Furukawa was born on 8 May 1901. She had at least one son, Hideji, and was reported to enjoy handicrafts and needlework. In 1998, she moved into a nursing home in Matsushige, Tokushima Prefecture.

Upon the death of 108-year-old Iwae Imazaki on 20 October 2008, Furukawa, then aged 107, became the oldest living person in Tokushima. On 31 May 2013, aged 112 years, 23 days, she broke the record of Kumekichi Tani and became the prefecture’s oldest resident ever. However, her name was not known to researchers, as she remained anonymous until her death.

Furukawa died on 11 October 2014 at the age of 113 years, 156 days, with her funeral being held two days later. Her successor as Tokushima’s oldest living person was Tsurue Amou, then aged 110, who would go on to break her record for the prefecture in 2017.