William Kinnimond Burton (11 May 1856 – 5 August 1899) was a Scottish engineer, photographer and photography writer, born in Edinburgh, Scotland, who lived most of his career in Meiji era Japan.

Rising to become chief draftsman, he left the firm in 1879 to enter partnership with his uncle Cosmo Innes[2] in London designing water systems.

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.

The sand filtration system he built in Shimonoseki city, Yamaguchi prefecture is still functional today, and the water bottled there for disaster preparation has Burton's picture on the label.

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.

[11] 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 5 August 1899 at the age of 43.

The memorial was dedicated at the Burton family home, Craig House, now part of the Craighouse Campus of Edinburgh Napier University.