Japan's Masazo Nonaka was born on July 25, 1905, just two years after the Wright brothers celebrated the first powered flight and before Albert Einstein had published his theory of relativity.
He passed away peacefully from natural causes on Sunday at his home a hot springs hotel in Ashoro, northern Hokkaido, which has been run by his family for four generations.
"We feel shocked at the loss of this big figure. He was as usual yesterday and passed away without causing our family any fuss at all," his granddaughter Yuko told Kyodo News .
"I had many quarrels with him, but we had enjoyed being together," she added. "I'm filled with feelings of gratitude."
According to the Japanese news agency, Nonaka enjoyed eating sweets, watching sumo wrestling, and soaking in hot springs once a week.
He outlived all seven of his siblings, his wife, and three of his five children.
Nonaka was confirmed to be the world's oldest man by Guinness World Records in April last year following an extensive research and evidence review process by Robert Young, Guinness World Records' senior consultant for gerontology and the co-director for the Gerontology Research Group.
The record holder for the oldest ever man was also Japanese. Jiroemon Kimura was born on April 19 1897 and died aged 116 years, 54 days on June 12 2013.
According to Guinness World Records, the all-time record for the oldest person ever is held by Jeanne Louise Calment from France, who lived to an unprecedented 122 years and 164 days, from 1875-1997.
