Printing: Preliminary Report on a New Discovery

Abstract

Recently a new find was made which, if confirmed, pushes back the history of block printing some fifteen years, possibly more. The discovery occurred in October 1966 when certain Korean scholars happened to notice that a stone stupa (a small tower for the preservation of sacred relics of the Buddha) known as Sokka t'ap, at Pulguk sa in Kyongju (in southeast Korea, capital of the ancient Silla kingdom from 668 to 935), had been damaged. On investigation they found a printed Buddhist sftra hidden in its interior. Usually said to be sermons attributed to the Buddha, a sutra sometimes includes narratives about the Buddha and charms, and it is the inclusion of the latter which probably explains its popularity. The newly discovered sitra was in the form of a scroll made of thick mulberry paper, mounted on a piece of bamboo, lacquered at each end. The text is some 630 cm. long and 6 cm. wide, the printed portion being 5.3 cm. in width. The exact length cannot be determined, as the scroll has not been fully unrolled due to its poor condition. In fact, about one-third has suffered serious damage from worms; the rest of it, however, is in fair condition. Later examination revealed that the printing had been executed by means of a series of woodblocks, twelve in number, each about 20 or 21 inches in length. Then the separate pieces of paper had been joined together to form a continuous scroll, just as was the famous Diamond Sutra of 868, discovered in 1907 at the cave library near Tunhuang (west China) by Sir Aurel Stein, and now at the British Museum. The scholars who have pronounced this an authentic piece of printing are Kim Sanggi and Yi Hongjik, members of the Cultural Assets Preservation Committee, Ministry of Education in Seoul.