Yukichi Chuganji - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Yukichi Chuganji (中願寺 雄吉; Chūganji Yūkichi, 23 March 1889 - 28 September 2003^[1]) was a Japanese supercentenarian and at the time of his death at age 114 years, 189 days, the oldest living person. However, he was only verified as the oldest living man, as the oldest living person was believed to be Kamato Hongo, who died of pneumonia just 33 days later at the claimed age of 116 years, 45 days (which, however, later became disputed as she was most likely born at least four years later than claimed).^[2]

Chuganji, born in Fukuoka Prefecture on 23 March 1889, graduated from a technical school in the early 1900s and worked as a silkworm breeder, instructor in the agricultural specialty, as a bank employee, and community welfare officer. He had 4 sons and one daughter, who was 74 years old at the time of his death and his only living child, 7 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. He did not like to eat vegetables but liked beef, pork and chicken, and daily ate toffee and drank a glass of milk and the occasional apple juice and only drank alcohol in moderation, which he believed as the secrets to a long life. During the last years of his life, he had failing eye sight and was bedridden.

Chuganji became the oldest living Japanese man after Sadayoshi Tanabe's death on 18 January 2000.

On 23 March 2003, Chuganji became the first Japanese man, and only the second man in the world after 115-year-old Christian Mortensen who died almost 5 years earlier, to become at least 114 years old (although the claimed 120-year-old Shigechiyo Izumi was still believed to have been older, and Denzo Ishizaki who died a year after Christian Mortensen at age 112 years, 209 days claimed to have been two years older).

On the evening of Sunday 28 September 2003, after being served a glass of apple juice by his daughter, Chuganji died of natural causes at age 114 years, 189 days^[3] and was the oldest Japanese man ever, though until 25 October 2011 when his record was broken by Jiroemon Kimura.

Chuganji was succeeded as the oldest living person by Mitoyo Kawate of Hiroshima and as the oldest living man by Spaniard Joan Riudavets.

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