An Introduction to the History of Buddhist Book Publishing in Modern Japan
The spread of letterpress and other Western-style printing technologies throughout Japanese society during the Meiji period is often thought to be the cause of the rapid decline in traditional printing technologies that had existed since the Edo period. However, in the case of highly specialized boo...
| Published in: | Religious studies in Japan |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Japanese Association for Religious Studies
2018
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| In: |
Religious studies in Japan
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| Further subjects: | B
Buddhist book publishing
B Western-bound books B letterpress printing B woodblock printing B Japanese-bound books |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | The spread of letterpress and other Western-style printing technologies throughout Japanese society during the Meiji period is often thought to be the cause of the rapid decline in traditional printing technologies that had existed since the Edo period. However, in the case of highly specialized books like Buddhist volumes, well-established publishing companies that had existed since the Edo period had an enthusiastic readership firmly in their grip. Insofar as these companies adopted the strategy of only publishing the minimum number of books they could sell, there was no need for them to rush to introduce letter-press printing or to master mass-quantity or high-speed printing technologies. Yet, Buddhist publishing companies in Tokyo quickly introduced Western-style printing technologies from the late 1880s to the late 1890s, as Meiji Enlightenment-era intellectuals had formed publishing companies in an attempt to widely share Buddhist doctrines with the general public. Conversely, Kyoto Buddhist publishing companies persisted in using woodblock printing and Japanese-style bookbinding as they needed to sell commentaries on Buddhist scriptures and the like to priests engaged in religious training. However, these companies began to recognize the convenience of smaller, letterpress-printed, Western-bound books. Thus, the turn of the nineteenth century marked the beginning of the decline of Japan’s traditional printing technologies. |
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| ISSN: | 2186-9952 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Religious studies in Japan
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