His father, Iwajiro, who was born in a dashi-constructing family, was adopted by Shobei TAMAYA, the sixth in 1923, but died in the following year without taking over as the seventh.
山車造りを営む家で生まれた父・岩次郎は大正12年に六代目と養子縁組したが、翌年七代目を継ぐことなく死去。