Ant nose money - Gibisen

The name of bronze coins used in the Chu state during the Warring States period in China. It is said that the name Ant Nose Coin came from its shape, which resembles the face of an ant. It is said to have evolved from shell coins, and is sometimes called copper coins. They are oval in shape, with a small bulge on the front and a flat back, measuring about 2 centimeters in length, 2 millimeters in thickness, and weighing about 2.5 grams. Many of them have characters that resemble the character for "shell," and have a small hole on one end, while others have characters such as "shu," "jun," "kin," "yuki," and "tao." Many have been excavated from southern Henan, Anhui, and Jiangsu provinces.

[Takeji Iijima]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、戦国時代に楚(そ)の領域で用いられた青銅貨幣の名称。その形が蟻(あり)の顔に似ているところから蟻鼻銭の名が出たといわれる。貝貨(ばいか)の発達変化したものといわれ、銅貨の名でよばれることもある。楕円(だえん)形を呈し、表面は小さく膨らんでおり、裏面は平らで、大きさは長さ約2センチメートル、厚さ約2ミリメートル、重さ2.5グラムほどである。「貝」の字らしい文字を表し、一端に小孔のあるものが多く、ほかに「朱」「君」「金」「行」「陶」などの文字を表したものもある。河南省南部、安徽(あんき)省、江蘇(こうそ)省からの出土が多い。

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