Iosif Goshkevich

Who was Iosif Goshkevich?

Iosif Antonovich Goshkevich was a Russian diplomat and Orientalist. He graduated from the Saint Petersburg Theological Academy and in 1839–48 amounted to Russian clerical legation in Beijing. In 1853–55 he was an interpreter from Chinese in Yefim Putyatin's embassy in Japan. In 1856–58 Goshkevich served in Asiatic department of Russian MFA. Jointly with one Japanese Goshkevich compiled the first Japanese-Russian dictionary. Goshkevich also became the first Russian diplomatic representative in Japan. He wrote several works about China, Japan and on peculiarities of Japanese and Chinese languages.