Please forgive me for the short notice. I was interested and pleased to see your video. I am a distant relative of Mr. and Mrs. Taketsuru. My father's mother, my grandmother to me, died of tuberculosis in her early 30s. The doctor at the hospital told her that she should recuperate in a place with clean air. She then told her relatives, Mr. and Mrs. Taketsuru, who live in Yoichi, Hokkaido, about the situation and they welcomed her. My grandmother rented a place called Hanare (In the traditional Japanese way of building a house, a small building was constructed on the same site with a main house and a hanare, a small building at a slight distance from each other.), which is not the main house of the Taketsuru family. When my grandmother was convalescing, Mrs. Rita was not asked to do so, but out of her kindness and desire to nourish my grandmother, she would sometimes make and bring her a traditional English vegetable soup. I now live on Ishigaki Island, the southernmost tip of Japan, but before moving from Tokyo, I really wanted to express my gratitude to the graves of Mr. and Mrs. Taketsuru, so I went to Yoichi, Hokkaido. This was to express my deep gratitude to Mr. and Mrs. Taketsuru, who not only took in my grandmother, who was suffering from tuberculosis, a contagious and incurable disease at the time, and lent her their house, but also made vegetable soup for her despite the risk of infection. As I watched this video, I offered a prayer of thanks again, remembering how I felt at that time. Thank you very much.
Hello! I'm thrilled to read your comment, especially knowing that you're related to Mr. and Mrs. Taketsuru. Thanks for sharing your grandmother's story. It's heartwarming to hear about her time living with Mr. and Mrs. Taketsuru in Yoichi, especially Mrs. Taketsuru's kindness in making vegetable soup. It's a unique story I haven't heard before. I'm envious of your life on Ishigaki Island! What an amazing place to call home. In 2021, I spent about a month there. By the way, my Scottish friend Sam operates a British fish and chip food truck called Bonnie Blue on the island. If you ever come across it, please say hi and try his delicious fish and chips!
Hi Ruth san, I love your videos, they're incredible! I wanted to share a bit of my family anecdotes. My mom, who passed away last year at the age of 88, She was born and raised in Yoichi, Hokkaido. She lived really close to the Nikka Whisky distillery, and actually, her family was neighbors with Rita and Masataka! My grandparents were a little younger than Masataka and Rita. but They were all friendly.Later my mom told me her family, including her sister and brothers were close with Rita's family, and they would often times get invited over for meals. I imagined they had Scottish dishes or maybe even cookie parties! When I was 10 years old, my family spent the whole summer in Yoichi, my mom's hometown. We came from Tokushima, where my dad's from. I remembered the Nikka Whisky distillery being just a five-minute walk away! But back then, my mom never mentioned knowing the Taketsuru family. It wasn't until I saw the NHK story "Masan" that I learned about Nikka, Taketsuru, and their Scottish connection with Rita. My sister told me that Mom used have a friendship with Taketsuru and always had a strong influence adventurous spirit, and that she probably got it from Rita, who moved all the way from Scotland to Hokkaido. Because my mom had adventurous life with my dad and then moved to Shikoku with her marriage. It's funny how things come full circle - I ended up living in the US from Japan, too!! Maybe my mom's adventurous spirit rubbed off on me after all. So yeah, you could definitely say I get my sense of adventure from Rita Scottish adventures lady!! OMG!! I wish to visit Scotland someday. I do appreciated that your recaps Nikka whisky history the flipped side. Also Ruth san your Scottish accent is so lovely and understandable to me. Thanks 👍
Long time ago, I found the book you saw at museum in library and I was so fascinated. And later found out NHK Made the drama from that. I lived in USA, got married to American. I have so much respect to Rita. Your video was so awesome.
That’s amazing you found the book at the library! I think when you have lived away from your own country like you or I have, it makes you realise even more how hard it must have been for Rita!
In Japan, ``san'' is added to a person's name as an honorific title. Ruth and Shota even called their car "Sunny-san." Since ``Masataka'' is long, the honorific ``san'' was probably added to make it ``Massan.'Thank you for posting the video. I'm looking forward to the next video.
Thank you for sharing, it makes so much sense now. I always thought it would be Masataka-san instead, I didn't realise shortening names was a thing people did!
@@ruthaisling Shortening names, especially first names, is quite common and adding an honorific title such as san, kun and chan is also common in Japan. An interesting thing is that people would shorten Masataka (or Masaaki, Masahiro, Masanori, Masayuki, etc.) to Masa and might also add san, so it becomes Masa-san, which is quite natural, but it's kind of hard to pronounce, so some people may even shorten it to Massan. That is how Masataka becomes Massan. Similarly, you can be called Ru-chan if you like since your name, Ruth, is difficult for Japanese people to pronounce. Chan is a very friendly and kind of cute honorific title and perfectly suits young women (when you get, say, over thirty, you may want to be called Ru-san then. :) ).
An epic feature-length drama on Japanese national television made Rita Japan's most famous Scot. The drama was very popular at the time and Rita was respected and loved by many Japanese. Charlotte Kate Fox, who played Rita, was American but her grandmother was Scottish. She loved Japanese dumplings, but refused to eat them during the filming of the drama so as not to gain weight. It would have been very painful to resist eating dumplings.🤣
I have never heard of Rita until watching your video and I was moved with emotion. What a strong woman she was to leave everything she had ever known and move to another country far away, new language and culture for love. Wow! I’ve done something similar and I do miss home but it’s easier with today technology and airplanes etc but she had none of that. She is an inspiration and courageous woman 🥹
Wouldn't it be nice if STV or BBC broadcasted Massan or a remake of their version in memory of Rita san for it is the love of Masataka and Rita that Nikka exists....
