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Photographed in June 2025 during a temple visit. (Source: Courtesy of the nursing home).

Supercentenarian Profile

Masami Miyanoo (宮野尾正三)

Born:

1915-01-12

Shinmachi, Nagano Prefecture,

Japan

Current Residence:

Ogawa village, Nagano Prefecture,

Japan

✔ Age Certified by LongeviQuest

Masami Miyanoo (Japanese: 宮野尾正三) is a Japanese supercentenarian whose age has been validated by LongeviQuest.

BIOGRAPHY

Masami Miyanoo (宮野尾正三) was born in Shinmachi, an area that later became part of Shinshu-Shinmachi and is now within Nagano City, Nagano Prefecture, Japan. She was the second of two children. She enjoyed studying and dreamed of becoming a schoolteacher, but at the age of 20 she married into a farming family in Ogawa Village. She had two children, a son and a daughter. Her husband’s family owned many rice paddies and fields and often relied on hired workers, and Miyanoo worked alongside them in agriculture.

Her husband died in the war at the age of 39. After his death, she raised her children while living with her parents-in-law and her husband’s sisters. Although she later described those years as difficult, her family remembers her as a woman of quiet strength.

Her son passed away at the age of 52, after which she lived with her daughter-in-law. Active and hardworking, she continued tending the fields and pulling weeds until the age of 100. She was also skilled at knitting, quickly learning new patterns and making a variety of items for her family. At home, she enjoyed spending time reading the newspaper.

One of her special skills was Hyakunin Isshu. She once told her family that when she was young, she had defeated players older than herself, and she also enjoyed playing the game with her grandchildren.

She was not particular about food, though she did not drink milk because her family raised cows.

Miyanoo moved into a nursing home in November 2020. For some time after her admission, she was able to walk with assistance and use the bathroom independently. Her physical strength gradually declined around the age of 108, and she began to require more care. Even so, she consistently expressed gratitude to the staff. Her caregivers describe her as calm and kind, showing respect in both her words and behavior.