전근대기 동아시아 4국 인쇄술의 보급 과정과 문화 동인(動因) 고찰

Abstract

This paper surveyed the extension and cultural causes of Printing technology of premodern East Asian four countries. While Printing is divided into woodblook printing and movable printing, I concentrated on the bilateral relationship. The aim of Printing lies in the massive duplication of text. In East Asia, woodblock printing was responsible for this charge. Difficulty of Chinese character, the wookblock merit in carving calligraphy and that of massive printing were cited as the main causes. China, Vietnam and Japan mainly printed books making use of woodblock printing. Movable printing was used for the special purpose. On the other hand, Korea developed the woodblock printing and movable printing simultaneously and continuedly. I found out the power stimulating East Asia Printing technology was the particular thinking system of Mahayana Buddhism. Mahayana Buddhism emphasized on believing Mahayana Sutras. So they say that we should spread out Sutras with the method of holding, recitating and writing. This particular thinking system flowed into China and invented Printing technology with the help of former Chinese technologies.