BIOGRAPHY

Chikae Hiraoka was born in Fukuda Town, Okayama Prefecture (now part of Kurashiki City), Japan, on 14 February 1909. She married around 1930 and moved to Okayama City, where she and her husband worked as kimono tailors while raising two sons and a daughter.

At around 60 years old, Hiraoka took up Japanese dance as a hobby, and in 1962, she had the honor of performing at the opening ceremony of the Okayama National Athletic Meet. Even in her later years, she remained skillful, particularly in knitting. At the age of 96, she crafted a traffic safety mascot keychain at her nursing home and presented it to the local police station.

On 14 February 2009, Hiraoka celebrated her 100th birthday, receiving a congratulatory letter and commemorative gift from both Okayama Prefecture and Okayama City, while the nursing home residents celebrated alongside her. She attributed her longevity to “being loved and cherished by everyone around me.”

Hiraoka passed away on 5 February 2020, at the age of 110 years, 356 days, at the nursing home where she had resided.

RECOGNITION

Her age was verified by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare (MHLW), as well as Ryohei Asano, Yumi Yamamoto, and Yu Li, and validated by LongeviQuest on 12 September 2024.

ATTRIBUTION

* “贈呈：手作り交通安全マスコットを　特養ホーム会員ら、岡山南署を訪問” – 16 September 2005

* “平岡さん（当新田）100歳おめでとう　県や市が祝う” – Sanyo Shimbun, 15 February 2009

* “平岡愛枝さん（ひらおか・ちかえ＝岡山市最高齢者）” – Sanyo Shimbun, 8 February 2020

GALLERY