Print Culture in Early China and Japan

Vocabulary flashcards on the history and development of print technology in China and Japan based on the lecture notes.

Hand printing

The earliest system of print technology, developed in China, Japan, and Korea, where paper was rubbed against the inked surface of woodblocks.

Accordion book

A traditional Chinese book folded and stitched at the side because both sides of the thin, porous paper could not be printed.

Calligraphy

The art of beautiful writing.

Imperial state in China

The major producer of printed material in China for a long time, sponsoring the printing of civil service examination textbooks in vast numbers.

Shanghai

The hub of the new print culture in late nineteenth-century China that catered to Western-style schools following the shift from hand printing to mechanical printing.

Buddhist missionaries from China

The individuals who introduced hand-printing technology into Japan around AD 768-770.

Diamond Sutra

The oldest Japanese book, printed in AD 868, containing six sheets of text and woodcut illustrations.