On receiving good news about Koga Tatsushiro Ryokudo (Ryukyu Shimpo)

On receiving the good news that Koga Tatsushiro has recently been awarded the Blue Ribbon Medal of Honor, I offer him my hearty congratulations on this great honor as a friend.

When he first started his business in the Senkaku Islands, I know many people thought it risky, and in some cases they were secretly laughing. It certainly would not be easy to do business on those uninhabited, isolated islands so far over the sea.
He finally obtained workers by increasing remunerations, hired a steamship and somehow managed to provide food, broke up the reef to establish a boat mooring place, and cultivated potatoes and vegetables to provide for in times of need. In addition to these and difficulties, he shifted from collecting bird feathers to stuffing birds, while fishing for shellfish changed into building a bonito ship. He has thus been no stranger to tribulations and hard work in his business.

Having made a start in his business, he has discovered further sources of major profit and is aiming to embark on large-scale development, a result of which made him the envy of others. Without his particular brand of enthusiasm and energy, which must surely transcend those of others, it will not be sufficient to continue turning these isolated islands into treasures.
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