The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1882-04-20
ANTIQUITY OF PRINTING.

At the last meeting of the Asiatic So
ciety of Japan. Mr.. E. Satow read pa
per "On the Early History of Printing
in Japan. Tue art of printing on wood
en- blocks in China seems to be due TO
the accident of some one desiring to OBJ
tain a fac simile of an inscription on a
stone monument, in the first instance by
the process of rubbing with coloring
matter over the paper, and subsequently
by covering the stone with Indian ink,
placing the paper against it, and rub
bing. 1t was probably long before the
plan of engraving composition for the
express purpose of taking copies was
thought of. In IT'S, A. D., the text of
the Chinese classics was cut on tablets
which were erected outside the univers-
ity, and of these impressions were taken,
some of which are said to be still in ex-
istence. Printing from wooden blocks
seems to be no older than the end of the
sixth century. It was not until the tenth
century was well advanced that printed
books became common. In Japan the
earliest example of block printing dates
from the middle of the eighth century.
Before that stone inscriptions and seals
with engraved characters were in use.-
The early Japanese prints were chiefly
reproductions of the Chinese Buddhist
and classical works, the absence of a ma
tive literature apparently retarding the
adoption Of the art of printing. The
first really national work printed in jap
an was the ''Ni hongi," at the very end
of the sixteenth century. Printed slips
containing a Dharani out of the Bud
dhist scripture were distributed through
out Japan to the number of one million
in 764-770; these were apparently print
ed from cast copper or bronze blocks
rather than from wooden ones. The ear
liest Japanese printed books were of a
considerably later date. OF those which
have come down to modern times the
oldest was printed about 1900. Printing
received great impulse from the expe-
ditions of Hideyoshi against Korea, when
a number of books were brought back by
the victors, and the Jaranese learned
what had been achieved by people
whom they had considered vastly their
interiors. Among these were number
of books printed with movable type, a
contrivance which seems to have found
immediate favor with the Japanese, for
nearly all the books produced during the
next thirty or forty years were printed
with movable type. The use of movable
type was said TO date in China from the
middle Of the eleventh century, but the
author had not been able to corroborate
this statement. Movable copper type
was used in --orea at the beginning of the
fifteenth century, and even earlier; in-
deed, one book so printed appeared to
date from the years 1877 and 1924. And
even ii it were not, after all, SO old as it
seemed to be, there were others dating
unquestionably anterior to the date Of
invention of printing by movable type in
Europe. The invention reached Japan
from Korea, and there was a distinct
mention of Korean types produced by
casting and moulding about 1920 A. D.
Although books were extremely common
IN more recent Japanese literature, the
earliest Mr.. Satow knew bore the date
1910. Previous to this, however, there
were woodcuts on large scale represent
ing the popular gods, and to some of
these very great age was attributed
One Of them dated from 1017, and an
other was engraved by Nichi rem, who
died in 1882.