W. K. Burton
Encyclopedia
William Kinnimond Burton (May 11, 1856 – August 5, 1899) was a British
engineer, photographer and photography writer, born in Edinburgh
, Scotland
, who lived most of his career in Meiji period
Japan
.
, one of Scotland's foremost amateur photographers. He was also a childhood friend of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
, who turned to him for background information for The Engineer’s Thumb; Doyle's book, The Firm of Girdlestone
, is dedicated to Burton.
Burton studied at Edinburgh Collegiate School, but instead of going on to university, from 1873 he signed up for a five-year apprenticeship
with the innovative hydraulic and mechanical engineers Brown Brothers & Co. Ltd at the Rosebank Ironworks in Edinburgh. Rising to become chief draftsman, he left the firm in 1879 to enter partnership with his uncle Cosmo Innes in London designing water systems. In 1881 he became Resident Engineer to the London Sanitary Protection Association.
. His appointment was unusual in that Burton was largely self-educated, and did not come with the impressive educational or professional credentials that many of his contemporaries had. It is not known who recommended Burton to the Japanese government, or what inspired him to leave a promising career in London for what he believed to be a temporary assignment in Japan.
Burton helped train a number of prominent water system engineers for nine years, and became the sole consultant engineer for the Sanitary Department of the Home Ministry
, planning and managing the water and drainage systems of numerous cities, including Tokyo
. His achievements are considered the starting point of Japan's environmental and sanitary engineering
. The sand filtration
system he built in Shimonoseki city
, Yamaguchi prefecture
is still functional today and produces water so pure it is bottled with Burton's picture on the label.
Burton also designed Japan's first skyscraper
, Ryōunkaku
in Asakusa
, Tokyo. This 12-story, 225-foot (68.58 metre) tall structure was the tallest building in Tokyo at the time it opened in 1890. This octagonal building gained iconic status as a symbol of modern Japan, and boasted Japan’s first electric lift
. It was damaged beyond repair in the 1923 Great Kanto earthquake
.
Burton was a noted photographer and made a substantial contribution to Japan's photographic history. He published several technical works on photography, and made a contribution in the introduction of Japanese culture to the West by sending his own photographs to various London magazines. He also did much to publicize the works of fledgling Japanese photographers in Britain. Burton worked with seismologist John Milne
in co writing and co photographing a book that recorded the disastrous great Earthquake of 1891. The book illustrated the plight of the Japanese people and the impact of an earthquake on their environment, in dramatic images that were printed by Ogawa Kazumasa
In addition to photographing the 1891 Mino-Owari earthquake
, Burton also photographed Japanese costumes and customs, Hakone, Mount Fuji
, and scenes from daily life. He was closely associated with Japanese photographer and collotype
printer Ogawa Kazumasa
. With Ogawa, Burton was a founding member of the Japan Photographic Society
, Japan's first organization for amateur photographers.
In 1896, after his term at Tokyo Imperial University expired, Burton went to Taiwan
as an engineer, where he made outstanding contributions to improving the sanitation systems in Taiwanese cities under the authority of the Japanese Governor-General of Taiwan
. He then returned to Japan proper in 1899.
Burton began cohabition with a Japanese woman, Orakawa Matsu, with whom he had a daughter (Tamako) from 1892. On May 19, 1894, he married the mother of his child at a ceremony at the British Consulate in Tokyo.
Burton had intended to return with his family to Scotland to meet his mother, but suddenly fell ill from a liver infection
and died on August 5, 1899 at the age of 43. His grave at Aoyama Cemetery
in Tokyo is marked by an impressive monument erected by his friends and former pupils. In 2006, a memorial was also erected in his home town of Edinburgh, in honor of the 150th anniversary of his birth.
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
engineer, photographer and photography writer, born in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, who lived most of his career in Meiji period
Meiji period
The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...
Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Early life
Burton was born in Edinburgh to John Hill Burton, a lawyer and amateur historian, who had written two books on economics, which had received attention in Japan. His mother was the daughter of Dr Cosmo InnesCosmo Innes
Cosmo Nelson Innes was a Scottish historian and antiquary.Innes was educated at Edinburgh High School, at Aberdeen and Glasgow Universities, and at Balliol College, Oxford. He was admitted to the Faculty of Advocates in 1822, and was appointed Professor of Constitutional Law and History in the...
, one of Scotland's foremost amateur photographers. He was also a childhood friend of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle DL was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger...
