Current situation of the buddhistical woodblocks in Bo Da pagoda and Vinh Nghiem pagoda in Bac Giang province

Abstract

Buddhistical woodblocks are wooden boards encrypted with Chinese scripts
or Vietnamese scripts modified from Chinese scripts (chữ Nôm) for printing
in order to popularize buddhistical philosophy. Wooden blocks are
invaluable treasures of Vietnam not only in terms of religious importance
but also in the soul and culture reflected in the manuscripts and the artistic
values of the encryption works. In Bac Giang, most important woodblocks
have been preserved in Vinh Nghiem pagoda and Bo Da pagoda, although
there have not been any scientific study on woodblock storages and
preservation. Our study illustrated that most of the woodblocks in the two
storages have been damaged to certain extent, mostly due to disfiguration,
cracking, molding and attacks of insects. This comprehensive evaluation of
the current situation of the two woodblock storages can be used in
designing appropriate preservation method for the treasures in the future