Tsuneko Sera

BIOGRAPHY

Tsuneko Sera was born in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan, on September 15, 1904. Following her graduation from a girls’ high school, she married at the age of 20. The couple spent the first years of their married life in Tokyo, which was still in turmoil after the Great Kantō Earthquake of 1923. Her husband was passionate about literature and enjoyed reading novels. Occasionally, he would express his emotions by writing heartfelt and affectionate tanka poems about her.

During her time in Tokyo, she gave birth to three children. However, following her husband’s appointment as a professor at Kumamoto Medical University, the family relocated to Kumamoto Prefecture, where two more children—a boy and a girl—joined their household. Unfortunately, after the end of World War II, she experienced a series of losses with the passing of three of her daughters. Her eldest succumbed to tuberculosis, while her second and third daughters passed away from cancer shortly after getting married. Beyond her role as a mother, she was described as a woman of diverse talents and interests. Her hobbies included floriculture, with a particular fondness for chrysanthemums, Western-style orchids, and Higo camellia flowers. Additionally, she enjoyed knitting, sewing, handicrafts, and wooden doll-making.

Sera moved into a nursing home for the elderly in 2003, at the age of 98. Her 100th birthday was celebrated at an event held in a local hotel, attended by her family and friends. She blew out all one hundred candles on the cake by herself. During the celebration, she expressed her desire to live even longer, shouting to her niece, “I’ll be around until I’m 120!” Reflecting on his mother’s wisdom, her eldest son reported that she once said to him, “Once you get old, every day is very important.” At the age of 106, she began to suffer from aspiration pneumonia, requiring the use of an IV drip. She celebrated her 107th birthday in her hospital ward, attended by several hospital officials.

Tsuneko Sera passed away in Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, on 28 September 2015, at the age of 111 years, 13 days.

RECOGNITION

Her age was verified by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare (MHLW), as well as Ryohei Asano and Yumi Yamamoto, and validated by LongeviQuest on 15 December 2023.