BIOGRAPHY

Tsuyo Wada was born in Gujō, Gifu Prefecture, Japan, on 9 September 1908. She married and had eight children. To support her family, she worked spinning silk from cocoons.

On her 100th birthday, in September 2008, the mayor of Gujō visited her home, presenting her with a congratulatory letter and a gift. Dressed in a kimono, she greeted the mayor. At the time, she lived with her eldest son, then 73, and his family. Although she was hard of hearing, she was healthy enough to weed fields and shovel snow. She enjoyed vegetables and fish and had a drink every night. When the mayor asked her about the secret to her longevity, she laughed and said, “I don’t have one. I just weed and exercise.”

On 5 September 2018, four days before her 110th birthday, the mayor and prefectural officials visited the nursing home where she lived. She received a congratulatory letter and other gifts, once again dressed in a kimono. Her eldest son remarked, “My mother had a very hard life, but she was kind to us.” At the age of 110, Wada liked to move her wheelchair to the window to enjoy the scenery or bask in the sun. She actively participated in recreational activities at the nursing home, enjoying games like ball toss and quoits. She ate everything without any dislikes and could chew hard foods such as rice crackers.

Wada passed away on 24 June 2019, at a hospital in Gujō City, at the age of 110 years, 288 days, due to old age.

RECOGNITION

On 4 May 2018, following the passing of 113-year-old Hisa Arai, she became the oldest living person in Gifu Prefecture. Upon her passing, she was succeeded by Okagi Hayashi.

Her age was verified by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare (MHLW), as well as Yu Li, Ryohei Asano, and Yumi Yamamoto and validated by LongeviQuest on 23 June 2024.

ATTRIBUTION

* “県内最高齢者の御長寿をお祝いしました” – Gujo City Newsletter, November 2008

* “県内最高齢 大和の和田さん 知事祝い状” – Chunichi Shimbun, 6 September 2018

GALLERY