BIOGRAPHY

Iwasaki was born in the village of Yokogawa (now part of the city of Kirishima), Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan, on 15 March 1908. After graduating from junior high school, he trained in a confectionery shop for eight years and opened his own confectionery shop at the age of 21. He continued to make sweets such as castella and anpan (red bean paste bread) until he was 60 years old. He also made a brown sugar confectionery called “Getanha,” a local specialty of Yokogawa Town, until before World War II. However, after the war, for about 60 years, the confectionery was forgotten even in the area where it was made. In 2004, a project was launched to recreate “Getanha,” and Iwasaki provided guidance on the manufacturing method and contributed to recreating the recipe for the local sweet.

Iwasaki continued delivering milk by bicycle until he was around 90 years old and lived in his own home until he was around 105 years old. His family believed that the secret to his long life was his laid-back, easy-going personality.

Iwasaki passed away of natural causes at the nursing home where he was a resident on 10 May 2018, at the age of 110 years, 56 days.

RECOGNITION

On 6 October 2014, following the death of Kichishi Takahama, he became the oldest man in Kagoshima Prefecture at the age of 106.

His age was verified by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare (MHLW), as well as Ryohei Asano, and validated by LongeviQuest on 7 May 2024.

ATTRIBUTION

* “鹿児島県内の男性最高齢者死去/110歳” – Minami Nippon Shimbun, 11 May 2018

GALLERY