01.16.24
On Jan. 7, 2024, a LongeviQuest (LQ) delegation traveled north from Tokyo to the rural Tochigi Prefecture to visit Shitsui Hakoishi-san, age 107, the world’s oldest barber and formally commemorate her record.
Hakoishi-san has lived in the same house in Tochigi for nearly 80 years and operates her barber shop out of a specialized room in her home. A celebrity in Tochigi Prefecture, she was the prefectural government’s nominee to carry the Olympic Torch in advance of the Tokyo 2020 games.
Hakoishi-san was awarded a plaque honoring her status as the world’s oldest barber. But that's not all. Hakoishi-san may also hold the record for the longest active career of any person on the planet. Still agile, Shitsui Hakoishi-san offered advice to early-career workers and spoke about the challenges she faced as a young person her, including her move to Tochigi from Tokyo during the World War II.
“From the day I started,” recalled Hakoishi-san, “I resolved to remain fully committed down this path without losing my way…Things don’t go well when you lose your way.”
“From the day I started,” recalled Hakoishi-san, “I resolved to remain fully committed down this path without losing my way…Things don’t go well when you lose your way.”
A Cut Above
During the LQ visit, she gave one of the reps a haircut. Hakoishi-san’s joyous approach to work and life is a sterling example for the world, according to LQ. In response to a local media question, she explained the origin of her positive attitude. Referring to a period of her life after her husband was conscripted, Hakoishi-san recalled, “I was left with our two children. I resolved to work as hard as two people, for both of us…My life was very difficult while everything was going on, but now I am as happy as I could be…I’ll carry on working as hard as I can.”
Check out a clip of the visit with Shitsui Hakoishi-san, the world's oldest barber, below:
Check out a clip of the visit with Shitsui Hakoishi-san, the world's oldest barber, below: