Chemical Analysis of the Chinese Coin Yongle Tongbao owned by Khabarovsk Regional Museum named after N.I. Grodekov

NAKAMURA Kazuyuki1, MIYAKE Toshihiko2, Maxim Valerievich GORSHKOV3, KOBAYASHI Junya1 and MURAKUSHI Madoka4

（Manuscript accepted 25 December 2017）

N.I.グロデコフ名称ハバロフスク地方博物館所蔵の永樂通寶の化学分析

中村 和之 1, 三宅 俊彦 2, Maxim Valerievich GORSHKOV3, 小林 淳哉 1, 村串 まどか 4

This paper reports the result of the chemical analysis of the Chinese coin Yongle Tongbao owned by Khabarovsk Regional Museum named after N.I. Grodekov. It was found that this Yongle Tongbao is the officially minted coin. This coin was excavated in Krasnokurovka burial ground in the Khabarovsk Territory. The burial ground was made under the Pokrovka culture (from the 9th to the 13th centuries). However the Yongle Tongbao, which was first minted in 1408, was discovered in the mound No. 30 of Krasnokurovka burial ground. So, it is necessary to reconsider the end period of the Pokrovka culture. Key words: Excavated coin, Yongle Tongbao, Khabarovsk Territory, Chemical analysis, Pokrovka culture

1. Preface Artur R. LASKIN of Department of Cultural Heritage under the Government of the Khabarovsk Territory The authors, Nakamura Miyake and Murakushi and one of the authors, Gorshkov accepted the team visited the Khabarovsk Regional Museum named after from . N.I. Grodekov (In this paper, it is abbreviated as Miyake and Nakamura investigated the Chinese, Khabarovsk Museum) from Dec. 23rd to Dec. 28th in Japanese, and Korean coins on Dec. 26th and 27th with 2016, and investigated the glass beads and excavated the help of Gorshkov. Other members made coins. The 11 members from Japan were Prof. investigation and chemical analysis of glass beads. OGUCHI Masashi (Hosei University), Prof. KOJIMA Murakushi made chemical analysis of excavated coin Yoshitaka (Kanazawa Gakuin University), Prof. the Yongle Tongbao (永樂通寶: first minted in 1408) NAKAI Izumi, Mr. BABA Shunsuke, Ms. IMAI Aiko in Dec. 26th. In the present paper we report about the (Tokyo University of Science), Dr. Sergey V. chemical analysis of Yongle Tongbao which was LAPTEV (MIHO MUSEUM), Dr. NAKASAWA discovered from Krasnokurovka burial ground in Hiromasa (Aomori Prefecture Education Board), Ms. Khabarovsk Territory. TAKAHASHI Misuzu (Samani Town Board of Education) and the authors. On the Russian side, Mr. 2. The Yongle Tongbao excavated in Japan 1 National Institute of Technology, Hakodate College including Hokkaido Island 2 Shukutoku University 3 Khabarovsk Regional Museum named after N.I. Grodekov In the middle ages of Japan, people usually used 4 Tokyo University of Science

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Chinese coins of Tang (唐), Northern Song (北宋), Kaminokuni Town, which is called the Suzakidate Southern Song (南宋) and Ming (明) era. Japanese Kosen in Japanese (hereunder "Suzakidate hoard"). coins were very rare. The Yongle Tongbao was first The Suzakidate hoard contains 490 coins comprising minted in 1408, early Ming era. This coin was 35 varieties, from the (開元通寶: excavated in large quantities in Japan including first minted in 621) to the Yongle Tongbao. Suzakidate Hokkaido Island. But it has almost never been hoard was discovered in 1954, but it has been almost discovered in , Mongolia and Northeast Asia(1). lost now(5). The third hoard of coins was discovered in There are only two cases of discovery in Northeast Wakimoto (涌元), Shiriuchi Town, which is called the Asia. One is from Vangrkvo on Chaivo Bay in Wakimoto Kosen in Japanese (hereunder, "Wakimoto northern Sakhalin Island(2) and another is from hoard"). The Wakimoto hoard contains 996 coins Krasnokurovka burial ground in Khabarovsk Territory. comprising 39 varieties, from the Kaiyuan Tongbao to One of the authors, Miyake, pointed out that the the Xuande Tongbao (宣徳通寶: first minted in 1433). Yongle Tongbao discovered in northern Sakhalin The fourth hoard was discovered in Kabari (賀張), Island could have been brought from Japan(3,4). Hidaka Town, which is called the Kabari Kosen in And then we present the Yongle Tongbao excavated Japanese (hereunder, "Kabari hoard"). The Kabari in Hokkaido Island. To this date, five hoards of coins hoard contains 664 coins comprising 35 varieties, have been discovered in Hokkaido Island (Fig.1). The from the Kaiyuan Tongbao to the Xuande Tongbao. first hoard of coins was excavated in Shinori (志海苔), The fifth and final hoard was discovered in Hakodate City. Accordingly, these coins are referred Kotanhama (コタン浜), Rumoi City, which is called to as the Shinori Kosen in Japanese ("Shinori ancient the Kotanhama Kosen in Japanese (hereunder, coins" - hereunder "Shinori hoard"). The Shinori Kotanhama hoard"). The Kotanhama hoard contains hoard contains 387,515 coins comprising 97 varieties, 460 coins comprising 43 varieties, from the Kaiuan from the Sizhu Banliang (四銖半両: first minted in Tongbao to the Xianfeng Tongbao (咸豊通寶: first 175 BC) to the Hongwu Tongbao (洪武通寶: first minted in 1851). Hakodate city, Shiriuchi and minted in 1368). The second hoard of coins was Kaminokuni towns are all located in the Oshima discovered in the remains of Suzakidate (洲崎館), Peninsula, which is in the southwestern part of

Fig. 1 Five hoards of coins in Hokkaido Island

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Hokkaido. Hidaka town is situated in the southern part of Hokkaido, and Rumoi city is situated in the northern part of it. Hidaka town and Rumoi city were the out of the territory of Japanese people in the middle of 15th Century(6). So it is certain that the Kabari hoard was owned by Ainu. The Kotanhama hoard needs careful examination, because this hoard includes coins of 19th Century.

Fig. 2 The ternary diagram of Cu, Pb, Sn components in Yongle Tongbao of Wakimoto and Kabari hoard and 'KP 933-3' of Khabarovsk Museum (black plot)

We show the Yongle Tongbao in five hoards. Shinori hoard has no coin, Suzakidate hoard has 53 coins. Wakimoto hoard has 205 coins, Kabari hoard has 216 coins and Kotanhama hoard has 7 coins. One of the authors, Nakamura, and his students made investigations and chemical analysis of the Yongle Tongbao in Wakimoto, Kabari and Kotanhama Fig. 3 The map of Krasnokurovka (upper) and hoard(7). The purpose of the study was to clarify the Khabarovsk (lower) ratio of officially minted and privately minted coins of the Yongle Tongbao in Hokkaido Island. considered to have less value than the officially In the middle ages of China and Japan, Chinese minted ones. The historical documents of Japan coins were separated into two groups. One was recorded the coins called Bita-sen (鐚錢) or Bita-zeni officially minted, and another was privately minted. (鐚錢), which means bad coin or privately minted The privately minted coins have poor quality and are coin.

