苗栗大湖萬聖宮林朝棟長生祿位牌年代考

Dating the Eternal Memorial Tablet of Lin Chao-dong at Wansheng Temple in Dahu, Miaoli

苗栗大湖萬聖宮現存一面製作精美的木雕長生祿位牌，祿位上標示供奉對象係臺灣清代晚期歷史重要人物林朝棟。身為臺灣政經史動見觀瞻的關鍵人物，此件文物雖為廟方珍視，然過去對此祿位真正年代與供奉緣由，仍待釐清。透過研究發現，此祿位係大湖地方民眾為感念林統領因撫番入墾大湖且倡建萬聖宮之德，而設其祿位。一方面，它象徵地方居民為紀念林朝棟，是清晚期推動撫番政策中的重要物證；另一方面臺灣傳世林朝棟相關文物不多，於是這面祿位遂成為霧峰林家以外，在臺灣少數可考的林朝棟文物。因此，確認其真實性，遂成為鳥瞰它在臺灣歷史重要性之依據。本研究分別從這面長生祿位牌外部脈絡研究如大湖開發史、萬聖宮沿革；以及內部現象研究的現況與工藝、長生祿位形制、臺灣其它長生祿位比較；以及綜合分析的林朝棟長生祿位上文字加以解讀。透過文物的地方文史脈絡，文物型態系譜、以及文字型態與官銜解譯等角度，指出此祿位製作年代約在清光緒十四年到十五年間。除了確認其真實性，此面祿位更可作為清代晚期清廷治臺撫番政策中的重要物證。

The Wansheng Temple in Dahu, Miaoli, houses an exquisitely crafted ancestral“Chang Sheng Lu Wei”(Eternal Memorial Tablet) dedicated to Lin Chao-dong（林朝棟）, a pivotal figure in late Qing Dynasty Taiwan. This research aims to elucidate the origins and significance of the plaque. It uncovers that local residents commissioned the plaque to convey gratitude for Lin's endeavors in pacifying indigenous tribes and fostering Dahu’s development, including the construction of the Wansheng Temple. Through an examination of external factors such as the development of Dahu and Wansheng Temple, as well as an exploration of internal elements like the tablet’s current condition, craftsmanship, form, and structure, along with comparisons to similar tablets in different parts of Taiwan, the study suggests that this tablet likely dates back to the 14th to 15th years of the Guangxu reign during the Qing Dynasty. This not only affirms its authenticity but also designates it as a rare and pivotal relic shedding light on the late Qing Dynasty’s policies in Taiwan, particularly concerning the pacification of the indigenous communities.