Satō was born in Iiyama, a city in Nagano Prefecture, on 9 December 1907. She was the fourth of six children born into a farming family. From an early age, Satō assisted with rice planting and harvesting, and later graduated from Jinjo Elementary School (Higher Course – now Junior High School) at the age of 14.

Satō moved to Tokyo alone as a young adult in order to work at her relative’s clothing store. There she met Yoshinori Satō, and married him shortly thereafter.

For 10 years Satō lived in Tokyo. During World War II, her husband was conscripted for combat in China, and she later evacuated to her hometown with her eldest son. After the war’s end, she and her husband, now with four children, devoted their working lives to dairy and rice farming, as well as fruit and vegetable cultivation.

After her retirement aged 70, Satō enjoyed watching television. At around 80, she became a baseball fan after watching the games played by the San Francisco Giants. In an interview with the Shinano Mainichi Shimbun, Satō claimed the secret to her longevity was, “I’m doing what I love, so the stress is bearable.” She never had a serious injury or illness in her life.

Until the age of 102, Satō regularly walked the streets of her neighbourhood, and partook in conversations at her friend’s house.

In September 2019, Satō was reported as the second-oldest resident of Nagano after Michiko Yamazaki. Following Yamazaki’s death on 31 October that year, Satō became the oldest in the prefecture.

Satō died in Iiyama, Nagano, on 23 August 2020 at the age of 112 years, 264 days. She was succeeded as the prefecture’s oldest living person by Miyao Mashima, then aged 110.