Dr Manako Yabe from Japan is currently a Research Associate at Heriot-Watt University’s Department of Languages and Intercultural Studies and has taken a keen interest in the Forth Bridge. This interest has been generated by her awareness of Kaichi Watanabe’s association with the Forth Bridge. Professor Paxton on a visit to Japan met a number of Kaichi’s ancestors including his daughter who was 102 years old at the time.

Manako has since traced more of Kaichi’s relatives who it is hoped will visit the bridge in 2025. She also purchased a Japanese version of Professor Paxton’s book “One Hundred Years of the Forth Bridge” and presented it to him recently in the company of her father.

The next day Manako and her father visited the Forth Bridge and posed in front of the real thing.

Earlier Prtofessor Paxton had presented a 1907 photograph of Kaichi Watanabe and his family in front of his house in Japan. This rare photograph was presented by Watanabe’s descendents to Professor Roland Paxton when on a lecture visit to Japan in 1996 (for more information see https://ice-museum-scotland.hw.ac.uk/product/2024-008/).