The Legacy – What Is Jikji?
Jikji is short for Jikji Simche Yojeol (직지심체요절), a Korean Buddhist text printed in 1377 using metal movable type—78 years before Gutenberg’s Bible. This makes it the oldest known printed book using metal type in the world.
The full title means “Anthology of Great Buddhist Priests’ Zen Teachings on the Mind’s Direct Enlightenment.”
In Korean, “직지심체요절” literally translates to:
“Pointing directly to the mind, seeing one’s true nature.”
Jikji reflects Zen Buddhist values—a belief that truth should be discovered from within, not through rituals or status.
But beyond its spiritual meaning, Jikji’s real historical breakthrough was this:
It was the moment knowledge became printable, preservable, and shareable.
Jikji turned wisdom into something that could be copied, passed on, and protected—laying the foundation for everything we do with information today.
Jikji Timeline
Are You a Jikji Master? - Jikji Quiz Game
Test your knowledge of Jikji, the world's first book printed with metal movable type, in a fun and interactive way.
Challenge yourself — and see how much wisdom you carry from 1377 to today!
From Metal to Megabytes
In 1377, Jikji marked the birth of metal movable type printing.
But its legacy goes far beyond paper.
Before Jikji, wisdom was preserved through oral tradition or handwritten scrolls—fragile, slow, and exclusive.
After Jikji, knowledge became replicable, lasting, and accessible.
That same spirit lives on in today’s digital society.
Every shared file, blog post, or lecture video is part of that same mission: to preserve what matters.
Every line of code, every stored megabyte, continues the idea that knowledge should outlive us.
“Jikji wasn’t just a book. It was a blueprint. The future of digital wisdom was born in a Buddhist temple, centuries before the first keyboard.”
A blueprint for a world where ideas move faster than borders and where information empowers generations.
Every time you click, save, or upload—you echo what Jikji started centuries ago.
Why It Matters Today
You live in a hyper-connected, digital world.
But before cloud storage, before social media, someone in a quiet Korean temple asked:
“How can we save what matters?”
That was 1377. That was Jikji.
The creators of Jikji weren’t just printing spiritual texts.
They were creating a system to protect values, preserve truths, and empower minds—exactly like today’s digital tools do.
Jikji represents:
- The belief that wisdom should be accessible
- The need to share knowledge across time
- The power of technology to change society
Jikji is not just history — it’s your digital DNA.
Today’s coders, YouTubers, podcasters, and designers are no different from the monks of 1377.
You’re all trying to make something worth remembering.
And that’s what connects you to Jikji.
Meet Team InkBit
We’re Not Just a Team — We’re a Movement from Ink to Bit
We are InkBit, a group of passionate digital storytellers from the University of Utah Asia Campus.
We believe that the digital future should never forget the handwritten past.
Mission
- Ink – inspired by Jikji, the ink that marked the world’s first metal printed book
- Bit – the smallest unit of digital data, symbolizing beginnings, innovation, and the future
Together, InkBit stands for the bridge between heritage and innovation—from metal type to megabytes.
Why We Chose This Project
We chose Jikji because it’s not just a Korean treasure—it’s a global legacy waiting to be rediscovered.
As digital natives, we often take information for granted. But it all started with Jikji.
By reimagining it for the digital age, we hope to help more people see the beauty and brilliance of that first print.
We're InkBit. Reviving the first printed book in the age of the cloud. From metal type to megabytes, we’re here to tell Jikji’s story—one bit at a time.
Meet JikjiBot
Have a question about Jikji, printing history, or digital transformation?
Ask our chatbot — your guide from the past to the present.
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Credits:
Bibliothèque nationale de France. (n.d.). “Jikji”, a treasure of the world of printing. Retrieved April 13, 2025, from https://www.bnf.fr/en/jikji-treasure-world-printing Jayswal, P. (2022, May 22). A Utah expert is studying the world’s oldest movable-type book — and it’s not the Gutenberg Bible. The Salt Lake Tribune. https://www.sltrib.com/artsliving/2022/05/22/utah-expert-is-studying/ Korea Heritage Service. (2024, February 27). Jikji: The beginning of printing history [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/s06pDTfqrZ8 Messe Düsseldorf. (2024, February 29). Jikji and the beginnings of modern book printing: A historical exhibition at drupa. drupa. https://www.drupa.com/en/Media_News/drupa_blog/Print_Technologies/Pioneers_and_History_of_Printing/Jikji_and_the_beginnings_of_modern_book_printing_a_historical_exhibition_at_drupa UNESCO. (n.d.). Jikji, the world’s oldest metalloid printed book. UNESCO Memory of the World. https://en.unesco.org/memoryoftheworld/registry/127