One of the world’s earliest recorded examples of printed text will go on display in Melbourne this month, to mark the 20th anniversary of a long-running exhibition celebrating the evolution of the book.
The historical printed matter – known as the Hyakumantō Darani – dates back more than 1,250 years, when the most powerful woman in Japan, the Empress Shōtoku, ordered the creation of one million paper scrolls bearing Buddhist prayers. Each was to be encased in its own miniature wooden pagoda, although it is unclear if the ambitious decree ever reached its target. Today, about 44,000 of the Hyakumantō Darani are thought to exist, including one acquired by the State Library of Victoria last year.
