A native of Hirado, Nagasaki Prefecture, Yanagimoto graduated from the 44th class of the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy, placed 21st out of 95 cadets.
Many go to high schools in the surrounding communities (Hirado, Tabira, Shikamachi), while a few venture all the way to more academically rigorous high schools Sasebo and Nagasaki, the two largest cities in Nagasaki Prefecture.
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On October 1, 2005 Ikitsuki, along with the town of Tabira, and the village of Ōshima (all from Kitamatsuura District), was merged into the expanded city of Hirado.