BIOGRAPHY

Myōgin Furumoto was born in the village of Honjō (now a city), Saitama Prefecture, Japan, on 28 May 1903. At some point, she settled in the Tokachi region of Hokkaido, eventually marrying and having children.

After World War II, she entered Buddhism and founded a Shingon Buddhist church in Motowanishi-cho, Muroran City, in 1954. The church she founded was visited by many local believers, and the temple’s festivals were so successful that the floor collapsed. Even after turning 90, she never missed her daily spiritual training, which involved pouring water over herself in the cold. She was known for her sociable and powerful personality, often traveling by herself on the bus, and was loved by the people in the community.

At the age of 97, she became ill and entered a nursing home in Toyoura. In her later years, her grandchildren in their 60s and other family members from Tokyo often visited her there.

In February 2014, she was hospitalized in Date City and died of chronic heart failure on 23 February 2014, at the age of 110 years, 271 days.

RECOGNITION

As of September 2012, she was the fifth-oldest living person in Hokkaido Prefecture, and became the fourth-oldest as of September 2013.

At the time of her death, she was the oldest (known) living person in Hokkaido with a confirmed date of birth, possibly second only to a woman whose name and date of birth were withheld.

Her age was verified by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare (MHLW), as well as Ryohei Asano and Yumi Yamamoto, and validated by LongeviQuest on 5 August 2024.

ATTRIBUTION

* ZENKOKU KOUREISHA MEIBO, 2003 Edition

* Toyoura Town Newsletter, March 2014

* “110歳　古本さん死去” – Hokkaido Shimbun, 26 February 2014

GALLERY