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William George Aston

(1841-1911), Japanese scholar

Sitter in 1 portrait
William George Aston was a British consular official in Japan and Korea. He made a major contribution to the fledgling study of Japan's language and history (Japanology) in the nineteenth century. Along with Ernest Mason Satow and Basil Hall Chamberlain, Aston was one of the three major British Japanologists active in Japan at the time. He was the first translator of the Nihongi into English. In 1912 Cambridge University Library acquired 10,000 rare Japanese volumes from the collections of Aston and Ernest Satow which formed the starting point of the Library's vast collection.

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William George Aston

by Minnie Agnes Cohen
crayon, 1911
NPG 1775

Groups

Academics and scholars

Place

Japan

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William George Aston

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