868: The Diamond Sutra, a 16-foot scroll containing one of the most cherished Buddhist texts, is printed. A dated colophon is included, making it the first known block-printed text to carry an explicit date.
The Chinese text, translated from Sanskrit, is a relatively short sutra dealing with the core Buddhist practice of non-abidance. The scroll includes six separate sheets that were printed using wood blocks, plus a single woodcut depicting Buddha with his disciples and a couple of cats.
Each sheet measures 12 by 30 inches. The printer, Wang Jie, pasted them together to form the scroll.
The Diamond Sutra is not the earliest example of block printing, but it is the earliest to carry a colophon that includes a verifiable date.
Wang Jie’s colophon reads:
“Reverently made for universal free distribution by Wang Jie on behalf of his two parents on the 13th of the 4th moon of the 9th year of Xiantong.”
On the modern calendar, that works out to May 11, 868.
The original scroll eventually disappeared and lay undisturbed until its discovery a thousand years later, unearthed along with the Dunhuang manuscripts in one of the Caves of the Thousand Buddhas in Turkestan, along the Silk Road trading route.
The Diamond Sutra now resides at the British Museum in London.
Image: Courtesy British Library