Another faithful couple were Katsuo and Hagino Miura, who entered the colporteur service in 1931. They too were arrested in 1939, in Hiroshima. They refused to worship the emperor or support Japan’s militarism. Katsuo was severely beaten, and he suffered in confinement until an atom bomb destroyed the prison in August 1945. Though he was only 38, his health had been ruined. On release, he looked like an old man. He returned north to Ishinomori, where Hagino, released earlier, was raising their young son, Tsutomu.

How did Katsuo meet up with Jehovah’s organization again? Japan’s leading newspaper, Asahi, learned that five young ladies, Watch Tower missionaries, had come to Osaka to live Japanese-style in a Japanese house. Reporters visited them and prepared a splendid illustrated article that compared the five sisters to angels who, like cherry blossoms, had floated down from heaven. The article also supplied the address of the missionary home. Hundreds of miles to the north, Katsuo chanced upon the article. Immediately he made contact again with the organization and enrolled as a pioneer. He served faithfully until his death in 1957.

(3) Katsuo and Hagino Miura