After he returned to Japan, Ho's worsening stomach ailment forced him to undergo surgery. The healing process was torturous, and to make matters worse, the Second World War had broken out. Under the pall of such physical and spiritual pain, the painter put down his brush. His brush had stopped, but he remained alive at heart.
回到日本，日益嚴重的胃疾使得何德來的身體為開刀、治療所折磨，加上二次世界大戰的爆發，在如此身心的苦痛中，畫家停筆了，筆是停了，但是心還活著。