Jikji and the beginnings of modern book printing: a historical exhibition at drupa

As the world's leading trade fair for printing technology, drupa stands for innovation and progress. But it is also a reminder of the roots of modern printing. The exhibition of the Book Jikji - the oldest surviving book printed with movable metal type - conceived by the Early Printing Museum in Cheongju, South Korea, offers a fascinating insight into the early history of printing. The Klingspor Museum in Offenbach brought this unique exhibition to drupa 2024.

The Jikji is a Buddhist textbook printed in the Korean city of Cheongju in 1377. It is considered to be the oldest surviving book in the world produced with movable metal type. The work contains an anthology of writings by Buddhist masters and was originally published in two volumes. Today, only the second volume has survived and is kept in the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris.

The Jikji is an important testimony to a decisive moment in the history of book production, as the technique used - printing with metal type - allowed texts to be reproduced more quickly and efficiently. This Korean print predates the famous Gutenberg Bible by more than 70 years. The context in which the book was created is closely linked to the spiritual and cultural development of Korea in the 14th century, when Buddhism played a central role in social life. The work was printed in the Heungdeoksa temple and was used both to preserve religious teachings and to teach meditation and self-discovery.

One of the reasons the Book Jikji has survived over the centuries is the special paper it was printed on: hanji. Traditionally made from the bark of the black mulberry tree, hanji is exceptionally strong and durable. The special papermaking technique used in Korea for centuries has ensured that historical works such as Jikji have survived in remarkably good condition. The long, strong fibres of the mulberry tree make this special paper resistant to external influences and give it a characteristic texture that is ideal for printing.

The production of the movable metal letters for Jikji was an extremely demanding process that required a high degree of technical skill. For this print, the so-called beeswax moulding process was used to create the individual letters. First, the characters were modelled in wax and arranged in a tree-like structure. These wax models were then embedded in a mould of clay and sand which, after hardening, was placed in an oven. There the wax was melted at a high temperature and the resulting cavity was filled with liquid metal, usually an alloy of copper and tin. After cooling, the metal casts were removed from the mould and the individual letters were separated, cleaned and polished to ensure precise printing quality. This technique allowed the efficient reproduction of text and was a milestone in the development of letterpress printing.

Jikji was printed at Heungdeoksa Temple in 1377. Because of its religious significance, it was kept in a Buddha statue for a long time. The book remained unnoticed for centuries until it was acquired by the French deputy ambassador to Korea, Victor Collin de Plancy, at the end of the 19th century. He took Jikji to Paris along with other historical Korean books. There it was auctioned to the art dealer Henri Vever, whose heirs donated it to the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in 1952. However, the true significance of Jikji was not recognised until 1972 by the Korean scholar Dr Park Byeong-seon.

With the recognition of Jikji as the oldest evidence of this printing technique, intensive research began that continues to this day. Since its rediscovery, the book has been studied by Korean and international scholars to better understand its origins and the techniques used. 

In particular, the collaboration between the Cheongju Early Printing Museum and the Bibliothèque Nationale de France has led to new insights into the printing technique and the paper used. As part of this international collaboration, the exhibition at that time on loan to the Klingspor Museum in Offenbach, Germany, and displayed at drupa, was created with the aim of celebrating the cultural heritage of Jikji and making it accessible to the public.