Kamato Hongo
Encyclopedia
was a Japanese supercentenarian
Supercentenarian
A supercentenarian is someone who has reached the age of 110 years. This age is achieved by about one in a thousand centenarians....

 and apparently the world's oldest recognized living person
Oldest people
This is a list of tables of the verified oldest people in the world in ordinal rank, such as oldest person or oldest man. In these tables, a supercentenarian is considered 'verified' if his or her claim has been validated by an international body that specifically deals in longevity research, such...

 from March 2002 until her death. Aged 116 years 45 days at the time of her death, she was the last remaining documented person born before 1889.

Biography

Born on the small island of Tokunoshima
Tokunoshima
is an island in the Amami Islands of southwestern Japan. Administatively it belongs to Kagoshima Prefecture. Three towns are located on the island: Tokunoshima, Isen, and Amagi...

, home of Shigechiyo Izumi
Shigechiyo Izumi
was a Japanese centenarian who was titled the oldest living person after the death of Niwa Kawamoto, also from Japan. His case was first verfied by Guinness World Records, who titled him the oldest person ever, but Guinness have in recent years backed from their previous statement; in the Guinness...

, she later moved to Kagoshima on Kyūshū, where she lived with her daughter. The apparent oldest person in Japan after the death of Denzo Ishisaki in 1999, she attained a measure of celebrity and was the focus of some merchandise (washcloths, keyrings, phone cards, etc.) sold highlighting her longevity. She appeared on Japanese television several times.

She spent her later life in Kagoshima, Kyūshū
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....

, and celebrated her possible 116th birthday the month before her death from pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...

.

Kyūshū has been the home of other age recordholders, including former world's oldest man Yukichi Chuganji
Yukichi Chuganji
was a Japanese supercentenarian and "...was recognised by Guinness World Records as the oldest man..." in Japan until his death at age 114 years 189 days....

, who died one month before her. In January 2007, another Kyūshū islander, Yone Minagawa
Yone Minagawa
was a Japanese supercentenarian believed to have been the world's oldest living person from 29 January 2007 until her death of old age, aged 114 years 221 days...

, attained the world's oldest person title, and Kyūshū resident Tomoji Tanabe took the men's title, once again making it the "island of longevity
Longevity
The word "longevity" is sometimes used as a synonym for "life expectancy" in demography or known as "long life", especially when it concerns someone or something lasting longer than expected ....

".

Records

  • On April 29, 1999, Denzo Ishisaki died, and Hongo became the oldest living person in Japan.
  • On March 18, 2002, Maude Farris-Luse
    Maude Farris-Luse
    Maude Farris-Luse, , also known as Maud Luse, was an American supercentenarian. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, she was the oldest person in the world from June 2001 until her death nine months later, at age 115 years, 56 days.-Birth, marriage and family:Maude Farris-Luse was born...

     died, and Hongo became the oldest living person in the world.
  • On October 31, 2003, Kamato Hongo died, and left Mitoyo Kawate
    Mitoyo Kawate
    was a Japanese supercentenarian and, at the age of 114 years 182 days, briefly the oldest recognized living person after the death of either Kamato Hongo or Yukichi Chuganji, both also from Japan....

     as the oldest living person in the world as well as the oldest living person in Japan.

List of oldest undisputed living person at the time Hongo held the oldest living person title

  • March 18, 2002 - May 28, 2002 - Grace Clawson
  • May 28, 2002 - August 21, 2002 - Adelina Domingues
  • August 21, 2002 - December 29, 2002 - Mae Harrington
  • December 29, 2002 - September 28, 2003 - Yukichi Chuganji
    Yukichi Chuganji
    was a Japanese supercentenarian and "...was recognised by Guinness World Records as the oldest man..." in Japan until his death at age 114 years 189 days....

  • September 28, 2003 - November 13, 2003 - Mitoyo Kawate
    Mitoyo Kawate
    was a Japanese supercentenarian and, at the age of 114 years 182 days, briefly the oldest recognized living person after the death of either Kamato Hongo or Yukichi Chuganji, both also from Japan....


See also

  • List of the verified oldest people
  • Longevity
    Longevity
    The word "longevity" is sometimes used as a synonym for "life expectancy" in demography or known as "long life", especially when it concerns someone or something lasting longer than expected ....

  • Oldest people
    Oldest people
    This is a list of tables of the verified oldest people in the world in ordinal rank, such as oldest person or oldest man. In these tables, a supercentenarian is considered 'verified' if his or her claim has been validated by an international body that specifically deals in longevity research, such...

  • Supercentenarian
    Supercentenarian
    A supercentenarian is someone who has reached the age of 110 years. This age is achieved by about one in a thousand centenarians....

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