Kinsan Ginsan

“Kinsan Ginsan” (きんさんぎんさん) was the affectionate name given to twin sisters from Japan widely known for their longevity, and to be the oldest lived twins. Their full names were Kin Narita (成田 きん, Narita Kin, August 1, 1892 – January 23, 2000) and Gin Kanie (蟹江 ぎん, Kanie Gin, August 1, 1892 – February 28, 2001). Their maiden name was Yano (矢野). Their names literally translated from Japanese to English means Gold and Silver. Their health and vitality, despite being over 100 years old, was said to be “an ideal form of living in your sunset years”, and they became national celebrities in Japan. They lived to 107 and 108.

History

The twins were born on August 1, 1892 (in the 25th year of the Meiji Era) in Narumi Village (currently in Midori Ward, Nagoya), Aichi Prefecture. Kin was the elder daughter and Gin was the younger daughter. Tests later proved that they were identical twins, though their blood types differed.

In 1991, about to reach 100 years of age, the twins were featured in a newspaper article and received congratulations from both the mayor of Nagoya and the Aichi Prefecture governor. In 2000, Kin Narita, the elder twin died, aged 107. The cause of death was heart failure, as confirmed by an autopsy. One year later, in 2001, her younger sister Gin died at 108 years of age. The cause of death could not be attributed to any specific diagnosis and therefore was given as “old age”. Their favorite food was fish with red flesh. One of the sisters has four daughters who also showed signs of longevity. The four sisters have taken part in a documentary by NHK, Today's Close-Up. The sisters also featured in a study about longevity. At the time of Kin's death in 2000 the twins combined had six children, eleven grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.

References

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/1194040.stm

http://articles.latimes.com/2001/mar/01/local/me-31938

http://www.hellofuntime.com/2013/01/todays-close-up-20121120-forever-young.html