조선 초 금속활자 인쇄기술의 선택과 활성화 - 세종대까지의 금속활자 인쇄본 서적 분석을 중심으로 -

Abstract

This study aims to examine the factors that led to the choice and activation of metal type printing technology in the early Joseon Dynasty. To do so, I analyzed articles from the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty and metal type print books in the early Joseon period. Although it was China that first started letterpress printing, it is undeniable that Joseon revitalized metal type printing. In Korea, letterpress printing generally seems to have been around since the beginning of the 13th century, and there are several records of letterpress printing in Goryeo, both in the center and in the provinces. However, there is no record of why they chose letterpress printing. Even in Joseon, which is considered to have been the most active in metal type printing, there is no record of why they chose metal type printing. As a result, later studies have tried to understand the reasons for Joseon’s choice of metal type by relating it to the conditions they faced in the early years of the Joseon Dynasty, such as the fact that metal type was a more suitable method for printing small quantities of various items compared to woodblocks, or that printing with metal type allowed them to print books quickly. Records of metal type printing in the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty of the early Joseon Dynasty and surviving metal type print books show that metal type printing was more active than ever. This provides evidence of how the rulers of the time perceived metal type printing as a technology. Therefore, I analyzed the records of metal type printing and the surviving metal type print books to show how active it was. Through this, I examined the technological perceptions and characteristics of Joseon’s view of metal type printing technology. Joseon rulers recognized that metal type was a technology that could print anything they wanted to print. In the process of choosing metal type printing technology, factors such as the volume and nature of the book were not the main influencing factors, and it was recognized that it was possible to print large quantities like woodblock printing. And even documents intended to admonish the people can be found printed with metal type. In conclusion, at least in the early Joseon Dynasty, metal type was a technology that could be used to print whatever was needed.