The “world’s oldest active barber” has died at the age of 109.
Shitsui Hakoishi died on Tuesday (1 September) aged 109 years and 295 days.
Born on 10 November 1916, Hakoishi from Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, survived the Great Kantō Earthquake of 1923 as a six-year-old.
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She moved to Tokyo at 14 to train as a barber and obtained her licence in 1936.
She married Jirō Hakoishi in 1939 and the couple opened a barber shop in Shinjuku.
They had two children, but their family life was shattered by the Second World War.
Her husband was drafted into the army in 1944 and sent to Manchuria.
He died at Tiger’s Head in what is now Jilin Province, China, on 19 August 1945 – four days after Japan announced its surrender.
But Hakoishi did not receive official notification of his death until 1953.
Her Tokyo barber shop was destroyed in the 10 March 1945 air raid on the capital.
She returned to Tochigi, raised her children and continued working as a barber.
She opened her own barber shop in 1953 and continued to work for more than seven decades.
In January 2024, LongeviQuest recognised her as the world’s oldest active barber, as reported by Need To Know.
Guinness World Records recognised her as the world’s oldest female barber in March 2025, when she was 108.
At 104, Hakoishi also took part in the Tokyo Olympic torch relay in 2021, running around 200 metres.
When asked about the secret to her long life, she said: “Don’t harbour malice and live honestly.”
She also advised people not to be intimidated, envy others or fight, while maintaining a daily exercise routine to keep her legs and lower back strong.
Tochigi Governor Tomikazu Fukuda paid tribute to her, saying she had “given courage and hope to many people” through her “powerful way of life”.
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