Hikino Kyōsuke is an Associate Professor in the Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Chiba University.
關鍵詞
Buddhist book publishing; letterpress printing; woodblock printing; Western-bound books; Japanese-bound books
摘要
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 letterpress 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.
目次
keywords 23 Quantitative Analysis of Buddhist Books Published During the Meiji Period 25 Tokyo Buddhist Publishers and Their Strategies 29 Old Kyoto Publishers and Letterpress-Printed, Western-Bound Books 35 New Kyoto Publishers and Their Strategy 39 Conclusion 41 References 44
