BIOGRAPHY

Kane Toriba was born in Fukaya, Saitama Prefecture, Japan, on 4 December 1911, as the fourth of seven children. After completing elementary school, she spent several years assisting her parents on a farm. Subsequently, a man from the same city fell in love with her and proposed, leading to their marriage. The couple went on to have five children.

During World War II, her husband served as a technical manager at the Nakajima Aircraft Factory in Gunma Prefecture. Meanwhile, she balanced raising children and managing household chores with engaging in sericulture, yarn pongee production, and weaving. According to her family, her skills and diligence set her apart as a highly productive worker compared to others. Her two older brothers perished in the war, while her youngest brother lived to the age of 92.

At the age of 73, she suffered a fall that resulted in a broken femur, which confined her to a wheelchair thereafter. Her son, who had been caring for her for approximately 40 years, possessed expertise as a Japanese chef. Each morning, noon, and night, he prepared elaborate dishes using seasonal ingredients for her. Her daily routine involved massaging her calves with a massager in the morning, reading the newspaper, attending a day care service during the day (four times a week), and enjoying a 15-minute footbath to warm her legs before bedtime. Her son devised this routine to enhance blood circulation in her legs while she remained in a wheelchair, a habit she followed for 20 years. At the age of 109, she was hospitalized four times in one year due to cholecystitis. However, she made a complete recovery after each month-long hospital stay and did not experience cholecystitis again afterward. Despite reaching the age of 111, her family reported that it was not challenging for her to embark on travels, as she spent every day sitting without lying down. All of her five children were still alive as of November 2023. The eldest among them was 84 years old, while the youngest was 71.

Toriba passed away on April 22, 2024, at the age of 112 years and 140 days due to pneumonia.

RECOGNITION

In September 2018, she was reported as the oldest living person in Fukaya, Saitama Prefecture.

Her age was verified by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare (MHLW), as well as Yumi Yamamoto, Yu Li, and Jack Steer, and validated by LongeviQuest on 15 November 2023.

ATTRIBUTION

(All the information regarding Kane Toriba’s biography was gathered through interviews conducted by LongeviQuest with her family.)

GALLERY