Kikuyo Honma was born in Nunobe Village, Niigata Prefecture, Japan, on 1 November 1910. She was the third of six siblings. She married a charcoal burner and ascended the mountain daily to assist her husband with his charcoal production, all while tending to crops in the fields. Her husband lost his life in World War II in 1945, and from the age of 34, Homma found herself solely responsible for raising their four young children.

Honma took up gateball as a hobby in her 60s and remained actively involved until the age of 97, even participating in the prefectural tournament. Until her 90s, she enjoyed frequent trips to nearby hot springs with her gateball friends. At the age of 100, she broke her right femur, but regained her ability to walk after three weeks in the hospital. However, just two months later, she suffered another fall, this time breaking her left femur. Due to these injuries, she moved into a nursing home at the age of 100. In an interview with LongeviQuest, her family revealed that even at the age of 112, she is still able to move her wheelchair around the nursing home and can independently feed herself. During the Covid-19 visitation restrictions, she stays in touch with her family through phone conversations separated by a sheet of acrylic. Despite her hearing difficulties, she manages to understand her family members by observing their lip movements.

Kikuyo Honma passed away from natural causes in Murakami City, Niigata Prefecture on 12 September 2023 at the age of 112 years and 315 days.