Ernest Mason Satow
Sir Ernest Mason Satow, GCMG, PC (30 June 1843 – 26 August 1929), was a British diplomat, scholar and Japanologist. He is better known in Japan than in Britain or the other countries in which he served, where he was known as Satō Ainosuke (Japanese: 佐藤 愛之助/薩道 愛之助). He was a key figure in late 19th-century Anglo-Japanese relations.
The Right Honourable Sir Ernest Mason Satow GCMG PC | |
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The young Ernest Mason Satow. Photograph taken in Paris, December 1869. | |
| British Minister to Japan | |
| In office 1895–1900 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Prime Minister | The Marquess of Salisbury |
| Preceded by | Power Henry Le Poer Trench |
| Succeeded by | Sir Claude Maxwell MacDonald |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 30 June 1843 London, England |
| Died | 26 August 1929 (aged 86) Ottery St Mary, Devon, England |
| Resting place | Ottery St Mary Parish Churchyard, England |
| Spouse(s) | Takeda Kane (1853–1932) |
| Children |
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| Parents |
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| Education | Mill Hill School University College London |
| Occupation | Diplomat |
Satow was influential in East Asia and Japan, particularly in Bakumatsu (1853–1867) and the Meiji-period (1868–1912). He also served in China after the Boxer Rebellion (1900–1906), in Siam, Uruguay and Morocco, and represented Britain at the Second Hague Peace Conference in 1907. In his retirement he wrote A Guide to Diplomatic Practice, now known as 'Satow's Guide to Diplomatic Practice' – this manual is widely used today, and has been updated several times by distinguished diplomats, notably Lord Gore-Booth. The sixth edition edited by Sir Ivor Roberts was published by Oxford University Press in 2009, and is over 700 pages long.