Sword money - Touka (English spelling) dāo huò

Japanese: 刀貨 - とうか（英語表記）dāo huò

A general term for knife-shaped currency that circulated mainly in the lower reaches of the Yellow River during the Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period in China. It is also called sword coins. They are generally broadly divided into Ming swords and Qi swords depending on the area of circulation. Ming swords are thought to have been derived from the sharp-necked sword with a sharp tip, and were used in the area centered around the Yan state in the northeast. They are called Ming character swords or Ming swords because the character Ming is engraved in the center of the blade. Compared to the slender Ming swords, Qi swords have a wider blade and a heavier feel. They are called Qi swords because they are engraved with the name of the city of Qi, where they were cast. At the time, this region had many low-lying marshes such as rivers, lakes, and bushy streams, and fishing and hunting were popular, so it is thought that knives used to dispose of game were highly valued and came to be used as a medium of exchange.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

中国，春秋戦国時代に主として黄河下流域で流通した小刀形の貨幣の総称。刀銭ともいう。普通，流通地域によって明刀と斉刀に大別する。明刀は，刃の先端部のとがった尖首刀の後をうけたものと考えられるが，東北部の燕国を中心とする地域で用いられた。刃の中央部に明字を刻むところから明字刀，明刀と呼ばれる。斉刀は，細身の明刀に比べ刃部が広く重量感がある。鋳造地の斉の地名を刻むところから斉刀と呼ばれる。当時この地域には河川，湖沼や藪沢などの低湿地が多く漁労や狩猟が盛んであったところから獲物の処分に用いる小刀類が貴重視され，交換の媒介に用いられるようになったのであろうと考えられている。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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