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It is said that privately minted coins of Chinese center of Kur-Urmiya district of the Khabarovsk Tang, Northern Song, Southern Song and early Ming Territory until 1963) is situated 15km the southwardly era were massively minted in Japan. And also (Fig.3). privately minted coin of the Yongle Tongbao were minted in Japan. However, it is difficult to perfectly distinguish every coin between officially minted coin and privately minted coin. In Japan, two opinions are in conflict. One opinion states the Yongle Tongbao excavated in Japan would include various privately minted coin, particularly coins, minted in eastern region of Japan(8). Another opinion indicates that the Yongle Tongbao excavated in Japan would be almost the officially minted coin(9). These two opinions have each ground, and the conflict of the opinion is not settled. Fig. 4 Arrangement plan of the mound of the Nakamura tried to classify the coins using a Krasnokurovka burial ground with numbering of the technique of chemical analysis. Fig. 2 shows the mound in 1972 (12) analytical results of Cu, Pb, Sn in the coins. As shown in the figure, we were not successful in classifying The graves itself are located 50-70m to the two groups of coins merely by the composition of south-southwest from the old apiary. The length of the these three elements. We could hardly classify the graves from the east to the west is 150m, from the Yongle Tongbao of Wakimoto and Kabari hoards into north to the south it is 115-120m, and the area is about officially minted and privately minted coins. The 1.8 hectares. The graves include 82 embankments of authors, Kobayashi and Nakamura, tried to use new various forms (rectangular, rounded, and square), that (10) method to sort coins by the ratio of and . are arranged in rows. Chains of mounds are not The result will be presented in section 4. arranged in regular order: the rows are formed either of some closely adjacent embankments or of the 3. Excavation of Krasnokurovka burial ground embankments that set separately from each other. If required, at least 9 rows of mounds can be counted, Krasnokurovka burial ground was first discovered stretching in the direction from the southwest to the by Vasil’ev Yu. M., in 1972, with announcement of northeast and the southeast to the northwest (Fig.4). Silin A. T., who was a resident of the village of The necropolis consists of two groups, the first (and (11) Kukan . possibly the oldest) includes the mounds Nos. 37-82. The graves are situated about 5-7km It is very compact, the embankments are closely south-southeast of the village of Pobeda in the adjacent to each other and a half or more are round Khabarovsk municipal district, 3km from the barrows. The second group (Nos. 1-36) mainly Krasnokurovka hill, on a high (3-4m) left bank of the consists of square and rectangular barrows that are river Kur. The village of Novokurovka (that was the more scattered.

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Fig. 5 The cross section and the ground plan of the mound No.30 (12)

The diameter of the rounded burial mounds of the graves is from 3m to 7.5m. The square barrows have the side length that varies from 3.5m to 4m. The dimensions of the rectangular barrows are from 2.0×2.5m to 7.0×5.0m or even larger. The largest of them (No.18) is 10.5×7.0m. Many mounds have been strongly slid, so in some cases the mounds determined during the survey as rounded, may well turn out to be square in the excavations. They are surrounded by the Fig. 6 Photograph of coins excavated in the mound No. trenches that are often adjacent. Some round and 30 (12) rectangular barrows have up to 4 barriers in their trenches. All round barrows are characterized by the 4. The Yongle Tongbao discovered in the presence of 1 to 6 pits of ancient origin with a Krasnokurovka burial ground and its chemical diameter of 0.7m to 2.5m on their tops. analysis The stones of separated mounds, protrude to the surface. The nearest outcrops of such breeds were The material number of the Yongle Tongbao found not closer than 2.5km away on the eastern shore discovered in the Krasnokurovka burial ground is of Novokurovsky bay. ‘KP9333-3’. This coin was discovered in the mound Fifteen graves (Nos. 2, 7, 9, 10, 18, 19, 22, 23, 29, No. 30 named by Vasil'ev Yu. M.. The Photograph of 30, 31, 32, 54, 55, 56) of the burial ground and 2 pits the coin is shown in Fig.7. The weight is 3.4g, located southwardly of the grave No. 64 were diameter is 24.6mm, size of square center hole is researched stationary in 1984, 1986 and 1987 of the 5.4mm and thickness is 0.9mm. The measured values 20th century. The materials are dated from the 12th to are similar to these of the coins discovered in Japan. It the 13th centuries. is said that the diameter of privately minted coin

became small, for example under 24.0mm. Thus,

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‘KP9333-3’ is considered as an officially minted coin. Table. 1 The relative composition of Cu, Pb, Sn of However, the Chinese characters on the front face ‘KP 9333-3’ (％) look slightly thick and crushed. So that the possibility The The The The Average upper lower upper lower of four that ‘KP9333-3’ belongs to the privately minted coin part of part of part of part of points is not strictly excluded. front front back back face face face face One of the authors, Murakushi, measured Cu, Pb, Cu Cu Cu Cu Cu Sn composition by a handheld X-ray fluorescence 74.7 75.8 77.3 77.4 76.3 Pb Pb Pb Pb Pb analyzer, Niton XL3t-900S. The measurements were 12.3 11.6 10.4 9.5 11.0 done for two points in front face and back face by the Sn Sn Sn Sn Sn 13.0 12.6 12.3 13.1 12.7 standard alloys mode in 1 minute each.