It’s a very interesting story about relationships between Scotland and Japan. I had been watching this TV program on a real time. Most of Japanese calls a person “-san” as a polite way and sometimes used as a nickname. Then Masataka might be changed to call as “Mats-san” in a familiar and politely.
I just watched your very interesting video on Rita Cowan. I knew that a Japanese man went to Scotland in the 1900's to study Whisky Distilling but had no idea he married a Scottish woman. I worked for a NZ brewery in Melbourne and it was taken over by Asahi Breweries who own Nikka. When I retired I was presented with a $200 bottle of Nikki Whisky, very nice. I was especially interested in the story as I was born in Alloa, Clacks and left when I was 16 to live in Melbourne.
Fascinating! I taught Japanese history at a university in New York for years but never knew about this person. I did know that a good whiskey would come to be made in Japan at one point, but now I know “the reat of the story”! I appreciate very much your delving into history along with all else you blend into your travel videos. Thanks so much!
What an inspiring story of devotion, courage, and determination! Your own experience in Japan adds dimension to the story. On the hunt now for Nikka whisky here in Seattle.
I live in iwate,Tohoku,japan. I went to Yoichi on a trip. I met Nikka whiskey there, and there was something thoughtful.Thank you for your trip to Scotland. すばらしいスコットランドの旅、楽しくみています。
Hello Ruth-San. I am Japanese. Thank you for sharing the story of Masataka Taketsuru and Rita Taketsuru. Masataka Taketsuru is from Takehara City in Hiroshima Prefecture, which is my mother's hometown. When I was a child (more than 40 years ago), my grandmother told me that Masataka-san of the Taketsuru family (who produced Japanese Sake) had founded whiskey manufacturing company, the famous Nikka Whiskey. Please come visit Takehara City next time. Takehara is known for its old townscape and is known as Little Kyoto, but it has also been used as a filming location for many movies, and is loved by movie people. Takehara is also the sacred place of the anime `Tamayura'.
It sounds like a lovely place. I will add it to my list of places to visit in Hiroshima prefecture, thank you for sharing! I have yet to explore much of Japan west of Hyogo.
Another great job by Ruth. Ruth's presentations come-off as natural; they easily flow; they always seem joyful. Thank you Ruth. I hope you never lose your style.
You're right; I'd never heard of her but she certainly must have been a fierce woman for her and Masataka's relationship to survive through their families' hostility. Not to mention uprooting and moving halfway around the world! Also, I'd always known that Scottish and Irish distillers took their skills to America and were the origin of many of America's famous whiskies, but I certainly didn't know that it went east too. Kanpai! 🥃
Hi Ruth, So last evening, as a subscriber, I watched your video about Rita Cowan and Massan. Today I revisited Scotlands People to start researching the "irregular marriage " of my Dumfries grandparents in Glasgow in 1920. To cut a long story short, I visited the scene of their marriage in Hope Street alongside Glasgow Central Station a couple of weeks ago and, realising that it was a multiple occupancy office in 1920, googled "irregular marriage" juts now to find out more, What a coincidence and surprise to find Scotlands People's article " ‘Massan’ the whisky pioneer and Rita Cowan his Scottish wife, 1920" as an example of this type of marriage less than 12 hours from you telling me about the "unknown" Rita and Massan! Now to find out why my two Doonhamers opted to get married in Glasgow when her sisters got married in the long demolished South Church Dumfries where their father was a lay preacher. Good fun when you live south of London. Great videos by the way!
What a coincidence, thanks for sharing! I had planned to go to the council offices where they had got married and film there but on the day I planned to go I found out about the new emission rules for diesel vehicles in Glasgow and in the end decided not to drive in! 😂
Thank you for sharing the great story and the historic sight, that is so beautiful !!! By the way, "Massan" is just a nickname. Names of things or person with more than four syllables tend to be abbreviated, so "mas-san" had been used instead of "masataka-san," I guess!
Thanks Ruth, I really enjoyed that video although I never heard the story before, must of been really hard for them both.....the research you do for all your videos make then really enjoyable and being Scottish myself but have been living in SW Wales since the early 70's due to work commitments I really enjoy your videos around Scotland......
Thank you for your lovely comment Sandy. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the video! It's really hard to imagine how difficult it must have been at the time for them!
Great story Ruth . I'm familiar with Masataka and his involvement with the development of the whisky industry in Japan and heard about Rita, but never knew much about her. BTW The Good Spirits Co. In Glasgow is a wonderful shop. Thanks!
Don't usually comment before watching a video, but yesterday I bought a bottle of Nikka - 'Single Malt Yoichi'. 6pm Sunday evening here in Australia, perfect time to pour a dram and watch the perfect video.
That is an amazing story Ruth. Thanks for bringing it to life here. One thing that you would hope that will change is the reality that no matter our origins the world is an amazing place.
I attended the reopening of the Ben Nevis Distillery in Fort William around 1990 and met Takeshi Taketsuru. He was most interested to hear that I was brought up in Kirkintilloch and knew the story, but sadly did not invite me to visit him in Japan.
I was very impressed with this video. You did a good job. Shota is also doing a good job. I hope you will do a good job with him back in Japan. I love Nikka.
