Fusa Tatsumi – Gerontology Research Group

Lifespan: 26.04.1907
Age: 116 years
Birthplace: Yao City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan
Last residence: Kashiwara City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan
Application date: 12.05.2017
Validation date: 13.08.2019
Validation source: MHLW, Japan/Takeo Inishie/et al.

Fusa Tatsumi, originally known as Fusa Taniura [Japanese: 谷裏フサ], was born in Yao City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan, on April 25, 1907, as the fifth of six siblings. Her educational journey took her through elementary school, after which she delved into various traditional Japanese arts, including the tea ceremony, flower arrangement, and Okoto, a classical Japanese musical instrument, earning a diploma in the process. At the age of 32, she married Ryutaro Tatsumi [Japanese: 巽龍太郎], and together they relocated to Kashiwara City, Osaka Prefecture. Their family expanded with the birth of their eldest daughter in 1941 and their eldest son in 1947.

Fusa Tatsumi worked tirelessly in her family orchard, where they cultivated peaches, plums, and grapes. Her dedication to this laborious work, including carrying a basket of harvested fruits on her back, has been attributed to her longevity.

Beyond her work, Fusa found joy in cultivating chrysanthemum flowers as a hobby. However, an incident in her 70s, where her clothes got entangled in her flowerbed, led to a broken femur. To this day, she has a bolt in her leg as a result. Remarkably, aside from this injury, Fusa has remained remarkably healthy and free from serious illnesses or injuries throughout her life.

In her earlier years, Fusa Tatsumi lived at home with her family until just before she reached the age of 107. She currently resides in a nursing home in Kashiwara, Osaka, Japan. On the occasion of her 110th birthday in April 2017, she celebrated with a small gathering. Her age was officially validated by the Gerontology Research Group (GRG) on August 13, 2019. In September 2019, she was reported as the second-oldest living person in Osaka Prefecture, Japan, following Katsuko Nakajima. However, by September 2020, she assumed the title of the oldest living person in the region.

The legacy of Fusa Tatsumi continued to grow as she became the oldest validated living person in Japan and all of Asia, following the passing of Kane Tanaka on April 19, 2022. Notably, Tanaka’s death was publicly announced on April 25, coinciding with Tatsumi’s 115th birthday. After the passing of an anonymous woman from Hyogo on April 30, 2022, Fusa Tatsumi became the last surviving Japanese person born in 1907.

As of January 17, 2023, and following the passing of Lucile Randon, Fusa Tatsumi held the title of the second-oldest validated living person in the world, with Maria Branyas Morera being over a month older than her.