BIOGRAPHY

Harada was born in Kamigōri Village (now the town of Kamigōri), Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, on 20 November 1907. At 20, she married and moved to Akō City, where she had her first daughter two years later. She raised a total of four children. Until she was 80, she worked at home as a seamstress, tailoring kimonos, and worked in the fields daily. Her husband passed away in 1989 at the age of 91.

In October 2013, she became the oldest resident of Akō City and was visited by the mayor every September until 2017. During one of these visits, she humorously remarked, “I’m really glad that you came empty-handed despite your busy schedule,” drawing laughter from those around her.

At the age of 106, Harada could still sweep the house with a broom, and even at 108, she had the energy to weed the garden and fold the family’s laundry daily. She credited her longevity to “eating delicious food,” and at 109, she enjoyed eating raw fish and drinking non-alcoholic beer for dinner. She found joy in sitting by the window, enjoying the scenery of the pond and trees, taking daily baths, and watching sumo wrestling on TV. She believed the secret to her longevity was also “enjoying each day without worrying too much.” In 2017, at the age of 109, she had 10 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren, and 11 great-great-grandchildren.

Harada passed away on 22 June 2018, at the age of 110 years, 214 days, at her home in Akō City, due to old age.

RECOGNITION

Her age was verified by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare (MHLW), as well as Yu Li, Ryohei Asano, and Yumi Yamamoto, and validated by LongeviQuest on 18 July 2024.

ATTRIBUTION

* “赤穂市最高齢の原田そのさん（106歳）” – Akō City Public Relations, September 2014 issue

* “赤穂市長　市内最高齢者を尋ね祝福　109歳の原田さんに花束や記念品贈る” – Kōbe Shimbun, 3 September 2017

GALLERY