Michi Kudō of Hokkaido, Japan, Celebrates 111th Birthday

https://longeviquest.com/2025/02/michi-kudo-of-hokkaido-japan-celebrates-111th-birthday/

Michi Kudō, a resident of Eniwa City, Hokkaido Prefecture, celebrated her 111th birthday on 9 February. At the moment, she is one of Hokkaido’s oldest living residents.

Michi Kudō (Japanese: 工藤ミチ) was born on 9 February 1914 in Datemonbetsu (now Date City), Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan, as the eldest of eight children in a family that owned a kimono shop.

After graduating from higher elementary school, she learned Japanese dressmaking and fell in love with Jiro, a civil servant. At the time, marriage in Japan was traditionally arranged, as family background was a key consideration. However, Michi and Jiro defied strong opposition from their parents and eloped around the age of 20. They began their married life in Atsuga (now Hidaka Town), Hokkaido, and had three children by the time of World War II.

During the war, they were invited to China by Kudō’s brother-in-law, who was running a successful business there. The couple lived a comfortable life, even employing a maid, until Japan’s defeat brought significant hardships. After the war, most of their belongings were confiscated, but they managed to return to Japan, arriving at Maizuru Port in Kyoto Prefecture. Kudō hid jewelry and other valuables in her tied long hair to protect their remaining possessions, while Jiro carried a futon and led their three young children back to Japan.

After returning, they rented a room in company housing in Muroran, Hokkaido, through her brother-in-law who worked at a steelworks. Her husband resumed work as a civil servant at the Food Agency, and they had two more children. Kudō also took in her nephews from Tokushima who were living in poverty, raising a total of seven children. She and her husband emphasized education, providing the children with opportunities for a good education and encouraging them to pursue their studies, with several going on to University.

Kudō enjoyed shopping and regularly walked to a nearby supermarket, about 15 minutes from her home, maintaining an active lifestyle. She lived with family until the age of 109, remaining able to climb stairs to her second-floor room.

As of September 2024, she was reported as the third-oldest living person in Hokkaido Prefecture.

In October 2024, she contracted COVID-19 but made a full recovery within a month. Now fully recovered, she enjoys chatting with the residents in the nursing home’s living room and reading the newspaper every day.

Happy 111th Birthday!