Fig. 7 Photograph of ‘KP 9333-3’ (the front face is left side and the back face is right side)

The value of tin of ‘KP 9333-3’ is higher than that Fig. 8 Internal compositions of Sn/Cu ratio of Yongle of lead. This is a rare phenomenon in the excavated Tongbao in Khabarovsk Museum (4 blue plots) Yongle Tongbao in Japan especially in Hokkaido estimated on the basis of a regression line obtained Island (Fig.2). It should be mentioned that this is a from the Yongle Tongbao of Wakimoto hoard result of the chemical analysis of surface of the patina on the coins, not internal bulk alloy of coins. concluded that this regression line could apply to Kobayashi, one of the authors, studied the relationship every old coins. Furthermore, 205 pieces of the Yongle between the internal composition and the surface Tongbao of Wakimoto hoard were tested, and the composition of the coins. The new method of internal and surface compositions are plotted in Fig. 8. Kobayashi is as follows. Lead is alloyed with tin, however not copper which 50 pieces of the Kan’ei Tūhō were measured by is the main component. Because the composition of SEM-EDS. The section of all pieces keeps metallic lead in coins which we analyzed, is higher than that of luster. The internal and surface composition is well tin relatively, the lead segregates in the coin. correlated with the correction coefficient of 0.88. Thus, Therefore, the composition of lead varies in the it was possible to estimate the internal Sn/Cu ratio different analyzed point in the coin. In general, from the surface Sn/Cu ratio of the coin. component metals are eluted from coins which are 10 pieces of the Yongle Tongbao have then been aged and corroded. Because the variation of the lead examined. And the values of Yongle Tongbao got on composition, the surface and the internal Sn/Pb ratios the regression line of the Kan’ei Tūhō. So he are not correlated. However, copper and tin in the

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Fig. 10 The Kaiyuan Yuanbao ‘KP 9333-4’ 5. Another relics excavated in the mound No.30

Eleven kinds of relics were excavated in the mound No.30 (See legends in Fig. 5). The English translation of the legends of Fig. 5 is as follows.

1- coin; 2- nail; 3- bracket; 4- buckle; 5- chalcedony; 6- human tooth; 7- ; 8-birch bark; 9- pottery; 10- burnt bone; 11- glass bead

Three kind of relics, 1-coin, 4-buckle and 7-iron remained. Fig. 9 and 10 show more two Chinese coins. Fig. 9 shows the Zhenglong Yuanbao (正隆元寶) of Fig. 11 The iron buckle from a belt Jin (金) Dynasty. This coin was first minted in 1158 and the material number of this coin is ‘KP 9333-2’. Fig.10 shows the Kaiyuan Tongbao of the . Its material number is ‘KP 9333-4’. Fig.11 shows iron buckle from a belt. Fig.12 shows a piece of the iron pot. The remaining items were removed by Vasil’ev, Yu. M. in the 1990s and these are still missing. Fig. 12 The piece of the iron pot

