White Copper Nine-Syllable Mantra Rectangular Pendant

The nine-syllable mantra is nine characters: lin, bing, dou, zhe, jie, zhen, lie, qian, xing. It comes from Ge Hong's Baopuzi, in the inner chapters, the section on crossing mountain passes, where the text reads, “lin, bing, dou, zhe, jie, zhen, lie, qian, xing,” and the instruction is to recite it for protection when entering the mountains. The nine syllables later reached Japan and were broken into a set of hand signs, the nine cuts, which is a separate line of use. Recited fast, the nine run together and blur, so each one has to land on its own.

The usual mistake is to write the eighth syllable as zai rather than lie, and more than half the diagrams circulating online get it wrong. The order on this piece follows the Baopuzi, and you can count it through when the pendant arrives: the third is dou, the sixth is zhen, the eighth is qian. The rectangular plaque sets the characters vertically, three to a line, three lines filling the face, the spacing tight and the border wide, so the reading travels downward.

The four corners are what matter on a rectangular plaque. Square corners look better, but they chip. Here each corner takes a very small chamfer: from a distance it is still square, and only up close do you see the slight draw-in. The characters are cut intaglio with the beds filled dark, which sets up a contrast against the pale white copper. The back is flat and unpatterned, so it lies steady against the chest. The hole at the top is set slightly above centre, and the plaque turns its face outward once strung. The piece has some weight, so the cord stretches over time; tighten it every so often.

With the necklace version, chain and plaque arrive together and the length is matched to the weight, so the plaque does not flip. With the pendant alone you are free to choose a cord, and a dark one holds this square plaque down while a pale one makes it look slight. A square plaque has edges, and a cord of round beads suits it better than a smooth one: the beads sit at the top, take the edge off the corners, soften the whole thing, and are less likely to wear through the cord. If you use round beads, keep their diameter smaller than the width of the plaque.

Two things do white copper plaques harm: a fall, and being stored loose with hard objects. A fall leaves a small dent at the corner, and a sliver of copper lifts along its edge that catches the finger. Loose storage rubs a field of fine parallel lines that show plainly in the light. Wipe with a soft cloth as a matter of course, and use a toothbrush dry in the cuts. If you want the surface darker, do not reach for chemicals. One summer of wearing will darken it, and more naturally than any artificial finish.