Shitsui Hakoishi, recognised as the world’s oldest female barber, has died at the age of 109.
Hakoishi died on September 1, 2026, after spending more than seven decades working in the barbering profession.
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Her journey began when she was just 14 years old, when she started training to become a barber. She later obtained her professional licence in 1936.
In 1939, she married Jirō Hakoishi, and the couple opened a barber shop in Tokyo’s Shinjuku area. They also had two children together.
However, their family was later affected by the Second World War.
In 1944, her husband was drafted into the Japanese Army and sent to Manchuria. He died at Tiger’s Head, in what is now Jilin Province, China, on August 19, 1945, just four days after Japan announced its surrender.
Hakoishi did not receive official confirmation of her husband’s death until 1953.
Her life was also deeply affected by the war when the family’s Tokyo barber shop was destroyed during the devastating air raid on the capital on March 10, 1945.
Following the destruction of the shop, Hakoishi returned to Tochigi, where she raised her children while continuing to work as a barber.
She eventually opened her own barber shop in 1953 and remained in the profession for more than 70 years.
Hakoishi’s remarkable career earned her international recognition.
In March 2025, Guinness World Records recognised her as the world’s oldest female barber at the age of 108.
Even in her later years, she continued to take part in public activities.
At the age of 104, Hakoishi participated in the Tokyo Olympic torch relay in 2021, carrying the Olympic torch for approximately 200 metres.