, who turned to him for background information for The Engineer’s Thumb; Doyle's book, The Firm of Girdlestone
The Firm of Girdlestone
The Firm of Girdlestone is a novel by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It was first published in 1890 by Chatto and Windus in London, England. In 1915 a silent film adaptation The Firm of Girdlestone was made.-Plot summary:...
, is dedicated to Burton.
Burton studied at Edinburgh Collegiate School, but instead of going on to university, from 1873 he signed up for a five-year apprenticeship
Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a skill. Apprentices or protégés build their careers from apprenticeships...
with the innovative hydraulic and mechanical engineers Brown Brothers & Co. Ltd at the Rosebank Ironworks in Edinburgh. Rising to become chief draftsman, he left the firm in 1879 to enter partnership with his uncle Cosmo Innes in London designing water systems. In 1881 he became Resident Engineer to the London Sanitary Protection Association.
Career in Japan
In May 1887 he was invited by the Meiji government to assume the post of first professor of sanitary engineering at Tokyo Imperial University, at a time when the country was dealing with several serious epidemics, notably choleraCholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
. His appointment was unusual in that Burton was largely self-educated, and did not come with the impressive educational or professional credentials that many of his contemporaries had. It is not known who recommended Burton to the Japanese government, or what inspired him to leave a promising career in London for what he believed to be a temporary assignment in Japan.
Burton helped train a number of prominent water system engineers for nine years, and became the sole consultant engineer for the Sanitary Department of the Home Ministry
Home Ministry (Japan)
The ' was a Cabinet-level ministry established under the Meiji Constitution that managed the internal affairs of Empire of Japan from 1873-1947...
, planning and managing the water and drainage systems of numerous cities, including Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. His achievements are considered the starting point of Japan's environmental and sanitary engineering
Sanitary engineering
Sanitary engineering is the application of engineering methods to improve sanitation of human communities, primarily by providing the removal and disposal of human waste, and in addition to the supply of safe potable water. Initially in the mid 19th century, the discipline concentrated on the...
. The sand filtration
Sand filter
Sand filters are used for water purification. There are three main types;# rapid sand filters# upflow sand filters# slow sand filtersAll three methods are used extensively in the water industry throughout the world...
system he built in Shimonoseki city
Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi
is a city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. It is at the southwestern tip of Honshū, facing the Tsushima Strait and also Kitakyushu across the Kanmon Straits....
, Yamaguchi prefecture
Yamaguchi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan in the Chūgoku region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Yamaguchi, in the center of the prefecture. The largest city, however, is Shimonoseki.- History :...
is still functional today and produces water so pure it is bottled with Burton's picture on the label.
Burton also designed Japan's first skyscraper
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
, Ryōunkaku
Ryounkaku
The was Japan's first western-style skyscraper. It stood in the Asakusa district of Tokyo from 1890 until its demolition following the Great Kanto earthquake of 1923...
in Asakusa
Asakusa
is a district in Taitō, Tokyo, Japan, most famous for the Sensō-ji, a Buddhist temple dedicated to the bodhisattva Kannon. There are several other temples in Asakusa, as well as various festivals.- History :...
, Tokyo. This 12-story, 225-foot (68.58 metre) tall structure was the tallest building in Tokyo at the time it opened in 1890. This octagonal building gained iconic status as a symbol of modern Japan, and boasted Japan’s first electric lift
Elevator
An elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...
. It was damaged beyond repair in the 1923 Great Kanto earthquake
1923 Great Kanto earthquake
The struck the Kantō plain on the Japanese main island of Honshū at 11:58:44 am JST on September 1, 1923. Varied accounts hold that the duration of the earthquake was between 4 and 10 minutes...
.
Burton was a noted photographer and made a substantial contribution to Japan's photographic history. He published several technical works on photography, and made a contribution in the introduction of Japanese culture to the West by sending his own photographs to various London magazines. He also did much to publicize the works of fledgling Japanese photographers in Britain. Burton worked with seismologist John Milne
John Milne
For other uses, see John Milne .John Milne was the British geologist and mining engineer who worked on a horizontal seismograph.-Biography:...
in co writing and co photographing a book that recorded the disastrous great Earthquake of 1891. The book illustrated the plight of the Japanese people and the impact of an earthquake on their environment, in dramatic images that were printed by Ogawa Kazumasa
Ogawa Kazumasa
, also known as Ogawa Kazuma or Ogawa Isshin, was a Japanese photographer, printer and publisher who was a pioneer in photomechanical printing and photography in the Meiji era.Ogawa was born in Saitama to the Matsudaira samurai clan...
