Hisako Shiroishi

BIOGRAPHY

Hisako Shiroishi was born in the village of Takezawa (now part of Ogawa Town), Saitama Prefecture, Japan, on 19 May 1910, as the second of seven siblings. She lived through the Great Kantō Earthquake on September 1, 1923, when she was 13 years old. Her firsthand account of this event was highlighted in an article published in the Mainichi Shimbun on August 26, 2023. She was on her way home from school, engaged in play with her younger sister near the stream that flowed in front of their house when a powerful tremor struck. The intensity of the shaking rendered her immobile, and she clung to the grass for support until the tremors stopped.

After completing compulsory education, she helped with housework and worked on the family farm. In her late 20s, she married a slightly younger farmer from a neighboring town. They were blessed with four children—one daughter and three sons—of whom her second son (82) and third son (80) were still alive as of August 2024.

After losing her husband to illness, she continued farming while raising her four children on her own. In her 40s, she had a successful surgery to remove the cancer. After that, she remained in good health without any recurrence or metastasis. She has been health-conscious since she was young, and whenever her family and friends recommended supplements or health equipment, she tried them all without hesitation.

Until her 80s, she participated in local gateball, and until her mid-90s, she enjoyed farm work and gardening. She lived with her family at home without nursing care services until she was 105. Until she was about 108 years old, she made it a point to walk 100 meters every day and worked diligently to maintain her mobility.

At the age of 111, she independently selected her attire each day and enjoyed flower arranging at the nursing home once a month. When asked about the secret to her longevity, she said, “Eat everything without being picky.” According to her family, the secret to her longevity may be that even in her old age, she stayed engaged with society by watching variety shows, keeping up with the news, and enjoying fashion. In August 2024, the doctor at her nursing home remarked that she “always expresses her gratitude.” At the time, she also shared that another secret to her longevity was “living naturally,” and added, “I owe my longevity to you,” when speaking to her doctor. At the age of 114, she continued to independently scoop up her own porridge and eat it, a habit she had maintained since she was around 100.

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RECOGNITION

On September 15, 2010, a celebration of her 100th birthday was held at her residence in Higashichichibu Village, where she received a longevity gift from the village office and the Social Welfare Council.

On 18 September 2020, following the death of 110-year-old Chiyo Kato of Chichibu, she became the oldest living person in Saitama Prefecture.

On 10 June 2023, at the age of 113 years, 22 days, she surpassed the final age of Tane Shimada (1903–2016), becoming the oldest person to ever live in Saitama Prefecture.

Her age was verified by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare (MHLW), as well as Yu Li and Yumi Yamamoto, and validated by LongeviQuest on 12 September 2023.