Today, on September 3rd, our representative, Yumi Yamamoto, the Director of LongeviQuest Japan, had the opportunity to attend the longevity celebration of Mrs. Yuriko Tsurumaru. Earlier today, in celebration of Respect for the Aged Day (Keirō no Hi), she was recognized by numerous journalists and media outlets as the oldest living resident of Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan. On this occasion, she received congratulations from the lieutenant governor.

Yuriko Tsurumaru (Japanese: 鶴丸百合子) was born in Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture, on 14 July 1913, as the eldest of three siblings. During her childhood, her father, a police officer, was transferred to Miyazaki Prefecture, prompting the family to move there. After graduating from Nobeoka Women’s High School, she attended Miyazaki Women’s Normal School. Upon graduation, she became an elementary school teacher in Kobayashi City, Miyazaki Prefecture. She married in her early 20s and temporarily retired from teaching. However, after her husband passed away at the age of 36, she returned to teaching and continued until she retired at 61.

During her teaching career, she commuted daily, crossing the mountains for an hour and a half each way, which helped her build physical strength. Even after retiring, she remained active until around the age of 80, participating in senior citizens’ clubs and taking Japanese dance lessons with local friends, often performing at community festivals.

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(The lieutenant governor presented a congratulatory letter to Mrs. Tsurumaru, who expressed her gratitude for the gesture.)

After she stopped dancing, she took up flower pressing as a hobby, enjoying it alongside her second daughter, who lived next door. She remained remarkably healthy throughout her life, with the exception of cataract surgery at age 99. At 104, she broke her femur, but after surgery to repair it with a bolt, she was able to walk again.

When she lived at home, she loved reading newspapers and would spend the entire day absorbed in them. If she encountered a kanji she didn’t understand, she would look it up in the dictionary, continuing to expand her knowledge even past the age of 100. After moving into a nursing home, she enjoyed exchanging letters with her second daughter daily, a tradition she maintained until she was 110 years old.

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(It was a warm ceremony filled with laughter.)

Tsurumaru-san currently has three surviving children, four grandchildren, six great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandson. She was very happy to meet her first great-great-grandson, who was born in January of this year, during a visit in March. Afterward, whenever she saw photos of him on the family’s smartphone, she would gently stroke the screen and remark on how cute he was.

On 19 August 2023, following the passing of Yone Kawabata, she became the oldest living person in Miyazaki Prefecture, at the age of 110 years, 36 days.

© LongeviQuest