Many places around the world have recorded instances of using human skulls as drinking vessels, commonly known as “Skull Cups.”
Some nomadic tribes have the custom of using the skulls of their enemies as drinking cups, such as the Xiongnu Chanyu during the Han Dynasty, who killed the king of the Yue tribe and made a cup from his skull.
According to the historical text “Book of Han,” the Xiongnu Chanyu used this skull cup during a blood oath ceremony with envoys to form an alliance, creating a chillingly eerie atmosphere. Another notable instance involves Oda Nobunaga (from Japan’s Warring States period) who made a gold-plated cup from the skulls of three adversaries. He never used these cups for drinking but would occasionally display them and invite others to “appreciate.”
Uncertain Origins
Some historical texts may contain the earliest references to Zhao Xiangzi (from the Spring and Autumn period) painting the skull of his enemy Zhi Ba to create a drinking vessel. Zhao Xiangzi took Zhi Ba’s head as a cup due to their deep-seated enmity.
Zhi Ba, for his own gain, invaded the territory of Zhao Xiangzi, intending to eliminate the Zhao clan entirely. For three years, Zhao Xiangzi struggled to fend him off until he ultimately devised a cunning plan that led to Zhi Ba’s defeat. Following this, Zhao Xiangzi used Zhi Ba’s head to craft a drinking cup.
In the traditions of Hinduism and Tibetan Lamaism, there is also the practice of using the skulls of monks as cups known as “Kapala.” Kapala is utilized in the “Abhisheka” ritual, believed to bestow special powers. From the above cases, we observe that skulls are used to create drinking vessels primarily from either deadly enemies or monks.
However, there is a historical case involving a skull that was not from a monk or a defeated enemy, but rather from Emperor Li Zong of the Song Dynasty – Zhao Jun. There are even various accounts suggesting the skull was used for simple drinking, as a Kapala, or, as recorded in “Night Boat,” as a… chamber pot.
Golden Skull Artifact. (Image: QQ.com).
The act involving the remains of Emperor Li Zong was carried out by Yang Lian Zhen Jia. Yang Lian Zhen Jia was a disciple of the Yuan Dynasty’s Grand Master Ba Si Ba, appointed by Kublai Khan as the Chief of the Southern Buddhist Faith, overseeing all Buddhist affairs in the Jiangnan region.
Yang Lian Zhen Jia was regarded as a “Demonic Monk.” During his tenure, he destroyed Han culture, raided tombs, and plundered burial goods from the Southern Song Dynasty tombs in Shaoxing (Zhejiang, China) to fund the construction of new temples.
Texts like “Southern Village Collection” and “Gui Xin Miscellany” detail the entire process. Specifically, in September of the 22nd year of the Zhiyuan era (1285), Yang Lian Zhen Jia led his entourage to the Song tombs, raiding the graves of Ning Zong, Li Zong, and others… those who resisted were killed.
The situation at the tomb of Emperor Li Zong was particularly notable: when the grave robbers opened the coffin lid, a stream of white gas escaped, and the corpse appeared as if in slumber, surrounded by a glow of jewels, with a cotton-woven cushion and a golden net underneath. After stripping away the burial goods, the robbers hung the body upside down, pried open the mouth to retrieve a pearl, and extracted mercury from the abdomen.
Due to the relatively well-preserved condition of the body, Yang Lian Zhen Jia noticed that Emperor Li Zong’s head was larger than average and instructed his followers to hang the body in a tree for three days to drain the mercury before taking the head to make a drinking cup.
Emperor Li Zong. (Image: National Palace Museum, Taipei).
Why did this “Demonic Monk” do this?
Because according to his beliefs, using a large head, especially that of a king, as a drinking cup would bring great fortune. Additionally, in his capacity as an official of the Mongol Yuan, Yang Lian Zhen Jia built a 13-zhang tall white stupa on the old site of the Song Dynasty palace in Lin’an (Hangzhou), naming it “Zhen Ban”, implying the suppression of the Song Dynasty and Jiangnan.
Later, Yang Lian Zhen Jia did not experience fortune; on the contrary, he faced continuous misfortune as a form of retribution.
Notably, after Zhu Yuanzhang defeated the Yuan Dynasty (in 1368), he learned about the skull of Emperor Li Zong. He sent people to search for it, discovering it was in the possession of a monk named Ru Na. Subsequently, Zhu Yuanzhang had the tomb of the Song Dynasty repaired, allowing Emperor Li Zong to finally “return” after 84 “years of wandering.”
