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WonderHistory fact

Jikji, a Korean collection of Buddhist teachings printed in 1377, is the oldest surviving book made with movable metal type, 78 years before Gutenberg's Bible.

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Its full title means roughly 'Anthology of Great Buddhist Priests' Zen Teachings', compiled by the monk Baegun, and it was printed in July 1377 at Heungdeok Temple in Cheongju. Movable type means each character is cast as a separate piece that can be arranged, inked, printed and then reused. Records show Korean printers were using metal type as early as the 13th century, but no earlier book printed that way survives. Only the second of Jikji's two volumes remains. The French diplomat Victor Collin de Plancy acquired it in Seoul in the late 1800s; the collector Henri Vever bought it at auction in 1911, and it passed to the Bibliothèque nationale de France in 1950. UNESCO added it to its Memory of the World Register in 2001.

Türkçe oku
Jikji, 1377'de Kore'de basılmış bir Budist öğretileri derlemesidir ve hareketli metal harflerle basılıp günümüze ulaşan en eski kitaptır. Gutenberg İncili'nden 78 yıl önce basıldı.

Tam adı kabaca “Büyük Budist Rahiplerin Zen Öğretileri Derlemesi” anlamına gelir; keşiş Baegun tarafından derlenmiş ve Temmuz 1377'de Cheongju'daki Heungdeok Tapınağı'nda basılmıştır. Hareketli harf, her karakterin ayrı bir parça olarak döküldüğü, dizilip mürekkeplendikten sonra basılan ve yeniden kullanılabilen harf demektir. Kayıtlara göre Koreli matbaacılar metal harfi daha 13. yüzyılda kullanıyordu, ama bu yöntemle basılmış daha eski bir kitap günümüze ulaşmadı. Jikji'nin iki cildinden yalnızca ikincisi bugüne kaldı. Fransız diplomat Victor Collin de Plancy onu 1800'lerin sonunda Seul'de edindi; koleksiyoncu Henri Vever 1911'de bir müzayedede satın aldı ve kitap 1950'de Fransa Millî Kütüphanesi'ne (Bibliothèque nationale de France) geçti. UNESCO onu 2001'de Dünya Belleği Kayıtları'na ekledi.

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Background reading: Jikji
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