Printing Technologies and Book Production in Seventeenth-Century Japan

This Element first sets the history of printing in Japan in its East Asian context, showing how developments in China, Korea and elsewhere had an impact upon Japan. It then reexamines printing in seventeenth-century Japan and in particular explores the reasons why Japanese printers abandoned typography less than fifty years after it was introduced.

List of contents

1. Introduction; 2. The East Asian Invention and Development of Typography; 3. The Introduction of Typography to Japan; 4. The Decline of Typography in Japan; 5. Explaining the Decline of Typography; 6. Two Early Seventeenth-Century Medical Texts; 7. Takagi Takaaki's argument; 8. Conclusion.

Summary

This Element first sets the history of printing in Japan in its East Asian context, showing how developments in China, Korea and elsewhere had an impact upon Japan. It then reexamines printing in seventeenth-century Japan and in particular explores the reasons why Japanese printers abandoned typography less than fifty years after it was introduced.

Foreword

Why was typography enthusiastically adopted in Japan in the 1590s and then abandoned fifty years later?

Product details

• Authors: Peter Kornicki, Peter (Robinson College Kornicki
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.01.2025
• EAN: 9781009495516
• ISBN: 978-1-0-0949551-6
• No. of pages: 100
• Series: Elements in Publishing and Book Culture
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > Other languages / Other literatures; Japan, 17th century, c 1600 to c 1699, Printing, packaging & reprographic industry, Typography & lettering, Literary studies: c 1500 to c 1800, Literary studies: c 1600 to c 1800, C 1600 To C 1700, History of art & design styles: c 1600 to c 1800, Publishing industry & book trade, Typography and lettering, Publishing and book trade, Printing and reprographic industries