Five Peaks Lightning-struck Jujube Wood Peace Buckle Bell Charm

The name peace buckle is not an old one. The form is: a round piece of jade with a round hole at the center and a plain outer ring, which is a bi. The bi is a ritual object, and the Rites of Zhou speaks of sacrificing to heaven with a dark blue bi. Calling it a peace buckle now plays on the circle outside and the circle within, buckling peace in place. The name changed; the form did not. Old books sort bi, huan and yuan by the size of the hole: a large hole makes a yuan, a small one a bi, and the middle a huan. A plain face is what a bi is. Put a pattern on it and it is no longer one.

The pendant is a wooden buckle with a small bell hanging under it. The face is cut with the five sacred mountains, their names running around a ring with the hole at the center. The five are Tai in the east, Hua in the west, Heng in the south, Heng in the north and Song at the center. Dynasties gave them titles and the sacrifice to them was a matter of state; what folk usage borrows is the sense that all five directions are safe. Their ranking shifted over the centuries and only settled into the present order after the Song. The mountains are cut as names, not shapes, in a clerical hand.

The bell is copper and very small, with a short note. In the old days a bell was hung on a child because the sound was said to frighten things away; what it actually did was let people hear. The child moves, the bell sounds, the adult knows where he is. Hanging it on a bag or in a car works the same way. The clapper is short and will not tangle however the bell swings. The body is round with a loop on top, the cord passes through the loop, and the knot is hidden behind the buckle.

Wood fears water and it fears dryness too. In the southern plum rains it spots with mold, and the spots wipe off. In a northern winter it splits, so keep it away from the heating. The bell is copper and will dull; that does not change its sound. The knot has to be pulled tight. The hole in the wood wears larger over the years, and when it does, add a small bead to stop the cord. Leave the hole a little generous: a thick cord will not pass a small one, and forcing it splits the wood. Keep two fingers of space between the bell and the buckle. Too close and it cannot ring.

The five names are cut shallow and the grain covers part of them, so not reading them all is normal. Most people buy this to hang for themselves, or for a friend who has just moved. An object like this promises nothing. What it offers is a circle and a sound. Hang the bell low enough to be struck as you walk; hung high, it is only an ornament. As a gift, a plain cord is enough. Skip the tassel, which looks old the moment it is dirty. Worn over time, the piece grows smoother, the wood darkens and the bell goes a little dull.