Shigechiyo Izumi
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| Shigechiyo Izumi | |
| Born | June 29, 1865? Tokunoshima, Amami Islands, Ryukyu |
|---|---|
| Died | February 21, 1986 aged 120 years, 237 days Tokunoshima, Amami Islands, Japan |
| Cause of death | Pneumonia |
Shigechiyo Izumi (泉 重千代 Izumi Shigechiyo, June 29, 1865? – February 21, 1986) was a Japanese supercentenarian and, according to Guinness World Records, became the oldest living person after the death of Niwa Kawamoto, also from Japan. If his claimed birth-date is correct, he died aged 120 years and 237 days, older than any other recognized man, and was the second-longest lived human ever, surpassed only by Frenchwoman Jeanne Calment.[1] He also holds the record for the longest working career for a person, spanning 98 years (again, if his claim of birth year is correct). He was recorded as a six-year-old in Japan's first Census of 1871.
Izumi's wife died at the age of 90.[citation needed] He drank brown sugar shōchū (a Japanese alcoholic beverage often distilled from barley or rice), and took up smoking at age 70.[2] He began his career in 1872 goading draft animals at a sugar mill, and retired as a sugarcane farmer in 1970 at the age of 105.[citation needed] He attributed his long life to "the Gods, Buddha and the Sun." He stood at 1.42 meters (four feet, eight inches) tall, weighed 42.6 kilograms (94 pounds) and lived through 71 Japanese Prime Ministers.
He died of pneumonia[1] after a brief hospitalization at 12:15 GMT, the same day as Jeanne Calment's 111th birthday, February 21, 1986. Izumi was the last recognized surviving person of the 1860s, the only male to live at least 116 years and the longest holder of the "oldest living person" title. He is also one of only two people (the other being Jeanne Calment) verified to live past their 120th birthday, although subsequent research has cast doubt on the verification.[3][4]
Following his death, Mamie Eva Keith became the world's oldest person. For more than 20 years after his death every person with the title of the world's oldest living person was female until Emiliano Mercado del Toro became the world's oldest living person on December 11, 2006.
[edit] See also
- Aging
- Lifespan
- List of the oldest people
- Longevity
- Longevity claims
- Longevity narratives
- Oldest people
- Senescence
- Supercentenarian
- Jean Teillet, the oldest man in the world at the time if Izumi's birthdate was not correct
[edit] References
- ^ a b The Guinness Book of Records, 1999 edition, p. 102. ISBN 0851120709.
- ^ Guinness Book of Records (1993 (32nd edition) ed.). Guinness World Records Limited. October 1992. pp. 320 pages. ISBN 0851129781.
- ^ Asahi News Service, APRIL 6, 1987, MONDAY, JAPANESE EXPERT DEBUNKS IDEA OF 'VILLAGE OF 100-YEAR-OLDS'
- ^ http://supercentenarian.com/oldest/izumi.html The Shigechiyo Izumi Case
| Preceded by Martha Graham (disputed) |
Oldest Recorded Person Ever December 28, 1879 – October 16, 1995 |
Succeeded by Jeanne Calment |
| Preceded by Thomas Peters (disputed) |
Oldest Recorded Man Ever June 18, 1977 – Present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Preceded by Niwa Kawamoto |
Oldest Recognized Living Person November 16, 1876 – February 21, 1986 |
Succeeded by Mamie Eva Keith |
| Preceded by Frederick Butterfield |
Oldest Recognized Living Man March 9, 1974 – February 21, 1986 |
Succeeded by Joe Thomas |
