30 Cavities Out of 31 Teeth — The Price of a Sweet Tooth
When Iemochi's remains were examined, 30 out of his 31 remaining teeth were found to be decayed. Iemochi was a notorious sweet lover who enjoyed yokan, rock sugar, konpeito, castella, and monaka—all heavily sugared confections. In his era, toothbrushes did not exist; people cleaned their teeth with fusa-yoji (wooden stick brushes), making it nearly impossible to prevent decay. He is also believed to have had naturally thin tooth enamel. These severe cavities likely caused chronic pain and malnutrition, and combined with beriberi, may have contributed to his early death at just 21 years old.