Hi, watched about a dozen of your video's so far and enjoyed them all , this one in particular was very interesting as I've never heard of either of them before , you are a fantastic and genuine presenter and I wish you well with your channel, subscribed now
Hi Ruth, I enjoyed this episode even though I knew about her and the interesting story and Scottish connection behind the Japanese whisky. I’ll maybe see you and Ernie on the road in a few weeks as I’m going to tour the Outer Hebrides. If you’ve been there and have any hints and tips on where to visit or know of any hidden gems I’d love to hear about them. Thanks. Have a great week. 😊x
I'm really happy to hear you already knew about Rita Cowan! I've never been to the Outer Hebrides, hoping to go this year too! Please say hello if you do see Ernie!
Well documented, well done. I haven't watched the NHK program Massan yet. It would be great if it were broadcast in English in the UK. I would definitely watch it.
What a fabulous story! You are correct…I had no clue who she and they were. Thank you for telling their story and now I will share this with my daughters who love having a mum from such an amazing country. Thank you again Ruth. 🏴🏴🏴
What an amazing story. Thanks Ruth for revealing it, in your own inimitable way. You are an incredibly impressive & talented woman who has made a compelling channel.
Interesting story. We do not get enough stories about notable women in history. I wonder how many Scottish people are more famous outside of Scotland, like John Muir in the US, and John A. Macdonald in Canada. Brian McNeil wrote a song about John Muir titled "Muir and the Master Builder" (I prefer Dick Gaughan's version).
Nothing quite like you on RUclips (and I mean that in a nice way)😊 Interesting back story to this one in particular, but all of your videos informative in their own way, and I like how you choose the lesser known places and themes.
Very interesting story, I visited Japan when I was serving in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary both Honshu and Hokkaido, the only Whisky we tried was San Tory, it was very interesting country to visit. Keep them coming Ruth, I am actually from Arbroath, famous for “Smokies!” Cheers Mike🥃
This is a great story Ruth, I had never heard of Rita before, will certainly go too Kirkintilloch to see the Museum, I live near Girvan, on the South West of Scotland, So it isn’t that far, take care xxx❤
Hi! Ruth! I’m a 67 years old senior Japanese in Yokohama Japan. I’m always watching your channel since you’re in japan and enjoying it. You are asking about why the name of TV title is “ Massan “. Massan is just like nickname, and easily to call. In japan , we call one’s name more friendly and closely. For example, if I call your name more friendly , I will call you “Ruth-san “. That’s a reason I think.
@@ruthaisling Yes, I think it's from popular way of nickname in Westside Japan since he was born and raised in Hiroshima and worked in Osaka before moving to Hokkaido. Like this : Masa-taka-san → Masa-san → Massan in the true story and Masa-haru-san is also called Massan in TV drama. And this San doesn’t mean too formal. I hope this helps you understand!
Thank you for your reply. At the beginning I should say about my uncle he passed away a few years ago ,his name is Masaharu. So we call him “massan”. As a calling name, people using shorter.
I had heard of Masataka Taketsuru and the beginnings of Nikka, and one of my favorite Japanese whiskies is Yoichi Single Malt (it's slightly peaty, so I'm guessing you'd love it), but we never hear about Rita Cowan. Thanks for sharing this history.
Please forgive me for the short notice.
I was interested and pleased to see your video.
I am a distant relative of Mr. and Mrs. Taketsuru.
My father's mother, my grandmother to me, died of tuberculosis in her early 30s.
The doctor at the hospital told her that she should recuperate in a place with clean air.
She then told her relatives, Mr. and Mrs. Taketsuru, who live in Yoichi, Hokkaido, about the situation and they welcomed her.
My grandmother rented a place called Hanare (In the traditional Japanese way of building a house, a small building was constructed on the same site with a main house and a hanare, a small building at a slight distance from each other.), which is not the main house of the Taketsuru family.
When my grandmother was convalescing, Mrs. Rita was not asked to do so, but out of her kindness and desire to nourish my grandmother, she would sometimes make and bring her a traditional English vegetable soup.
I now live on Ishigaki Island, the southernmost tip of Japan, but before moving from Tokyo, I really wanted to express my gratitude to the graves of Mr. and Mrs. Taketsuru, so I went to Yoichi, Hokkaido.
This was to express my deep gratitude to Mr. and Mrs. Taketsuru, who not only took in my grandmother, who was suffering from tuberculosis, a contagious and incurable disease at the time, and lent her their house, but also made vegetable soup for her despite the risk of infection.
As I watched this video, I offered a prayer of thanks again, remembering how I felt at that time.
Thank you very much.
Hello! I'm thrilled to read your comment, especially knowing that you're related to Mr. and Mrs. Taketsuru.
Thanks for sharing your grandmother's story. It's heartwarming to hear about her time living with Mr. and Mrs. Taketsuru in Yoichi, especially Mrs. Taketsuru's kindness in making vegetable soup. It's a unique story I haven't heard before.
I'm envious of your life on Ishigaki Island! What an amazing place to call home. In 2021, I spent about a month there. By the way, my Scottish friend Sam operates a British fish and chip food truck called Bonnie Blue on the island. If you ever come across it, please say hi and try his delicious fish and chips!
