Kinsan Ginsan

Kinsan Ginsan
きんさんぎんさん
Kinsan Ginsan; きんさんぎんさん
Born	Kin Yano (矢野きん); Gin Yano (矢野ぎん); 1 August 1892; Nagoya, Japan
Died	Kin Narita:; 23 January 2000 (aged 107); Gin Kanie:; 28 February 2001 (aged 108); Nagoya, Japan
Other names	Gold and Silver
Known for	the oldest ever twin centenarians
Children	6 (combined)

"Kinsan Ginsan" (きんさんぎんさん), was the affectionate name of Japanese identical twin sisters from Nagoya, widely known for their longevity, and for being the oldest living twins. Their full names were Kin Narita (成田きん, Narita Kin, 1 August 1892 – 23 January 2000) and Gin Kanie (蟹江ぎん, Kanie Gin, 1 August 1892 – 28 February 2001). Their maiden name was Yano (矢野). Their names literally translated from Japanese to English mean "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 ages 107 and 108 respectively.

History

The twins were born on 1 August 1892, 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. ^{[citation needed]}

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 years and 175 days. The cause of death was heart failure, as confirmed by an autopsy. 13 months later, in February 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 favourite 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, 11 grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.

References

^ "Japan mourns one half of world's oldest twins". TheGuardian.com. 24 January 2000.
^ "Gin Kanie, 108; She and Twin Sister Became Elderly Celebrities in Japan". Los Angeles Times. March 2001.

[1] "Japan mourns one half of world's oldest twins". TheGuardian.com. 24 January 2000.

[2] "Gin Kanie, 108; She and Twin Sister Became Elderly Celebrities in Japan". Los Angeles Times. March 2001.

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