Dr. James Curtis Hepburn (1815-1911)
Milton, Northumberland County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Physician and Presbyterian missionary to Japan in the late 19th century, he devised the widely used Hepburn romanization method to transcribe Japanese into the Latin alphabet. Hepburn published the first English-Japanese dictionary, translated the Bible into Japanese, introduced Western medicine to Japan, and founded Meiji Gakuin University. All were influential in opening Japan to the Western world. Dr. Hepburn was born here.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Born in Milton in 1815, Dr. James Curtis Hepburn trained as a physician and served as a Presbyterian missionary in Japan during the second half of the 19th century, as that country was opening to the wider world. He compiled the first English-Japanese dictionary, translated the Bible into Japanese, introduced Western medicine, and helped found Meiji Gakuin University. His system for writing Japanese in the Latin alphabet, the Hepburn romanization, remains the most widely used method today.
Why it matters
His work built enduring cultural and scholarly bridges between the United States and Japan during a pivotal era in their relationship.
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- · James Curtis Hepburn
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