待ってました！
リタさんのふるさとを見られて感激です。
自分は食べない「イカの塩辛」を作るのが誰よりも上手だったリタさん。
信念と努力の人だったんでしょうね。
マッサンとリタの深い愛情に感動！
イカの塩辛については興味深い、 特に彼女が自分で食べなかったとしたら。
日本人でもあまり作らないイカの塩辛をスコットランド人が作るとは！！！彼女が作った梅干しがツボに残って展示されてるそうです。
リタさんは料理自体が上手だったようでスコットランド料理も大変上手だったそうです。
日本料理もご主人が「最高」と太鼓判を押してますから。
沢庵も上手だったそうですよ。@@thanarattakai
あの時代に日本に来られて大変なご苦労をされたと思います。素晴らしい女性ですね。
リタは素晴らしい女性だ！
Hi Ruth san,
I love your videos, they're incredible! I wanted to share a bit of my family anecdotes. My mom, who passed away last year at the age of 88, She was born and raised in Yoichi, Hokkaido. She lived really close to the Nikka Whisky distillery, and actually, her family was neighbors with Rita and Masataka! My grandparents were a little younger than Masataka and Rita. but They were all friendly.Later my mom told me her family, including her sister and brothers were close with Rita's family, and they would often times get invited over for meals. I imagined they had Scottish dishes or maybe even cookie parties!
When I was 10 years old, my family spent the whole summer in Yoichi, my mom's hometown. We came from Tokushima, where my dad's from. I remembered the Nikka Whisky distillery being just a five-minute walk away! But back then, my mom never mentioned knowing the Taketsuru family.
It wasn't until I saw the NHK story "Masan" that I learned about Nikka, Taketsuru, and their Scottish connection with Rita. My sister told me that Mom used have a friendship with Taketsuru and always had a strong influence adventurous spirit, and that she probably got it from Rita, who moved all the way from Scotland to Hokkaido. Because my mom had adventurous life with my dad and then moved to Shikoku with her marriage. It's funny how things come full circle - I ended up living in the US from Japan, too!! Maybe my mom's adventurous spirit rubbed off on me after all. So yeah, you could definitely say I get my sense of adventure from Rita Scottish adventures lady!! OMG!! I wish to visit Scotland someday. I do appreciated that your recaps Nikka whisky history the flipped side. Also Ruth san your Scottish accent is so lovely and understandable to me. Thanks 👍
マッサンとリタの物語は、ホントに良かったです。NHKの朝ドラでは初めての外国人ヒロイン、シャーロット・ケイト・フォックスがとてもチャーミングでファンになりました。この後から、私はニッカのウィスキーをよく飲むようになりました。色々イメージが広がって、ホントに楽しめるウィスキーです！！！！！
Long time ago, I found the book you saw at museum in library and I was so fascinated. And later found out NHK Made the drama from that. I lived in USA, got married to American. I have so much respect to Rita. Your video was so awesome.
That’s amazing you found the book at the library! I think when you have lived away from your own country like you or I have, it makes you realise even more how hard it must have been for Rita!
スコットランドのウィスキーと日本のニッカウイスキーは昔から繋がりが有ったのですね、ルースさんの疑問は正孝がなぜマッサンと呼ばれたか、妻のリタが正孝をマッサンと呼んだからと言われていますよ、ルースさんがわざわざ日本のニッカウイスキーのルーツを訪ねてくれたのは感謝します、勉強になりました、ありがとう😉👍️🎶次回も楽しみに待ってます🤗
スコットランドと日本の間にこのようなつながりがあるのは素晴らしいことだ。マッサンという名前について教えてくれてありがとう。
@@ruthaisling Have a good van life trip🛻
北海道に住んでいますが、改めて勉強させていただきました！Ruthさんもまた北海道へいらしてくださいね😊👍
ビデオを見てくれてありがとう。北海道が大好きなので、また必ず訪れます。
いつも憧れのスコットランドの紹介ありがとうございます。まさかリタの生家の写真や過ごした町の様子が見られると思っていませんでした。戦争の歴史は多くの家族がなくなり不幸な人を作りますね、しかし人を信じて１００年近く前に日本に渡ったリタは自分の意志の強い人だったのですね。
また、新しい旅の報告を楽しみにしています交通事故？動物にも注意してください。
スコットランドのビデオを見てくれてありがとう！
In Japan, ``san'' is added to a person's name as an honorific title. Ruth and Shota even called their car "Sunny-san." Since ``Masataka'' is long, the honorific ``san'' was probably added to make it ``Massan.'Thank you for posting the video. I'm looking forward to the next video.
Thank you for sharing, it makes so much sense now. I always thought it would be Masataka-san instead, I didn't realise shortening names was a thing people did!
@@ruthaisling Shortening names, especially first names, is quite common and adding an honorific title such as san, kun and chan is also common in Japan. An interesting thing is that people would shorten Masataka (or Masaaki, Masahiro, Masanori, Masayuki, etc.) to Masa and might also add san, so it becomes Masa-san, which is quite natural, but it's kind of hard to pronounce, so some people may even shorten it to Massan. That is how Masataka becomes Massan.
Similarly, you can be called Ru-chan if you like since your name, Ruth, is difficult for Japanese people to pronounce. Chan is a very friendly and kind of cute honorific title and perfectly suits young women (when you get, say, over thirty, you may want to be called Ru-san then. :) ).
As a Nikka Whiskey drinker, I'm glad that you've put on such a great program.
Thank you for watching, I'm happy to hear you enjoyed it!
