Kinue Sakamoto (坂本キヌヱ)

BIOGRAPHY

Kinue Sakamoto (坂本キヌヱ) was born in Ikata, Ehime Prefecture, Japan, on 4 June 1916 as an only child. After graduating from elementary school, she studied nursing on her own and later worked at a railway hospital in Ōita Prefecture. There, she met a man who worked for the Japanese National Railways and married him at the age of 20.

After marriage, she and her husband adopted and lovingly raised the daughter of her father’s cousin as their own. She later devoted herself to homemaking and took a particular interest in vegetable gardening, which became one of her greatest passions. She bought specialized books to study the subject and devoted herself to growing vegetables. Eventually, her harvests exceeded what her family could consume, and she began selling the surplus at local markets using a handcart.

An avid learner with a strong aptitude for numbers since her school days, she became interested in stock investment in her early 30s and continued enjoying it as a daily pastime until the age of 103. After her daughter got married and left home, Sakamoto began painting traditional Japanese art as a way to ease her loneliness. She dedicated herself to the craft, and in her 60s, she was recognized at a prefectural art exhibition.

At the age of 91, she suffered a stroke. Until then, she had independently handled all aspects of daily life—including shopping, housework, and painting—without relying on her family, valuing her self-sufficiency above all. Her family believes her longevity stems from her inner strength and strong will to live. One unique aspect of her lifestyle is that, since her twenties, she had a habit of drinking raw eggs from the chickens she raised at home. Even after she stopped keeping chickens, she continued drinking raw eggs, especially when feeling unwell, as a way to restore her strength. Another long-standing habit was her love for vinegar—she regularly consumed Kurosu, a black vinegar from Sakamoto in Kagoshima Prefecture, and enjoyed pouring vinegar over various foods.

Her favorite foods include sushi, wagyu beef, and tomatoes. She currently lives in a nursing home in Ōita City.

RECOGNITION

• On 4 September 2025, Sakamoto was visited by the Mayor of Ōita City to be honored and celebrated as the city’s oldest living resident.
• Her age was verified by Ōita City, Yumi Yamamoto and Ryohei Asano, and validated by LongeviQuest on 15 September 2025.

ATTRIBUTION

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

GALLERY

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