坂本龍馬在長崎的商業社團「亀山社中」有記念館

Recently the NHK News reported the following:
幕末の志士、坂本龍馬が長崎で作った商社「亀山社中」の記念館の名誉館長に、大河ドラマ「龍馬伝」で勝海舟役を演じた武田鉄矢さんが就任しました。
「亀山社中」は、坂本龍馬が幕末の長崎で作った日本で初めての商社で、長崎市は建物を記念館として整備し、観光の拠点としています。この「長崎市亀山社中記念館」の名誉館長に、大河ドラマ「龍馬伝」で勝海舟役を演じ、フォークソンググループ「海援隊」のリーダーでもある武田鉄矢さんが就任し、２２日に就任証書が手渡されました。武田さんからは「龍馬ファンが集まる場所に飾ってほしい」と、二十数年前に高知で手に入れ、自宅に保管していたという龍馬の肖像画が寄贈されました。名誉館長になった武田さんは「龍馬が、ここで同じ景色や同じ空を眺めていたのは間違いありません。ぜひ、この場所に龍馬に会いにきてほしい」と話していました。亀山社中記念館には去年１年間、大河ドラマの影響もあって、予想を大幅に上回る２８万人が訪れましたが、長崎市では、大の龍馬ファンとして知られる武田さんに、その魅力を全国に発信してもらいたいとしています。
Tetsuya Takeda who had performed Kaumifuneyaku in the Taiga Drama "Biography of Ryoma" assumed the position of the honored superintendent of the memorial museum of the trading company "Kameyama Shachu" that patriot Ryoma Sakamoto established in Nagasaki at the end of shogunate period.
"Kameyama Shachu" was the first trading company in Japan and it was established by Ryoma Sakamoto in Nagasaki at the end of the shogunate period, Nagasaki City maintained the building as memorial museum and assumed it as a base for sightseeing. Tetsuya Takeda, who performed Kaumifuneyaku in the Taiga Drama "Biography of Ryoma" and himself the leader of a folk song group "Sea Rescue Corps", had assumed the position of the honored superintendent. The certificate of appointment was handed over to him on the 22nd. Mr. Takeda donated a portrait of Ryoma obtained in Kochi 20 or more years ago and kept at home afterwards, saying that "I want to decorate the place where Ryoma fans gather". Mr. Takeda who became the honored superintendent said ｢There is no mistake that Ryoma had viewed the same scenery and the same sky from here. By all means want to come to this place to meet Ryoma｣. In the past year the influence of the Taiga Drama on the Kameyama Shachu Memorial Museum was felt, the number of people who visited was 280,000 and that had far exceeded expectations. In Nagasaki City Mr Takeda who was known as a big fan of Ryoma, wanted to have such attraction spread out to the whole country.

The TV series Taiga Drama about Ryoma Sakamoto has helped adding one more tourist attraction to the city of Nagasaki.