從中國進口到本土製造－－彰化市彰邑彰山宮的兩件金屬香爐

The two metal incense burners at Changyi Changshan Temple in Changhua City: A transition from Chinese imports to local manufacturing

彰化市彰山宮據傳建於清乾隆35年（1770），主祀池府王爺。此廟被認為是平埔族群巴布薩人「半線社」奉祀的王爺廟，也是清《彰化縣志》中提及的縣城番社庄王爺宮。2023年底到2024年初廟方委託進行文物調查研究時，發現2件金屬香爐，從文化資產角度來看，具有獨特性。
第一件的宣德款獅首耳圈足銅爐，並未被展示，獅頭表現與傳世16世紀狮首耳爐獅首造形相較，獅頭鬃毛簡化，渦卷表現不明顯，爐底「大明宣德年製」款識也略有出入，明顯地晚於後者。但歸納款識寫法、器身比例、銅胎厚度、銅鋅成分比等條件，是臺灣少數能被歸屬到日治時代以前甚至是清代的獅首耳爐。第二件的仿南投陶獅耳三足鑄鐵爐原陳設於彰山宮左側中軍府前，外層帶褐色漆層帶反光，乍看以為是陶爐，經秤重高達25公斤，方知是金屬材質。而它三柱足、雙獅耳首與深褐色之外觀，實則模仿自臺灣中部地區寺廟常見、盛行於清晚期到戰後初期的「南投陶香爐」。而彰山宮此鑄鐵爐仿南投陶香爐之現象而言，透露該品類已成為一種被民間宗教供爐模仿的造形。
這兩件金屬爐具一件造形來自中國大陸的宣德爐傳統；另一件則是延續臺灣本土發展起來的陶香爐器形成規。其意義一是打破對臺灣獅首耳爐過去僅知有薄胎的近代銅爐之認識，更新對臺灣獅首耳爐流行年代上限，發現也有厚胎失蠟法製造的早期類型；二是重新認識到盛行於清晚期到日治時代的南投陶香爐，該造形成規於二次戰後，出現在異材質表現上，更豐富吾輩對南投陶香爐形態發展的生命史。

Zhangshan Temple in Changhua City is said to have been built in the 35th year of the Qianlong reign (1770) during the Qing Dynasty, and it primarily venerates the deity Lord Chifu. The temple is considered the shrine of the Pingpu indigenous Babasa people from the ''Banxian'' community, and is also mentioned in the Zhanghua County Gazetteer as the ''Wangye Temple'' of the county’s indigenous community. In late 2023 to early 2024, the temple commissioned a cultural artifact survey, which led to the discovery of two metal incense burners.
The first burner, a lion-headed bronze incense burner, was found in a safe. Its lion head design is simpler than that of the 16th-century lion-headed burners, with less defined mane curls. Additionally, the inscription ''Made in the Xuande Period of the Ming Dynasty'' on its base shows slight differences from the older ones, indicating it is later in date. However, based on the inscription style, body proportions, copper thickness, and copper-zinc composition, it can be classified as one of the few lion-headed incense burners from Taiwan, predating the Japanese colonial era and possibly dating back to the Qing Dynasty.
The second incense burner was originally displayed in front of the Middle Army Shrine on the left side of Zhangshan Temple. It had a brown lacquered surface with a reflective shine, making it appear to be a ceramic burner at first glance. Weighing 25 kilograms, it was later identified as being made of metal. This style of incense burner, with three feet and lion-head ears, is actually a replica of the ''Nantou ceramic incense burners'' commonly found in central Taiwan’s temples. The presence of a cast-iron version of this style at Zhangshan Temple highlights the imitation of this form in folk religious rituals.
These two metal incense burners reflect two distinct traditions: one comes from the Chinese mainland Xuande incense burner tradition, while the other follows a locally developed Taiwanese ceramic incense burner style. Their significance lies in (1) challenging the previous understanding of Taiwanese lion-headed incense burners, particularly the modern, thin-walled copper ones, by revealing early, thick-walled versions made using the lost-wax technique, and (2) offering a new perspective on the Nantou ceramic incense burners that were popular from the late Qing Dynasty to the Japanese colonial period, enriching our understanding of the material history and evolution of Nantou’s ceramic incense burner forms.