An epic feature-length drama on Japanese national television made Rita Japan's most famous Scot. The drama was very popular at the time and Rita was respected and loved by many Japanese. Charlotte Kate Fox, who played Rita, was American but her grandmother was Scottish. She loved Japanese dumplings, but refused to eat them during the filming of the drama so as not to gain weight. It would have been very painful to resist eating dumplings.🤣
Hahah wow, Japanese dumplings are so delicious. That must have been so difficult!
I have never heard of Rita until watching your video and I was moved with emotion. What a strong woman she was to leave everything she had ever known and move to another country far away, new language and culture for love. Wow! I’ve done something similar and I do miss home but it’s easier with today technology and airplanes etc but she had none of that. She is an inspiration and courageous woman 🥹
It is such a moving story. Thank you for watching and I’m glad you enjoyed it 😊
良いものを観せていただきました、ありがとうございます。
コメントありがとう。
Wouldn't it be nice if STV or BBC broadcasted Massan or a remake of their version in memory of Rita san for it is the love of Masataka and Rita that Nikka exists....
What a great idea, that would be so wonderful if that happened!
ルースさん、ありがとう。とても素敵な動画で、何かスコットランドと日本の繋がりに心が揺さぶられます。今からスコッチウイスキーを飲みます。
ビデオを見てくれてありがとう。どのウイスキーがお好きですか？
一番はグレーンモーレンジーですね。シングルモルトは格別です。
ルースさん いつも素敵なスコットランドのリポート有難う。８４歳 姫路の宇仁菅(ウニスガ)です。今回はNHKの朝ドラ『マッサン』のリタさんふるさと
カーキンティロックの詳しいリポート興味を持って拝見しました。マサタカ・リタさんの当時の様子がよくわかりました。ありがとう。
姫路からの応援ありがとうございました。ビデオを楽しんでいただけてうれしいです。
It’s a very interesting story about relationships between Scotland and Japan. I had been watching this TV program on a real time. Most of Japanese calls a person “-san” as a polite way and sometimes used as a nickname. Then Masataka might be changed to call as “Mats-san” in a familiar and politely.
Yes, I believe the towns of Yoichi and Kirkintilloch are twinned together. Thank you for sharing about the name Massan, I was very curious about that.
I just watched your very interesting video on Rita Cowan. I knew that a Japanese man went to Scotland in the 1900's to study Whisky Distilling but had no idea he married a Scottish woman. I worked for a NZ brewery in Melbourne and it was taken over by Asahi Breweries who own Nikka. When I retired I was presented with a $200 bottle of Nikki Whisky, very nice. I was especially interested in the story as I was born in Alloa, Clacks and left when I was 16 to live in Melbourne.
Fascinating! I taught Japanese history at a university in New York for years but never knew about this person. I did know that a good whiskey would come to be made in Japan at one point, but now I know “the reat of the story”! I appreciate very much your delving into history along with all else you blend into your travel videos. Thanks so much!
Thanks for watching! I’m glad you enjoyed the story. 😊
貴重な資料を見せて頂き有難う御座います、変わらずお過ごしされて、嬉しく思います、元気で、事故の無いようお過ごしくださいね。
ありがとう。私は安全でいる。
@@ruthaisling
スコットランドと日本は深い繋がりがあった事をルースに
教えて頂き有り難うございました。
いつも普通に海外のドキュメンタリー番組を見ているようで、
とても為になるし、楽しくていつも終わるのがあっという間に感じます。
初めてお便り致します。小生当年72歳NHKドラマ「マッさん」以前からリタさんの事は書籍でかなり知っていました。朝ドラにすればドラマチックやのになーと思っていました。リタを演じたカナダ女性が素晴らしい！。当時の状況で日本への嫁入り⁈は大大冒険やったと思います。その勇気にだけでも感動してしまいます。他にも新渡戸稲造の奥さんやら寺崎英成？の奥さんとかヘボン式ローマ字を考案されたヘップバーン御夫妻とか欧米でも真摯なプロテスタントが沢山居られ、来日して日本の為に、夫の為に骨を埋める覚悟で来られた方々には深謝に耐えません。
コメントありがとう。
他の選手の話も興味深いです。
What an inspiring story of devotion, courage, and determination! Your own experience in Japan adds dimension to the story. On the hunt now for Nikka whisky here in Seattle.
I'll also need to try and find some in Scotland!
I live in iwate,Tohoku,japan. I went to Yoichi on a trip.
I met Nikka whiskey there, and there was something thoughtful.Thank you for your trip to Scotland.
すばらしいスコットランドの旅、楽しくみています。
あなたは北海道からそれほど遠くない。余市の蒸留所を訪問する機会があったことをうれしく思う！
Hello Ruth-San. I am Japanese.
Thank you for sharing the story of Masataka Taketsuru and Rita Taketsuru.
Masataka Taketsuru is from Takehara City in Hiroshima Prefecture, which is my mother's hometown.
When I was a child (more than 40 years ago), my grandmother told me that Masataka-san of the Taketsuru family (who produced Japanese Sake) had founded whiskey manufacturing company, the famous Nikka Whiskey.
Please come visit Takehara City next time.
Takehara is known for its old townscape and is known as Little Kyoto, but it has also been used as a filming location for many movies, and is loved by movie people.
Takehara is also the sacred place of the anime `Tamayura'.
It sounds like a lovely place. I will add it to my list of places to visit in Hiroshima prefecture, thank you for sharing! I have yet to explore much of Japan west of Hyogo.
