Kamato Hongo

Kamato Hongo (本郷 かまとHongō Kamato?) (September 16, 1887? – October 31, 2003) was a Japanese supercentenarian and apparently the world's oldest recognized living person[1] from March 2002 until her death. She lived in Kagoshima, on Japan's most southerly major island Kyūshū, and celebrated her possible 116th birthday the month before her death from pneumonia.

Born on the small island of Tokunoshima, home of Shigechiyo Izumi, 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.

Kyūshū has been the home of other age recordholders, including former world's oldest man Yukichi Chuganji, who died one month before her. Aged 116 years 45 days at the time of her death, she was the last remaining documented person born before 1889. In January 2007, another Kyūshū islander, Yone Minagawa, 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".