In addition to photographing the 1891 Mino-Owari earthquake
1891 Mino-Owari earthquake
The was a large earthquake that struck the former provinces of Mino and Owari in the Nōbi Plain area during the Meiji period in Japan. It is also referred to as the Nōbi Earthquake or the Great Nōbi Earthquake . It is the largest known inland earthquake in Japan.-History:The earthquake struck on...
, Burton also photographed Japanese costumes and customs, Hakone, Mount Fuji
Mount Fuji
is the highest mountain in Japan at . An active stratovolcano that last erupted in 1707–08, Mount Fuji lies about south-west of Tokyo, and can be seen from there on a clear day. Mount Fuji's exceptionally symmetrical cone is a well-known symbol of Japan and it is frequently depicted in art and...
, and scenes from daily life. He was closely associated with Japanese photographer and collotype
Collotype
Collotype is a dichromate-based photographic process invented by Alphonse Poitevin in 1856. and was used for large volume mechanical printing before the existence of cheaper offset lithography. It can produce results difficult to distinguish from metal-based photographic prints because of its...
printer Ogawa Kazumasa
Ogawa Kazumasa
, also known as Ogawa Kazuma or Ogawa Isshin, was a Japanese photographer, printer and publisher who was a pioneer in photomechanical printing and photography in the Meiji era.Ogawa was born in Saitama to the Matsudaira samurai clan...
. With Ogawa, Burton was a founding member of the Japan Photographic Society
Japan Photographic Society (19th century)
The was a Tokyo-based organization of photographers founded in 1889 that continued until the closing years of the nineteenth century.The JPS started as Japan's first organization for amateur photographers, although professionals too later joined. Of the fifty-six founding members, twenty-four were...
, Japan's first organization for amateur photographers.
In 1896, after his term at Tokyo Imperial University expired, Burton went to Taiwan
Taiwan under Japanese rule
Between 1895 and 1945, Taiwan was a dependency of the Empire of Japan. The expansion into Taiwan was a part of Imperial Japan's general policy of southward expansion during the late 19th century....
as an engineer, where he made outstanding contributions to improving the sanitation systems in Taiwanese cities under the authority of the Japanese Governor-General of Taiwan
Governor-General of Taiwan
The position of Governor-General of Taiwan existed when Taiwan and the Pescadores were part of the Empire of Japan, from 1895 to 1945.The Japanese Governors-General were members of the Diet, civilian officials, Japanese nobles or generals...
. He then returned to Japan proper in 1899.
Burton began cohabition with a Japanese woman, Orakawa Matsu, with whom he had a daughter (Tamako) from 1892. On May 19, 1894, he married the mother of his child at a ceremony at the British Consulate in Tokyo.
Burton had intended to return with his family to Scotland to meet his mother, but suddenly fell ill from a liver infection
Liver disease
Liver disease is a broad term describing any single number of diseases affecting the liver.-Diseases:* Hepatitis, inflammation of the liver, caused mainly by various viruses but also by some poisons , autoimmunity or hereditary conditions...
and died on August 5, 1899 at the age of 43. His grave at Aoyama Cemetery
Aoyama Cemetery
is a cemetery in Minato, Tokyo, Japan, managed by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. The cemetery is also famous for its cherry blossoms, and at the season of hanami, many people visit.-History:...
in Tokyo is marked by an impressive monument erected by his friends and former pupils. In 2006, a memorial was also erected in his home town of Edinburgh, in honor of the 150th anniversary of his birth.
Partial bibliography
- The ABC of Modern Photography (1884)
- Modern Photography (1887)
- The Process of Pure Photography (1889)
- The Great Earthquake of Japan (1891) (text by John MilneJohn MilneFor other uses, see John Milne .John Milne was the British geologist and mining engineer who worked on a horizontal seismograph.-Biography:...
) - The Volcanos of Japan, 1892 (text by John Milne)
- Practical Guide to Photography (1892)
- Outdoor Life in Japan (1893) (text by J Murdoch)
- Wrestlers and Wrestling in Japan (1895) (text by J Inoue)
External links
- The Life and Legacy of WK Burton
- W K Burton, Engineer extraordinaire
- Baxley, George C. Baxley Stamps, The Volcanoes of Japan, Part 1, Fujisan, by John Milne & W.K. Burton, Collotype Plates by K. Ogawa, ca 1892. Accessed 11 January 2007.
- British Embassy, Japan. The 150th Anniversary of W.K.Burton’s Birth to be Celebrated. Accessed 11 January 2007.
- Brits at Their Best
- London Telegraph, May 8 2006
- Edinburgh News, September 12, 2006