Ernest Mason Satow

author

Ernest Mason Satow

1843–1929

A sharp-eyed British diplomat and scholar, he became one of the best-known Western interpreters of Japan during a time of dramatic change. His writings and language skills helped open a clearer view of East Asia to English-speaking readers.

1 Audiobook

A Diplomat in Japan The inner history of the critical years in the evolution of Japan when the ports were opened and the monarchy restored, recorded by a diplomatist who took an active part in the events of the time, with an account of his personal experiences during that period

A Diplomat in Japan The inner history of the critical years in the evolution of Japan when the ports were opened and the monarchy restored, recorded by a diplomatist who took an active part in the events of the time, with an account of his personal experiences during that period

by Ernest Mason Satow

About the author

Born in London in 1843, Ernest Mason Satow studied at University College London and entered the British consular service while still young. He arrived in Japan in 1862, just as the country was moving through the final years of the Tokugawa shogunate and into the Meiji era, and he quickly became known for his remarkable gift for languages and close knowledge of Japanese society.

Satow served in a series of important diplomatic posts, including in Japan, Siam, Uruguay, Morocco, and China. Alongside his official work, he wrote influential books and studies, and he is especially remembered for A Diplomat in Japan, a vivid firsthand account of political upheaval and modernization. His work helped shape Western understanding of Japan at a crucial moment in its history.

He was also a serious scholar of diplomacy itself. His Guide to Diplomatic Practice became a respected reference work, showing the same care, clarity, and practical intelligence that marked his career. Satow died in 1929, leaving behind a reputation as both a skilled diplomat and an important early Japanologist.