| Ito Morimoto | |
 Morimoto at the claimed age of 114. | |
| Birth: | 15 August 1853? Japan |
| Death: | 7 June 1970 Chikusa (now Shiso), Hyogo, Japan |
| Age: | 116 years, 296 days? |
| Country: |  JPN
|
| Longevity claimant | |
Ito Morimoto [Japanese: 森元いと] (15 August 1853? – 7 June 1970) was a Japanese longevity claimant whose age is currently unvalidated by the Guinness World Records (GWR). If validated, she would have been the oldest living person in the world at the time of her death, being older than Kitty Harvey.
Biography[]
Ito Morimoto claims to have been born in Japan on 15 August 1853 (11 July in Japanese lunar calendar). As of her claimed 116th birthday in 1969, she was drinking a cup of sake (rice wine) every day. At that time, she was reported as the oldest living person in Japan.
Ito Morimoto died in Chikusa (now Shiso), Hyogo Prefecture, Japan on 7 June 1970, at the claimed age of 116 years, 296 days.
Age Issues[]
Morimoto was initially registered as being born on 15 August 1873 (11 July in Japanese lunar calendar). However, in September 1968, her year of birth was corrected from 1873 to 1853, reportedly because a registrar previously made the error of writing "1873" instead of "1853".
If this correction was correct, her case would pre-date the koseki birth registration period (that began in the 1870s), which is one of the reasons she is not recognized by GWR or the GRG.
References[]
- 年齢に疑いのある長寿者（日本） Japanese Oldest People Forum (Archived)
- 166 years old! Evening Times, 19 August 1969
- Japan woman oldest at 116 Edmonton Journal, 20 August 1969
- Elder identified The Morning News, 10 September 1969
- Oldster dies Spokane Daily Chronicle, 8 June 1970
- 歴代の長寿者上位10人 APDA, October 1994 (page 94)