Tang dynasty China, with early examples in Korea and Japan
Associated with
Buddhist monastic and lay printers
Anonymous printers; the Diamond Sutra names its sponsor, Wang Jie, in its dedication
Plate 028
By the 7th–9th century CE
Tang dynasty China, with early examples in Korea and Japan
No photograph is shown for this exhibition. The museum displays an image only where it can show the object honestly.
About this date
The oldest dated printed book, the Diamond Sutra, is from 868 CE. Earlier printed texts from Korea and Japan are dated to the 8th century by context.
About credit
Printing from carved blocks developed from earlier stamps and textile printing. No single inventor is known.
Chapter II
The world before
Life before Woodblock Printing
Every book was copied by hand, which was slow and prone to errors.
II
The human achievement
How it came about
Printers carved a whole page, mirror-reversed, into a block, brushed ink on it and laid paper on top. The 868 CE Diamond Sutra, found in the Dunhuang caves and now in the British Library, includes a dedication saying it was printed for free distribution.
III
Understanding the invention
How it works
Woodblock Printing, explained in two steps.
01
Step 01 of 02
Carve the page
A craftsperson cuts away everything except the characters and pictures, leaving them raised.
Carve the page
Ink and press
IV
The transformation
What changed for humanity
Religion
Buddhist texts and charms were copied in vast numbers.
Examinations and government
Official texts, calendars and examination guides circulated widely in Song China.
Copies no longer depended on a scribe’s hand. Texts could be spread faster, more cheaply and more uniformly.
V
Before and after
Life before and after Woodblock Printing
Before
Weeks of a scribe’s work for one copy.
After
Hundreds of impressions from one carved block.
On larger screens, drag the divider (or use the arrow keys) to give more room to the world before or after.
