Item number: A1086

Year: AD 1408-1424

Material: Bronze

Size: 23.8 x 24.1 x 1.1 mm

Weight: 3.6 g

Provenance:

1. Noonans 2022

2. D. L. F. Sealy Collection

This is a bronze coin minted during the reign of the third emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Yongle (Zhu Di), bearing the inscription “Yongle Tongbao,” which corresponds to his reign title. The coin features the typical square-holed design. On the obverse side, the four characters “Yongle Tongbao” are inscribed in regular script in the order of top, bottom, right, and left. The reverse side of the coin is plain, without any patterns or inscriptions.

Zhu Di was the fourth son of Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Zhu Yuanzhang conferred upon him the title of “Prince of Yan,” granting him control over the Beijing region to safeguard against Mongol invasions from the north. In AD 1398, following Zhu Yuanzhang’s death, Zhu Di’s nephew, the Jianwen Emperor, ascended the throne. Faced with the new emperor’s policy of diminishing the power of the regional princes, particularly those of his uncles, Zhu Di was provoked. In AD 1399, Zhu Di led his well-trained troops under the pretext of “clearing the emperor’s court of corrupt officials” and launched an attack on the Jianwen Emperor in Nanjing, an event historically known as the “Jingnan Rebellion.”

After seizing the throne, Zhu Di relocated the capital from Nanjing to Beijing and initiated a series of new reforms. In terms of fiscal policy, Zhu Di reversed his father Zhu Yuanzhang’s monetary policy, which had ceased the minting of copper coins and relied solely on paper currency since AD 1394. In the 6th year of the Yongle reign (AD 1408), Zhu Di officially resumed the minting of copper coins, known as “Yongle Tongbao.”

Additionally, after the Jingnan Rebellion, Zhu Di was unable to locate the whereabouts of the Jianwen Emperor, and rumours circulated that the deposed emperor had fled to the “Western Seas,” referring to the Southeast Asian region. To secure his throne, Zhu Di ordered his trusted eunuch Zheng He to lead a massive fleet on seven voyages. These expeditions not only covered Southeast Asia but also extended to India and the East African coast. Zheng He carried large quantities of Yongle Tongbao coins, which were used for trade with local merchants. As a result, significant numbers of Yongle Tongbao coins have been discovered in archaeological excavations in the South China Sea and as far away as East Africa, serving as evidence of the Ming Dynasty’s extensive foreign relations.

In East Asia, where Chinese culture had a profound influence, surrounding regions such as Annam (Vietnam), Ryukyu (Okinawa), and Japan all recorded the imitation minting of Yongle Tongbao coins. This practise was particularly prominent in Japan during the Sengoku period, where the warlord Oda Nobunaga even incorporated the imagery of the Yongle Tongbao into the banners of his forces.

物件編號: A1086

年代: 公元 1408-1424 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 23.8 x 24.1 x 1.1 mm

重量: 3.6 g

來源:

1. 諾南斯 2022

2. 大衛.萊斯利.福布斯.西利舊藏

這是一枚明朝的第三任皇帝明成祖朱棣在位期間，以其年號所鑄造的「永樂通寶」銅錢。錢幣形制為典型的方孔錢，錢幣正面按照上、下、右、左的順序，依序以楷書書法鐫刻漢字「永樂通寶」四字。錢幣背面則是光背，沒有任何圖案或文字。

朱棣為明朝開國皇帝朱元璋的四子，朱元璋將他分封為「燕王」統轄北京一帶以屏障北方的蒙古人侵擾。公元1398年，朱元璋駕崩後由朱棣的姪子建文帝繼位。朱棣面對姪子繼位以來，對於撤銷各地叔執輩藩王的刺激。公元1399年，帶領轄下的精兵以「清君側」名義，向南京的建文帝發起進攻，史稱「靖難之變」。

奪得皇位的朱棣將首都從南京遷至北京，並且發起一系列的新政改革。財政方面，朱棣一改父親朱元璋自公元1394年以來，不鑄造銅錢僅發行紙鈔的貨幣政策，於永樂6年 (公元1408年) 正式鑄造「永樂通寶」銅錢。另外在靖難之變後，朱棣一直無法找到建文帝的下落，並且坊間有謠傳建文帝出逃「西洋」，即東南亞一帶的傳聞。朱棣為確保自己的皇位，命令親信太監鄭和帶領龐大的艦隊先後發起七次遠航，航跡不僅涵蓋東南亞亦含印度和東非沿海一帶，並且攜帶大量的永樂通寶和當地商人交易，使得至今在南中國海和遠抵東非的考古發掘中能發現大量的永樂通寶，作為明朝和外國密切往來的證明。

而在深受中國文化影響的東亞地區，周圍的安南、琉球和日本等國皆有仿鑄永樂通寶的紀錄。尤其在身處戰國時代的日本，織田信長還曾將永樂通寶的意象融入自身陣營的的旗幟上。