Mineko says, “Each of your struggles at that time became good fortune and benefit, and now they’ve all blossomed like flowers.”

Remembering his youth, he said to his wife Mineko: “I was facing a storm of adversity every single day then. Mr Toda’s businesses failed, and I didn’t receive a salary for several months in a row. My tuberculosis was getting worse, and I was running a daily fever. In the middle of winter, I didn’t even have an overcoat. But I continued to work until I was exhausted. I thought to myself, ‘I might collapse today, but I won’t be beaten!’ I fought fiercely for him. I was the only one protecting Sensei.”

“When I got holes in my socks, I couldn’t afford to buy new ones, so I darned them myself. I wasn’t very good at it, and the seams were like little ridges everywhere.”

Mineko remarked: “It was very hard, wasn’t it? But each of your struggles at that time became good fortune and benefit, and now they’ve all blossomed like flowers.”

Shin’ichi nodded at her words: “Yes, that’s right. Everything I endured is now a wonderful memory. It’s my proud personal history. It’s a precious treasure, all because I dedicated myself entirely to a great mentor in kosen-rufu.”