“九老仙都君印”钤印织物考释

A Study of the Textiles with the Seal of Nine Ancient Lords of the Immortal Metropolis

近年钤有"九老仙都君印"的织物在江苏的明代墓葬中屡次发现。通过考证,可知此印文来源于茅山道教,名号指向道教教祖太上老君,同时道教认为该印具有诸般神力。以现有"九老仙都君印"钤印织物的发现情况来看,随葬此物是流行于明代中期常州地区的一种地域性葬俗,证明了当时茅山道教对于周边世俗丧葬习俗的影响力。

In recent years textiles stamped with the Seal of Nine Ancient Lords of the Immortal Metropolis （Jiulaoxiandujunyin,九老仙都君印） have been repeatedly found in burials of the Ming dynasty in Jiangsu Province. It is believed through thorough investigations that the seal inscriptions came from Maoshan Taoism with reference to the Grand Supreme Elderly Lord （Taishanglaojun, 太上老君）, the Taoist ancestor, and according to Taoism the seal bears divine powers. Based on the discoveries of the textiles with this seal, it is concluded that to include the seal in the burials was a local funerary custom in Changzhou popular in the middle Ming dynasty. It is a demonstration of the impacts of Maoshan Taoism on the surrounding regions.