マサタカは1979年まで生きてたんですね😳私が生まれる1年前❗マッサンのドラマはよかったです😌
今から100年以上前に日本に来た外国出身の女性って大変だったと思う。
都内で欧米出身の女性は普通に目にしますが、当時の余市では奇異な眼で見られることも多くマッサンの愛情が無ければとても耐えられるものでは無かったでしょう。
余市は東京からかなり遠い。それがどのようなものであったか、想像するのは難しい！
非常に興味深く拝見致しました。ちなみに、私のお気に入りウイスキーは、ＮＩＫＫＡ ＢＬＡＣＫ ｃｌｅａｒ です。
とても、コストパフォーマンスが良くＧＯＯＤです。😁
日本にいるときに買っておけばよかった。次回は試してみよう！
This was a great watch, Ruth! I've heard a lot about Masataka over the years at Nikka tastings so it's refreshing to see and hear more about Rita.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Another great job by Ruth. Ruth's presentations come-off as natural; they easily flow; they always seem joyful. Thank you Ruth. I hope you never lose your style.
You are so welcome!
私もNHKのドラマ「マッサン｣にハマった者の一人です。
素敵な動画をありがとうございます😄
このビデオを見てくれてありがとう。
Helloはじめまして〜🤗NHKテレビの朝ドラを観て感動してリタとマッサンの事を知りました!リタも日本に来ていろいろ苦労したと思いますが、マッサンを支え続けたのですね♪そして、自分には関係ないけど、この事を動画にして下さりありがとうございます!😊
彼女にとってはとても辛いことだったに違いない。コメントありがとう。
You're right; I'd never heard of her but she certainly must have been a fierce woman for her and Masataka's relationship to survive through their families' hostility. Not to mention uprooting and moving halfway around the world!
Also, I'd always known that Scottish and Irish distillers took their skills to America and were the origin of many of America's famous whiskies, but I certainly didn't know that it went east too.
Kanpai! 🥃
It must have been so tough, the NHK drama is really shows a lot of her struggles, if you ever get the chance to watch it, I recommend it!
泣けてきます。ありがとう。
僕もだよ。
感動的な話だ！
Hi Ruth, So last evening, as a subscriber, I watched your video about Rita Cowan and Massan. Today I revisited Scotlands People to start researching the "irregular marriage " of my Dumfries grandparents in Glasgow in 1920. To cut a long story short, I visited the scene of their marriage in Hope Street alongside Glasgow Central Station a couple of weeks ago and, realising that it was a multiple occupancy office in 1920, googled "irregular marriage" juts now to find out more, What a coincidence and surprise to find Scotlands People's article " ‘Massan’ the whisky pioneer and Rita Cowan his Scottish wife, 1920" as an example of this type of marriage less than 12 hours from you telling me about the "unknown" Rita and Massan! Now to find out why my two Doonhamers opted to get married in Glasgow when her sisters got married in the long demolished South Church Dumfries where their father was a lay preacher. Good fun when you live south of London. Great videos by the way!
What a coincidence, thanks for sharing! I had planned to go to the council offices where they had got married and film there but on the day I planned to go I found out about the new emission rules for diesel vehicles in Glasgow and in the end decided not to drive in! 😂
Thank you for sharing the great story and the historic sight, that is so beautiful !!!
By the way, "Massan" is just a nickname. Names of things or person with more than four syllables tend to be abbreviated, so "mas-san" had been used instead of "masataka-san," I guess!
So interesting to know, thanks for sharing!
ニッカウイスキーの竹鶴は高くなってしまって庶民には手が届かなくなってしまった…ドラマは観ましたよ良かったです。故郷でリタさんがあまり有名で無いのは残念ですね…
値段は知らなかった。普段ウイスキーは買わないので(笑)！
残念ですが、このビデオでリタについての認識が高まればと思います。
Lovely little biography. A fascinating subject. Must now try some nikka whisky. Thanks for another gem. Rmb5*
Thanks for watching, hope you enjoy the Nikka whisky when you try it!
Thanks Ruth, I really enjoyed that video although I never heard the story before, must of been really hard for them both.....the research you do for all your videos make then really enjoyable and being Scottish myself but have been living in SW Wales since the early 70's due to work commitments I really enjoy your videos around Scotland......
Thank you for your lovely comment Sandy. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the video! It's really hard to imagine how difficult it must have been at the time for them!
Great story Ruth . I'm familiar with Masataka and his involvement with the development of the whisky industry in Japan and heard about Rita, but never knew much about her.
BTW The Good Spirits Co. In Glasgow is a wonderful shop.
Thanks!
I’m happy you’d heard about her! I looked up the shop and it looks fantastic, I’ll pay it a visit next time I’m in Glasgow
Don't usually comment before watching a video, but yesterday I bought a bottle of Nikka - 'Single Malt Yoichi'. 6pm Sunday evening here in Australia, perfect time to pour a dram and watch the perfect video.
That is fantastic, the perfect video to drink it with, enjoy!!
Wonderful video, thanks.
That is an amazing story Ruth.
Thanks for bringing it to life here.
One thing that you would hope that will change is the reality that no matter our origins the world is an amazing place.
Thanks for your comment Sean, glad you enjoyed the video!
この街で恋をして結ばれたのですね～😊✨素敵な街ですね～❤️
Ruth Aisling さん、感謝します。素敵な動画を有難う。
I attended the reopening of the Ben Nevis Distillery in Fort William around 1990 and met Takeshi Taketsuru. He was most interested to hear that I was brought up in Kirkintilloch and knew the story, but sadly did not invite me to visit him in Japan.
