World's oldest metal type

By Kim Ji-myung

Carbon dating of ink on Goryeo Kingdom's movable metal type has confirmed that 21 of the characters dated between 1033 and 1155, according to a recent announcement by the National Institute of Cultural Heritage.

This means the "Song of Enlightenment" (Jeungdoga in Korean and Zhengdao-ge in Chinese) was printed around the 11th or 12th century, as the book was printed with this type. This movable type, therefore, has been called Jeongdoga type, attracting keen attention from Korean academia.

If this research becomes internationally accepted, mankind's history of printing will be rewritten, as it will advance the erstwhile known use of movable metal type by more than a century.

Up to now, the oldest book found to be printed using movable metal type is "Anthology of Great Buddhist Priests' Zen Teachings," abbreviated to Jikji in Korean. This seon (zen) text was compiled by Goryeo Buddhist monk Baegun in 1372. The final page of Jikji states "Printed and distributed at Heungdeoksa Temple outside Cheongju County in the seventh month of 1377."

To have established the first or the best of something in world history is definitely a matter of national pride for any country. For Koreans, Jikji is a testimony to the long, deep-rooted Korean cultural tradition honoring learning and scholarship.

In 2001 the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) listed Jikji on its Memory of the World list, confirming it as printed with the world's oldest moveable metal type. It surpassed the record of the Gutenberg Bibles which were printed between 1452 and 1455.

Professor Nam Kwon-hee of Kyungpook National University, bibliography scientist revealed the result of his team's latest research to verify the production dates of Jeongdoga metal type. He has been the chief researcher of this type from the Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392) since its first disclosure in 2010 in the collection of the Daboseong Ancient Art Museum. He has championed publicizing the value of the artifacts, and has been publishing research papers every year on the subject.

However, due to insufficient metadata about those pieces of type and their containers and a lack of clarity regarding the process of their discovery and purchase, some have continued to raise questions about their authenticity.

Since the museum first announced the presence of the Jeungdoga type in September 2010, controversy has swirled over their authenticity. These relics were reportedly excavated in Gaeseong, the capital of the Goryeo Kingdom and currently located in North Korea, during the Japanese colonial era and taken to Japan. They were brought to Korea only about 20 years ago through a collector in Daegu, according to the Daboseong Museum.

In July 2013, the museum had a press conference exhibiting the actual artifacts — 11 pieces of the Jeungdoga type together with a bronze container for them and a bronze kettle that was found with them. Points of contention include the authenticity of the type, the accuracy of the carbon dating, and whether these type pieces were actually used in printing the books under discussion.

Over the past years, several radiocarbon dating tests have been carried out, as well as analysis of the metal alloy, examination of the size, shape and production process of the pieces, and comparison of font. Research on diverse dimensions has been conducted and arguments and counterarguments have been presented many times by experts, not only at local seminars but at an international seminar held in 2012 at UCLA in California.

Some say that it is time for the government to take official action to have experts and an authoritative commission review the pertinent issues so that a ruling can be made. It seems feasible that those who support the value of Jikji, for which the city of Cheongju established the Cheongju Early Printing Museum in 1992, will not want to see the Jeongdoga type steal their show.

By the way, as far as I know, no one has dealt with the Jeungdoga itself. I found the following now-famous poetry, which is attributed to seon (zen) school teacher Yongga Hyeongak (Yung-chia Hsuan-chueh in Chinese) during the Tang Dynasty China. English translation is by R. Aitken.

There is the leisurely one,

Walking the Tao, beyond philosophy,

Not avoiding fantasy, not seeking truth.

The real nature of ignorance is the Buddha-nature itself;

The empty delusory body is the very body of the Dharma.

When the Dharma body awakens completely,

There is nothing at all.

The source of our self-nature

Is the Buddha of innocent truth.

Mental and physical reactions come and go

Like clouds in the empty sky;

Greed, hatred, and ignorance appear and disappear

Like bubbles on the surface of the sea.

When we realize actuality,

There is no distinction between mind and thing

And the path to hell instantly vanishes.

If this is a lie to fool the world,

My tongue may be cut out forever.

Authenticity is the key to any cultural heritage. Regardless of the final ruling on Jeungdoga type, I hope someone will film and document the whole process of this endeavor as a valuable asset for us all.

The writer is the chairwoman of the Korea Heritage Education Institute (K*Heritage). Her email address is Heritagekorea21@gmail.com.

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