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Supercentenarian Profile

Ai Suganoya

Born:

1908-05-10

Yamagata Prefecture

Japan

Died:

✔ Age Certified by LongeviQuest

Ai Suganoya (Japanese: 菅谷藍) was a Japanese calligrapher, writer, and supercentenarian.

BIOGRAPHY

Ai Suganoya was born in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan, on 10 May 1908. Born the fourth of eight children, she grew up with a father from a distinguished family who served as a district leader and a mother who had a deep love of literature. From an early age, she dreamed of becoming a writer. She graduated from Yamagata Prefectural Nagai Girls’ High School in 1927 and married in 1932 (or 1934; sources differ), after which she moved to Osaka Prefecture.

Tragically, just four years into their marriage, her husband died of tuberculosis. Widowed at 29 and without children, she reflected that during their marriage she had been so devoted to caring for him that she lost sight of her literary ambitions. After his death, however, she found that writing became the only thing she could do when she lacked the motivation for anything else.

She entered a literary contest with a newly written novel. Although she did not win, the work was published in a magazine and earned her a modest manuscript fee. Soon after, however, World War II began. During the war, she worked at a munitions factory in Osaka, serving as the commander of the Women’s Volunteer Corps and machining duralumin for aircraft parts. In 1942, she received the “New Women Writers Award of Japan” sponsored by the Osaka Mainichi Shimbun and the Tokyo Nichinichi Shimbun.

After the war, she moved to Suita in Osaka with her sister. Together, they purchased a house where she would settle permanently. To support their all-female household, she continued writing, and in 1947 she serialized a novel in the Kobe evening newspaper Shinko Shimbun.

In 1958, while still making her living through writing, she began studying calligraphy under Professor Nishida Ōdō (西田王堂). After several years of training, her teacher encouraged her to take on students of her own, telling her that teaching is itself a form of learning and an essential part of her development. She then began offering calligraphy lessons at home. By September 2011, at the age of 103, she had 18 students, all of whom were over 70 years old. Even at 110 years old, she continued to live independently at home and remained dedicated to practicing calligraphy.

At 110, she still had a fondness for sweets and enjoyed a wide range of foods, both sweet and savory. She preferred meat—especially beef and pork—over fish, though she was not fond of chicken. In the summer, she even enjoyed an occasional cold beer. Whenever possible, she continued to cook for herself rather than relying on a caregiver.

Ai Suganoya was last confirmed alive on 1 April 2022, at the age of 113. She was a resident of Suita, Osaka.

RECOGNITION

Her age was verified by the MHLW Japan, as well as Yumi Yamamoto and Yu Li, and validated by the Gerontology Research Group (GRG) on 8 February 2022. The validation was later recognized by LongeviQuest.

As of 1 April 2022—the last date on which she was confirmed to be alive before entering limbo status—she was the second-oldest known living person in Osaka Prefecture, after Fusa Tatsumi. She was also the fifth-oldest living person in Japan, behind Kahoru Furuya, an anonymous lady from Hyogo, Fusa Tatsumi, and Kane Tanaka.