Supercentenarian Profile

Megiri Uchi

Born:

1909-01-27

Tokunoshima, Kagoshima Prefecture

Japan

Died:

Megiri Uchi (Japanese: 内メギリ) was a Japanese supercentenarian.

BIOGRAPHY

Megiri Uchi was born on 27 January 1909 in Kamedoku, Tokunoshima, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. She married a man from the same community who was 15 years her senior, and together they raised nine children (three sons and six daughters) while making a living through farming, including sugarcane cultivation.

She continued weaving and farming into her 70s, helping to support her family’s livelihood. According to her family, she was a positive person who never forgot to be grateful. She also enjoyed talking with others and, even in her later years, actively participated in weddings, funerals, and other community gatherings.

Aside from undergoing surgery for an inguinal hernia at the age of 101, she reportedly remained free of any major illnesses. At the age of 108, she was still living independently. By that time, she had 20 grandchildren, 50 great-grandchildren, and seven great-great-grandchildren.

When she celebrated her 108th birthday, her relatives gathered together to celebrate her Chaju, the traditional Japanese celebration of one’s 108th birthday.

Her family described her as “kind-hearted and always smiling,” adding that spending time with her grandchildren brought her the greatest joy. They also attributed her longevity to her lifelong love of pork dishes, which she ate every day from a young age, as well as her daily habit of taking a walk of about 100 meters around her home.

She passed away around October 2019.