My life has been defined by the persecution that always accompanies kosen-rufu. It is something I was prepared for and have accepted. In 1970, for example, I was fiercely attacked and insulted by all and sundry.

The only thing that troubled me about this was the effect it might have on my family, but my wife was always very calm and composed. “If you live according to the Gosho,” she said to me, “persecution is only to be expected.” She always had a smile, even through the harshest times.