湄洲祖庙清康熙帝御赐匾额考述

A Study of the Royal Inscribed Board of Meizhou Mazu Ancestral Temple Granted by Emperor Kangxi during the Qing Dynasty

入清以后,帝王在宋、元、明三代以褒封与谕祭推崇妈祖的基础上,又增加颁发御书匾额与对联的新形式,这对妈祖信仰在清代的传播与繁荣,产生了重要的促进作用。雍正帝颁赐的“神昭海表”匾额,被视为清代湄洲祖庙的最早御匾,也是祖庙所获的第一方御匾,复制悬挂于新修的祖祠正殿。然而查阅档案,清代赐予湄洲祖庙的第一方御匾并非已知的雍正帝御匾,而是康熙帝的“弘仁普济”匾。其颁发,则可能与康熙二十三年施琅修缮、崇祀祖庙的史事相关。

In addition to granting royal titles to Mazu and holding grand ceremonies for worshiping her in the Song,Yuan and Ming Dynasties,the emperors of the Qing Dynasty added new forms of worshiping Mazu which included conferring royal inscribed boards on Mazu and awarding her poetic couplets,thus promoting the spread and prosperity of Mazu belief.The inscribed board of"Shenzhao haibiao"(which means the goddess is present over the sea)granted by Emperor Yongzheng is once known as the first board Meizhou Mazu Ancestral Temple received during the Qing Dynasty.However,literature review shows us that there is an earlier inscribed board of"Hongren puji"(which means the heavenly empress is of great benevolence)conferred by Emperor Kangxi,which is probably associated with the history of repairing and idolizing Meizhou Mazu Temple by Shi Lang around 1684.