When Katsuyo was seven years old, she caught the measles, which damaged her eyesight. One day when she was 20 years old, she told her mother out of the blue that she wanted to learn to play the koto<\/i>. But playing the instrument didn\u2019t bring her any genuine sense of happiness; she felt it was simply enough to have something that she could concentrate her energies on fully.<\/p>\n
In 1969, five years after joining the Soka Gakkai, Katsuyo met Shin\u2019ichi in Nago and was able to receive encouragement from him.<\/p>\n
About a year before her encounter with Shin\u2019ichi on the beach at Nago, Katsuyo\u2019s beloved mother, who had been the support and pillar of her life, passed away. Katsuyo met Shin\u2019ichi as she was still grappling with the pain and grief of her loss. She never forgot Shin\u2019ichi\u2019s words on that occasion: \u201cI assure you, if you persevere with faith until the very end, you will definitely become happy. Some people, when they experience a series of unfortunate events, decide that they are unlucky and powerless, and they extinguish the flame of hope in their hearts. But such an attitude itself is a source of misery. Being unable to see does not mean that you have to be unhappy. Please open the \u2018eye\u2019 of faith, the \u2018eye\u2019 of the heart, and live out your life vigorously and positively. If you can do that, you will bring hope and courage to countless others. Please become a beacon to many, many people.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the evening, after receiving guidance from Shin\u2019ichi, Katsuyo returned home and began chanting. She felt genuine happiness welling up from within. \u201cI am blind,\u201d she thought, \u201cbut because of that I was able to encounter the Gohonzon. And I still have my voice with which I can speak to others about Buddhism and chant. I also have legs that enable me to get around and do activities. How fortunate I am!\u201d<\/p>\n
Later (in 1999), she was designated an intangible cultural treasure by Okinawa Prefecture for her achievements as a master of Okinawan traditional music in the koto category. She had won.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Katsuyo, who is blind, shares about her encounter with Ikeda Sensei that changes her life.
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