Oh wow, that is amazing! I just checked online and see that he passed away a few years ago. How wonderful that you met him
@@ruthaislingHave you visited the Japanese Garden at Cowden, near Dollar in Clackmannanshire? Probably worth a video!
If he lived in Takeshi's Castle, you had a lucky escape ... It's full of madmen and monsters.
Another fine piece of our history. Thanks.
Glad you enjoyed it!
👍ﾘﾀ＆ﾏｯｻﾝの短編ﾄﾞｷｭﾒﾝﾀﾘｰ😊. 現地(Scott)の方の視点からは初めてです. 出来の良いもの見せてくれてありがとうございます‼.
ビデオを楽しんでいただけてうれしい。ご視聴ありがとうございました。
I was very impressed with this video. You did a good job. Shota is also doing a good job. I hope you will do a good job with him back in Japan. I love Nikka.
I';m happy to hear you enjoyed the video, thanks for watching!
Fantastic story!! We are enjoying your videos so much. You do such a nice job with showing off your beautiful country. 🏴🏴🏴
Thanks so much! 😊
She sounds like a very courageous lady. Thank you and good job on the video.
Thanks for watching!
素晴らしいドキュメンタリー番組になっていますね。
とても興味深い内容でよかったです。
あと、景色がとても綺麗で感銘を受けました。とても良い所ですね。
ビデオを楽しんでいただけてうれしい。コメントありがとう。
Nice story & told very well 👍🏼
Glad you liked it!
Hi, watched about a dozen of your video's so far and enjoyed them all , this one in particular was very interesting as I've never heard of either of them before , you are a fantastic and genuine presenter and I wish you well with your channel, subscribed now
I'm glad you enjoyed it, thank you!
What a fascinating story.❤
ルースさんお久しぶりです。またルースさんを動画を観ることができて嬉しいです。
竹鶴政孝と竹鶴リタのことは、よく知っています。
二人の時代は不幸にも戦争の時代でしたが、二人の愛と努力が、世界的に評価される日本のウィスキーを育てました。
もっと詳しい二人の足跡など、この動画の続編が楽しみです。
うれしいコメントをありがとう。もっと紹介することがあるかどうかわからないが、もっと情報を探してみるよ。
まさたかは、マッサン、よしおだったら、ヨッサンに成りますね。さんは敬称です。
以前、ルースさんがニッカの蒸留所に行ったときは、感動しました。
ニッカウヰスキー蒸留所が大好きでした。3回目も行きたい(笑)。
Love biographies! Thank you for sharing about this remarkable Scottish woman!
Glad you enjoyed it!
How incredible. All the history of these people.
今はニッカウイスキーの良いものは世界的に入手困難だそう。NHKの連続テレビ小説「マッサン」は非常に面白かったですね。
スコットランドで買ってみた。
一番安いボトルで60～70ポンド。
What an amazing story. Thank you for introducing her to me. I'm going to see what I can find and learn more. Thank you
Hi Ruth, I enjoyed this episode even though I knew about her and the interesting story and Scottish connection behind the Japanese whisky. I’ll maybe see you and Ernie on the road in a few weeks as I’m going to tour the Outer Hebrides. If you’ve been there and have any hints and tips on where to visit or know of any hidden gems I’d love to hear about them. Thanks. Have a great week. 😊x
I'm really happy to hear you already knew about Rita Cowan! I've never been to the Outer Hebrides, hoping to go this year too! Please say hello if you do see Ernie!
Thank you so much for introducing Japanese whisky on your channel! 😊
I’m grateful for that as a Japanese whisky lover.
Thank you for watching!
Well documented, well done. I haven't watched the NHK program Massan yet. It would be great if it were broadcast in English in the UK. I would definitely watch it.
Thank you, someone commented that STV should broadcast it, I wish they would!
今回も凄く勉強になりました。日本人である私が知らないこと日本人がスコットランドウィスキーの勉強をしささえてくれ方かルースさんと同じスコットランドとは！余市には絶対行きます。リタ通り散策します。いつも為になるお話ありがとう❤️
ありがとう。余市の旅を楽しんでください。
Very interesting story! I am enjoying your videos exploring Scotland.
I’m glad you enjoyed the video!
ていねいな取材と美しい映像、テンポのいい編集。勉強になりました。NHKはここの博物館に「マッサン
」のDVDを寄贈してほしいと思います。日本語が分からなくても何となく意味はくみ取れますから。何より中島みゆきさんのテーマソングがいい。博物館はスコットランドと日本の交流拠点になれるはずです。
スコットランドのミュージアムのコレクションがもっと大きくなって、もっと多くのアイテムが含まれるようになればいいと思う。
Wow such a beautiful story…very brave people
What a fabulous story!
You are correct…I had no clue who she and they were.
Thank you for telling their story and now I will share this with my daughters who love having a mum from such an amazing country.
Thank you again Ruth.
🏴🏴🏴
Thanks for watching! She was an amazing lady!
Fantastic upload there Ruth, 💯 PERFECT as always, really enjoyed it,
What a great story init,
The fabulous story of a true love. Thanks to let it know.
Totally fascinating! Thank you for sharing! Blessings to you Ruth!
Glad you enjoyed it!
@@ruthaisling Aye lass! I really did! Have a lovely day!🙂
What an amazing story. Thanks Ruth for revealing it, in your own inimitable way. You are an incredibly impressive & talented woman who has made a compelling channel.
