BIOGRAPHY

Asayo Satō was born in Imari City, Saga Prefecture, Japan, on 22 September 1911. She relocated to Osaka at some point in her life, ran her own business until her marriage, and returned to her hometown of Imari with her family during World War II. Upon her return to Imari, she operated a yarn shop, knitting cardigans and other items based on customer orders. At least one of her sisters lived to be over 100 years old. During and after the war, she was unable to indulge in her hobbies. However, as she aged, she began to find joy in activities such as traveling and dancing to folk songs.

Satō played gateball until she reached the age of 98. In September 2009, she won a special award at the Citizens’ Gateball Tournament and was featured in the city’s bulletin as the oldest gateball player. Up until she was around 100 years old, she maintained a methodical lifestyle, diligently keeping a diary and performing calculations with an abacus. At the age of 106, she resided in her own home while receiving daycare services. During this period, she spent her time rereading her old diary and engaging in knitting and sewing. At the age of 110, her pastime involved reading letters from her family. Even at that age, she could read newspapers and other small print without the need for glasses.

Being the oldest person in the city, when a city official asked her the secret to her long life, she responded, “Don’t dwell on things. Stay curious about everything.”

Asayo Satō passed away on 27 September 2024, five days after celebrating her 113th birthday.

RECOGNITION

In September 2023, she was reported as the oldest living person in Saga Prefecture.

Her age was verified by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare (MHLW), as well as Yu Li and Ryohei Asano, and validated by LongeviQuest on 9 December 2023.

ATTRIBUTION

* Imari City public relations magazines

* Saga Prefecture PressRelease

GALLERY