One hundred and two-year-old Kokichi Akuzawa has become the world’s oldest mountaineer by climbing Japan’s highest peak, Mount Fuji, a feat confirmed by Guinness World Records in early August.
“I was really in the mood to give up halfway,” Akuzawa said in an interview with the Associated Press. “It was hard to reach the summit, but thanks to the encouragement of my friends, I finally succeeded. It was only possible with the help of many people.”
Akuzawa was on the climb with his 70-year-old daughter Moto, his granddaughter, her granddaughter’s husband and four members of a local mountaineering club. The team spent two nights camping on the trail before reaching Japan’s highest peak, which is 3,776 meters (12,388 feet) above sea level, on August 5.
Another daughter, Yukiko, 75, helped by repeating questions into her father’s ear. Akuzawa is hard of hearing. “No mountain becomes normal with age,” Akuzawa said. “It’s better to climb as much as you can.”
This wasn’t Akuzawa’s first record-breaking climb. He became the oldest person to climb Fuji at the age of 96. He continued his journey despite heart problems, injuries from failed climbs, ringworm (a skin disease) and stitches.
He underwent three months of special training before climbing Fuji. He would wake up at 5 a.m., hike for hours, and climb mountains in Gunma and nearby Nagano Prefecture, usually once a week.
Akuzawa’s love of the mountains began in his youth. Sitting in his living room, surrounded by relatives and mountain paintings, in his home in Mayabashi, about 241 kilometers northwest of Tokyo, he recalled the experience that drew him to the mountains 88 years ago. While the magic of reaching the summit was undeniable, it was the connection with the people that kept him coming back again and again.
‘I climb because I love it,’ he said, ‘It’s easier to make friends in the mountains.’
Akuzawa was a bright student. He worked as an engine design engineer. Later, he worked as a livestock artificial insemination specialist for 85 years.
Sign of the final ascentÂ
When asked about his plans to climb Mount Fuji again, he said, “I want to climb it forever, but it may not be possible now. Right now, I’m at the level of the nearby Mount Akagi (1,828 meters).”
These days, Akuzawa volunteers early in the morning at a senior care center and teaches painting in his studio. He says that mountaineering and painting require the same amount of dedication and time, and both bring peace.
“Anyone who climbs a mountain or paints a picture and can create something whole from it, that is the greatest achievement in life,” he said.
His daughters have asked for another painting of Mount Fuji at sunrise to be added to the mountain paintings that fill the living room walls.
“There have been many requests,” he said with a laugh, “I want to paint the views from the summit that hold special memories for me. This was probably my last summit.” Agency