Interesting story. We do not get enough stories about notable women in history. I wonder how many Scottish people are more famous outside of Scotland, like John Muir in the US, and John A. Macdonald in Canada. Brian McNeil wrote a song about John Muir titled "Muir and the Master Builder" (I prefer Dick Gaughan's version).
I really enjoyed that. Thanks Ruth
So glad!
とても感動しました。ありがとうございます。
I was very impressed. thank you.
Thank you for a really interesting documentary. More like this please.
Glad you enjoyed it!
What an
Amazing story, thankyou for sharing. 😊
What a lovely story, your interest really shone through Ruth.
That's great, I have such a fascination with this story!
Nothing quite like you on RUclips (and I mean that in a nice way)😊 Interesting back story to this one in particular, but all of your videos informative in their own way, and I like how you choose the lesser known places and themes.
Haha thank you (I think 😅). I much prefer these lesser known places and stories so there will be more to come
I'm glad to see Rita's beautiful hometown and the exibition corner of Rita and Massan.
I remembered TV program "MASSAN" and their deep love.
I want to watch all the DVDs again!
"Thank you so much"
『マッサンとリタ』の物語をありがとう。
日本では、リタの物語はあまり知られていません。
「政孝と、その妻リタ」として語られています。 だから、今回のビデオは大変重要です！！ 「マッサン」は、リタが「政孝さん（Masataka さん）」をフレンドリーに呼んだのだと思います。
NHKのドラマ「マッサン」が放映された後、日本からウィスキーが無くなりました。
これは本当に「（スコッチ）ウィスキーが売れすぎて、原酒が無くなりそうだった」のです。 そのNHKドラマ「マッサンの主題歌」
ruclips.net/video/FSsGY_mLjwI/видео.html もヒットしました。
良い歌です、スコットランドと日本の絆を感じます
コメントをありがとう。
テーマソングが大好きなので、今日も繰り返し聴きます！
What a great story! Thank you for sharing this.
It is such an interesting story! I’m glad you enjoyed it 😊
Very interesting history, Ive had Yamazaki whisky and will try Nikka whisky sometime if I can.
What a great story about a Scottish woman history museum. Great video friend dear 🥰 💕💞
Very interesting story, I visited Japan when I was serving in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary both Honshu and Hokkaido, the only Whisky we tried was San Tory, it was very interesting country to visit. Keep them coming Ruth, I am actually from Arbroath, famous for “Smokies!” Cheers Mike🥃
Thanks Mike! I was in Arbroath last week and tried the smokies, very delicious!
What a great topic to know. thanks you Ruth-san
Thanks for watching!
It was nice to see you where in my home town, I really enjoyed the story off Rita
Did you already know of the story?
@@ruthaisling I had heard about her when I was doing some research into whisky. The next time your in the area give a shout and I'll buy you a coffee
Hello Ruth mick from Hull another lovely episode hope you are well I will look forward to your next episode xx😊😊
Thank you! 😊
Awesome Thumbnail!!!!!
This looks interesting,
And yes never heard of the lovely lady,
Whisky 🥃
This is a great story Ruth, I had never heard of Rita before, will certainly go too Kirkintilloch to see the Museum, I live near Girvan, on the South West of Scotland, So it isn’t that far, take care xxx❤
Oh lovely, I spent 2 summers living in Girvan, such a nice place!
That was so interesting Ruth! Wonderful story! It is so interesting to see the place where they lived. It’s a lovely town. Great video!❤
Glad you enjoyed it! It's the most amazing story!
Fantastic story Ruth, And well put together. Looking forward to the next one already. :)
Thank you!
Hi! Ruth!
I’m a 67 years old senior Japanese in Yokohama Japan.
I’m always watching your channel since you’re in japan and enjoying it.
You are asking about why the name of TV title is “ Massan “.
Massan is just like nickname, and easily to call.
In japan , we call one’s name more friendly and closely.
For example, if I call your name more friendly , I will call you “Ruth-san “.
That’s a reason I think.
Thank you for sharing about the name "Massan" and for watching the videos for many years, I really appreciate your support.
@@ruthaisling Yes, I think it's from popular way of nickname in Westside Japan since he was born and raised in Hiroshima and worked in Osaka before moving to Hokkaido. Like this : Masa-taka-san → Masa-san → Massan in the true story and Masa-haru-san is also called Massan in TV drama. And this San doesn’t mean too formal. I hope this helps you understand!
Thank you for your reply.
At the beginning I should say about my uncle he passed away a few years ago ,his name is Masaharu.
So we call him “massan”.
As a calling name, people using shorter.
I had heard of Masataka Taketsuru and the beginnings of Nikka, and one of my favorite Japanese whiskies is Yoichi Single Malt (it's slightly peaty, so I'm guessing you'd love it), but we never hear about Rita Cowan. Thanks for sharing this history.
Glad you found the video interesting!
Superb Ruth, a beautiful story of two people their dream and love
Thank you for introducing the story of Rita and Massan (^ ^) Thanks to the two of us, I can drink Nikka whiskey🥃
It's a great story 😀
Interesting that whiskey and the best way to embellish one's life through love from a Japanese San and Scottish lass.
Why is this scottish woman's history not widely known in Scotland they should include Rita's story in the Kelvingrove Museum Glasgow
Really enjoyed that episode, thanks Ruth.
Thank you Jonathan!