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6. Conclusion Sakhalin Museum, No.23, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk〕. 5) 永田富智 1968「上ノ国への和人定着年代につい This article reports the chemical analysis of the て」『新しい道史』第 27 号、札幌〔Nagata, T.,1968: Yongle Tongbao in Northeast Asia at the first time. On the age of the domiciliation of Japanese in Looking at the result of the chemical analysis, we Kaminokuni, Atarashii Dōshi, No.27, Sapporo〕。松 conclude that the possibility is low for ‘KP 9333-3’ to 崎水穂・百々幸雄・中村公宣 1981「北海道洲崎館 be a privately minted coin. 発見の中世遺物と頭骨」『考古学雑誌』第 67 巻第 Vasil'ev, Yu. M. indicated that the mound No.30 2 号〔Matsuzaki, M., Dodo, Y., and Nakamura, dated from the 12th to the 13th centuries. However, the M.,1981: Medieval Objects and Skull from the Yongle Tongbao which was first minted in 1408 Ruins of Suzaki-no-Tate in Hokkaido, Kōkogaku discovered in the mound No.30. So, it is necessary to Zasshi (Journal of the Archaeological Society of reconsider the end period of the Pokrovka culture. Nippon), Vol.LXVII, No.2, Tokyo〕。 6) Накамура, К.,2016: Обращение китайских монет на территории Хоккайдо и Сахалина начиная с XV в, Средневековые Деревности References Приморья, Выпуск 4, Владивосток〔Nakamura, K., 1) 三宅俊彦 2005『中国の埋められた銭貨』同成社、 2016: Circulation of the Chinese coins on the 東京〔Miyake,T., 2005: Unearthed Ancient Coins in territory of Hokkaido and Sakhalin from 15th China, Dousheisha, Tokyo〕。 century onwards, Medieval Antiquites of Primorye, 2) Самарин,И.А.,2011: Китайские монеты цянь как Volume 4, Vladivostok〕. источник по изучению связей Сахалина с 7) 中村和之 2014「北海道から出土する永樂通寶と материком в эпоху средневековья и нового その特徴」関根達人編『中近世北方交易と蝦夷地 времени, Вестник Сахалинского Музея, No.13, の内国化に関する研究』弘前大学人文学部、弘前 Южно-Сахалинск 〔 Samarin, I.A.,2011: Chinese 〔 Nakamura, K., 2014: The Yongle Tongbao coins qian as a source to study the connection excavated in Hokkaido and its features, Sekine, T. between Sakhalin and the mainland in the Middle ed., Study of the trade of northern Japan from the Ages and the early modern times, The Bulletin of Middle Ages to the early modern and the infiltration the Sakhalin Museum, No.13, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk〕. of Ezochi, Hirosaki University, Hirosaki〕。 3) 三宅俊彦 2013「サハリン出土の銭貨」『北海道大 8) 黒田明伸 2007「東アジア貨幣史の中の中世後期 学総合博物館研究報告』第 6 号、札幌〔Miyake, 日本」鈴木公雄編『貨幣の地域史－中世から近世 T.,2013: Coins excavated in Sakhalin, Bulletin of へ』岩波書店、東京〔Kuroda, A.,2007: The late the Hokkaido University Museum, No.6, Sapporo〕。 medieval period of Japan in the history of coins in 4) Миякэ, Т., Накамура, К.,2016: Находки East Asia, Suzuki, K. ed., The local history of the Китайских и Японскик монет на Сахалине, coin :From the Middle Ages to the early modern, Вестник Сахалинского Музея, No.23, Iwanami Shoten, Publishers, Tokyo〕。 Южно-Сахалинск 〔 Miyake, T., Nakamura, 9) 桜井英治 2007「貨幣のダイナミズム－中世から近 K.,2016: Investigation of Chinese and Japanese 世へ－」鈴木公雄編『貨幣の地域史－中世から近 coins excaveted in Sakhalin, The Bulletin of the 世へ』岩波書店、東京〔 Sakurai, E.,2007: The

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dynamism of coins: from the Middle Ages to the early modern, Suzuki, K. ed., The local history of the coin :From the Middle Ages to the early modern, Iwanami Shoten, Publishers, Tokyo〕。 10) 小林淳哉・中村和之 2016「緑青の発生した古銭 の表面組成から内部組織の推定」『出土銭貨』第 36 号、芦屋〔Kobayashi, J., Nakamura, K.,2016: Estimation of internal composition from the surface composition of the coins which were occurred by green patina, Shutsudo Senka, No.36, Ashiya〕。 11) Васильев, Ю.М.,2006: Погребальный обряд Покровской культуры (IX–XIII вв.н.э.), «Дальнаука», Владивосток〔Vasil'ev, Yu.M.,2006: The burial system of the Pokrovka culture (9-13 centuries AD), Dal'nauka, Vladivostik〕. 12) Reference 11), pp.31-32.

Acknowledgment This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Numbers JP26284090, JP26303006, JP15H03245, JP16H03512.

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