Print Culture and Modern
World
1. The First Printed Books
Where was the earliest kind of print culture developed?
Japan, China and Korea
What was the earliest kind of print technology?
Handprinting
Where was paper invented?
China
When did books first get printed in China?
594 AD
How was printing done in China in early times?
i. Handprinting was done by rubbing paper across the inked surface of
wooden blocks
ii. As both sides of the thin, porous paper could not be printed, Chinese
accordion books were folded and stitched together
iii. Skilled craftsmen could duplicate the beauty of calligraphy
What is calligraphy?
Art of beautiful and stylised handwriting
“The imperial state in China was, for a long time, the major producer of
printed material.” Explain
i. China had a huge bureacratic system, which recruited its personnel
through civil service examinations.
ii. Textbooks for this examination were printed in large numbers under the
sponsership of the imperial state
iii. From the sixteenth century, the number of examination candidates went
up, which increased the volume of print
Print Culture and Modern World 1
, “By the seventeenth century, print culture bloomed in China”. Explain
The use of print diversified. Print was no longer just used by scholar
officials
i. Merchants used print in everyday life, to collect trade information
ii. Reading became an increasingly leisure activity
iii. The new readership enjoyed fictional narratives, poetry, anthologies of
famous literary works, autobiographies, romantic plays etc
iv. Rich women began to read, and many women wrote plays and poetries
v. Wives of scholar officials published their works, and courtesans wrote
about their lives
Who became the hub of new print culture? How?
1. Western printing techniques and mechanical presses were imported to
China as Western powers set up their outpost in China
2. Shanghai became the hub of new print culture, catering to western
schools
3. There was a gradual shift from handprinting to mechanical printing
1.1 Print in Japan
Who introduced print culture in Japan, and when?
Buddhist missionaries, in about 768 to 770 AD
What were the characteristics of print in Japan?
Print culture was brought to Japan by Buddhist Missonaries
i. The oldest Japanese book, printed in 868 AD was the Diamond Sutra,
which had 6 pages of text and woodcut illustrations
ii. Printing on textiles, playing cards and paper money became common
iii. In medieval Japan, poets and prose writers were printed frequently, and
books became cheap and abundant
iv. In about 18th century, in flourishing urban circles of Edo, illustrated
collections of paintings depicted elegant urban culture, involving artists,
courtesans and teahouse gathering
Print Culture and Modern World 2
, v. Libraries and bookshops became packed with handprinted materials of
various types- on women, musical instruments, calculations, tea
ceremony, etc
What was the oldest Japanese book, and when was it printed?
Diamond Sutra, 868 AD
Write the features of the Diamond Sutra
It had 6 pages of text
It had woodcut illustrations
What was the old name of Tokyo?
Edo
What was the korean collection of buddhist scriptures known as? How
many woodblocks were used?
Tripitaka Koreana, with 80, 000 woodblocks
What is ukiyo? Name the Japanese Artist famous for this
i. It means ‘pictuers of the floating world’, and depicted ordinary human
experiences, especially urban ones
ii. Kitagawa Utamaro was famous for this
2. Print Comes to Europe
When did Chinese paper reach Europe?
11th century
How did print culture reach Europe?
i. In 11th century, Chinese paper reached Europe through the silk route.
Paper made the production of manuscripts possible
ii. In 1295, Marco Polo returned to Italy after many years of exploration of
China
iii. He brought back with him the knowledge of woodblock printing
iv. Now Italians began producing books with woodblocks
v. Soon, this technology spread to the rest of Europe
Print Culture and Modern World 3
World
1. The First Printed Books
Where was the earliest kind of print culture developed?
Japan, China and Korea
What was the earliest kind of print technology?
Handprinting
Where was paper invented?
China
When did books first get printed in China?
594 AD
How was printing done in China in early times?
i. Handprinting was done by rubbing paper across the inked surface of
wooden blocks
ii. As both sides of the thin, porous paper could not be printed, Chinese
accordion books were folded and stitched together
iii. Skilled craftsmen could duplicate the beauty of calligraphy
What is calligraphy?
Art of beautiful and stylised handwriting
“The imperial state in China was, for a long time, the major producer of
printed material.” Explain
i. China had a huge bureacratic system, which recruited its personnel
through civil service examinations.
ii. Textbooks for this examination were printed in large numbers under the
sponsership of the imperial state
iii. From the sixteenth century, the number of examination candidates went
up, which increased the volume of print
Print Culture and Modern World 1
, “By the seventeenth century, print culture bloomed in China”. Explain
The use of print diversified. Print was no longer just used by scholar
officials
i. Merchants used print in everyday life, to collect trade information
ii. Reading became an increasingly leisure activity
iii. The new readership enjoyed fictional narratives, poetry, anthologies of
famous literary works, autobiographies, romantic plays etc
iv. Rich women began to read, and many women wrote plays and poetries
v. Wives of scholar officials published their works, and courtesans wrote
about their lives
Who became the hub of new print culture? How?
1. Western printing techniques and mechanical presses were imported to
China as Western powers set up their outpost in China
2. Shanghai became the hub of new print culture, catering to western
schools
3. There was a gradual shift from handprinting to mechanical printing
1.1 Print in Japan
Who introduced print culture in Japan, and when?
Buddhist missionaries, in about 768 to 770 AD
What were the characteristics of print in Japan?
Print culture was brought to Japan by Buddhist Missonaries
i. The oldest Japanese book, printed in 868 AD was the Diamond Sutra,
which had 6 pages of text and woodcut illustrations
ii. Printing on textiles, playing cards and paper money became common
iii. In medieval Japan, poets and prose writers were printed frequently, and
books became cheap and abundant
iv. In about 18th century, in flourishing urban circles of Edo, illustrated
collections of paintings depicted elegant urban culture, involving artists,
courtesans and teahouse gathering
Print Culture and Modern World 2
, v. Libraries and bookshops became packed with handprinted materials of
various types- on women, musical instruments, calculations, tea
ceremony, etc
What was the oldest Japanese book, and when was it printed?
Diamond Sutra, 868 AD
Write the features of the Diamond Sutra
It had 6 pages of text
It had woodcut illustrations
What was the old name of Tokyo?
Edo
What was the korean collection of buddhist scriptures known as? How
many woodblocks were used?
Tripitaka Koreana, with 80, 000 woodblocks
What is ukiyo? Name the Japanese Artist famous for this
i. It means ‘pictuers of the floating world’, and depicted ordinary human
experiences, especially urban ones
ii. Kitagawa Utamaro was famous for this
2. Print Comes to Europe
When did Chinese paper reach Europe?
11th century
How did print culture reach Europe?
i. In 11th century, Chinese paper reached Europe through the silk route.
Paper made the production of manuscripts possible
ii. In 1295, Marco Polo returned to Italy after many years of exploration of
China
iii. He brought back with him the knowledge of woodblock printing
iv. Now Italians began producing books with woodblocks
v. Soon, this technology spread to the rest of Europe
Print Culture and Modern World 3
