Supercentenarian Profile

Kyōko Mizoguchi (溝口京子)

Born:

1915-03-08

Shizuhama Village, Shida District, Shizuoka Prefecture,

Japan

Current Residence:

Matsudo City, Chiba Prefecture,

Japan

✔ Age Certified by LongeviQuest

Kyōko Mizoguchi (Japanese: 溝口京子) is a Japanese supercentenarian whose age has been validated by LongeviQuest.

BIOGRAPHY

Kyōko Mizoguchi (溝口京子) was born on 8 March 1915 in Shizuhama Village (presentday Yaizu City), Shida District, Shizuoka Prefecture, as the fourth of eight siblings in a landowning family. She enjoyed studying, and after finishing elementary school, she attended Shizuoka Prefectural Fujieda Girls’ High School. After graduating, she worked as a clerk at a local post office.

She was later transferred to Tokyo, where at the age of 23 she married a man who worked at the Ministry of Communications (Teishin-sho), after being introduced through relatives. The couple had three children. After marriage, Mizoguchi devoted herself to supporting her husband and raising their children as a homemaker.

Once her children were grown, she developed an interest in tea ceremony and obtained an instructor’s qualification, continuing the practice until around the age of 90. She also enjoyed machine knitting and once taught her daughter-in-law. During her 50s and 60s, she maintained friendships from her school days and looked forward to annual trips with them. Mizoguchi remained active in later life. After her husband retired, the couple moved from Tokyo to Matsudo City in Chiba Prefecture. Until the age of 92, she rode a bicycle to go shopping, despite her family’s concern. After that, she used a walker and continued going out for errands and hair appointments until the age of 104. She and her husband, who was six years older, lived together until he passed away at the age of 104. Afterwards, when she was 98, she moved in with her third son’s family.

She ate a balanced diet without particular dislikes, preferring fish over meat and consistently eating simple Japanese meals. According to her family, she rarely became ill or injured. Although she once contracted COVID-19, they recall that she recovered on the same day. Reading the newspaper thoroughly was part of her daily routine.

At the age of 104, after a family member’s illness, she chose on her own to move into a nursing home. Even after moving, she continued to walk inside the facility as much as possible for her health, particularly until around the age of 107. Her family affectionately calls her Cha-chan. As of age 110, she has seven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

Her family believes that one key to her longevity may be her long involvement with tea ceremony, which she continued from her 50s into her 90s. It provided social interaction and may have contributed to her health through the enjoyment of matcha. They also describe her as someone who supported her strict husband with patience and composure, able to handle situations calmly without holding on to stress.

She currently lives in a nursing home in Matsudo City, Chiba Prefecture, Japan.