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The British Museum is one of the world's oldest and most extensive encyclopedic museums of world cultures.  

The British Museum is one of the world's oldest and most extensive encyclopedic museums of world cultures.  

The museum, located in the Bloomsbury neighborhood of London, was founded in [[1753]] and began with a collection of 71,000 items bequeathed to the nation by Sir Hans Sloane, who died that same year. The newly-founded Museum also acquired that same year the personal collection of Chinese and Japanese prints of [[Dutch East India Company]] medical officer [[Engelbert Kaempfer]], who had resided in [[Nagasaki]] in [[1690]]-[[1692]]. Portions of Sloane's collection were later split off and form the core of the collections of the [[British Library]] and National Museum of Natural History, London.

The museum, located in the Bloomsbury neighborhood of London, was founded in [[1753]] and began with a collection of 71,000 items bequeathed to the nation by [[Hans Sloane|Sir Hans Sloane]], who died that same year. The newly-founded Museum also acquired that same year the personal collection of Chinese and Japanese prints of [[Dutch East India Company]] medical officer [[Engelbert Kaempfer]], who had resided in [[Nagasaki]] in [[1690]]-[[1692]]. Portions of Sloane's collection were later split off and form the core of the collections of the [[British Library]] and National Museum of Natural History, London.

In [[1881]], the Museum obtained the Japanese art collection of Dr. [[William Anderson]], an instructor at the Imperial Navy Medical College in Tokyo, and named him curator.<ref>Gallery label, "Minamoto Yoshitsune in training," British Museum.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/20267087214/in/photostream/]; Gallery label, "Tengu harassing King Sojobo," British Museum.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/20896926521/in/photostream/]</ref> Another notable collection of Japanese and other artifacts now in the Museum's collection came from [[William Gowland]], one of the first Westerners to conduct archaeological excavations of ''[[kofun]]'' in the late 19th century.<ref>"Photo of William Gowland," gallery label, British Museum.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/20879893402/in/photostream/]; "William Gowland, amateur archaeologist," gallery label, British Museum.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/22796899401/in/photostream/]</ref> [[Thomas Watters]], Acting Consul General for the United Kingdom in [[Seoul]] from [[1887]] to [[1888]], also donated a notable collection of Asian art and artifacts to the Museum in [[1888]].<ref>Gallery label, "Thomas Watters, diplomat," British Museum.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/22597715710/in/photostream/]</ref>

In [[1881]], the Museum obtained the Japanese art collection of Dr. [[William Anderson]], an instructor at the Imperial Navy Medical College in Tokyo, and named him curator.<ref>Gallery label, "Minamoto Yoshitsune in training," British Museum.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/20267087214/in/photostream/]; Gallery label, "Tengu harassing King Sojobo," British Museum.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/20896926521/in/photostream/]</ref> Another notable collection of Japanese and other artifacts now in the Museum's collection came from [[William Gowland]], one of the first Westerners to conduct archaeological excavations of ''[[kofun]]'' in the late 19th century.<ref>"Photo of William Gowland," gallery label, British Museum.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/20879893402/in/photostream/]; "William Gowland, amateur archaeologist," gallery label, British Museum.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/22796899401/in/photostream/]</ref> [[Thomas Watters]], Acting Consul General for the United Kingdom in [[Seoul]] from [[1887]] to [[1888]], also donated a notable collection of Asian art and artifacts to the Museum in [[1888]].<ref>Gallery label, "Thomas Watters, diplomat," British Museum.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/22597715710/in/photostream/]</ref>