道和朱子學影響，以及南明唐王賜姓為「國姓爺」的恩賜。加以隨後父親選擇投降和母親遭到清軍玷汙自盡的打擊下，鄭成功以年僅23歲之齡發誓「反清復明」投筆從戎。鄭成功一面積極經營父親留下的國際貿易和走私，另一面於公元1662年攻克荷蘭人在臺灣的據點，以支撐其龐大的軍事行動。

鄭成功為籌措軍費，於公元1651年首次委託日本的長崎藩鑄造永曆通寶，字體為篆書和行書兩種。公元1662年，攻克臺灣不久的鄭成功在接獲永曆皇帝遭到殺害和兒子鄭經亂倫的雙重打擊下病逝。鄭經接手父親的事業後，雖然洋人將其統治的臺灣稱為「東寧王國」，但鄭經仍持續沿襲南明永曆年號。

公元1666年，隨著中國沿海的根據地遭清軍攻陷，退守臺灣的鄭經再度委託日本鑄幣，以滿足島上經濟發展的需要。公元1674年，鄭經受到耿精忠邀請參與三藩之亂，為籌措軍費第三度委託日本鑄幣。公元1675至1679年占領福建期間，鄭經在當地也有小規模的嘗試鑄幣。

公元1681年，反攻失敗的鄭經鬱鬱寡歡退回臺灣，不久以40歲之齡病逝。公元1683年，曾經為鄭成功下屬的施琅帶領清軍攻克臺灣，末代統治者鄭克塽帶領軍民投降，結束鄭氏家族在臺灣21年的統治。