BIOGRAPHY

Fumie Matsuda was born in Japan on 31 March 1911. She valued her faith in Buddhism and maintained her religious practices by singing Buddhist hymns known as “Baikaryu Ei Sanka.”

In June 2011, just a few months after Matsuda turned 100 years old, her neighborhood association’s elderly club organized a park golf tournament to commemorate her longevity. Even though it was her first time playing park golf, she managed to sink the ball into the cup from a distance of 20 feet on the final hole, achieving a birdie. Her immediate reaction was, “It’s addictive.” On September 16th of the same year, the mayor of Chitose City paid a visit to her home to extend his congratulations for her longevity. At that time, she was 100 years old and warmly received the mayor while dressed in a traditional Japanese kimono.

In September 2018, at the age of 107, Matsuda was officially recognized as the oldest person in Hokkaido’s Ishikari Promotion Bureau. On March 31, 2021, Matsuda celebrated her 110th birthday in the company of her family. It was reported that she had a great-great-grandchild at the time.

Fumie Matsuda passed away in Chitose City, Hokkaido, Japan on November 19, 2023, at the age of 112 years and 233 days.

RECOGNITION

In September 2023, Matsuda was reported as the third-oldest living person in Hokkaido Prefecture, after Tane Matsubara and a 112-year-old anonymous woman of Sapporo.

ATTRIBUTION

* “100歳でパークゴルフ初挑戦　幸町の松田さん” – Hokkaido Shimbun, 2 July 2011

* “令和5年度 道内男女別長寿上位者名簿” – Hokkaido Prefecture, 15 September 2023

GALLERY