| Sawayo Tanaka | |
 Tanaka as a supercentenarian, photographed by Jerry Friedman | |
| Birth: | 9 June 1891 Matsuyama, Ehime, Japan |
| Death: | 1 November 2003 Yukuhashi, Fukuoka, Japan |
| Age: | 112 years, 145 days |
| Country: |  JPN
|
| Validated | |
Sawayo Tanaka (Japanese: 田中沢世; 9 June 1891 – 1 November 2003) was a Japanese supercentenarian whose age is validated by Gerontology Research Group (GRG). She was among the oldest living people in Japan at the time of her death.
Biography[]
Tanaka was born in Ehime Prefecture, Japan on 9 June 1891. She lived on fallow land that her father put under cultivation; his business in planting fruit fields prospered. When Tanaka reached the age of 20, her father arranged for her to marry a man from the neighbouring village, believing him suitable to grow the farming business.
Tanaka and her husband moved into her parents' house in Yukuhashi, and planted pears, grapes, and figs, which, along with spinach, made up her diet. She gave birth to eight children: three daughters, all of whom were still alive at the time of her death; and five sons, only one of whom was still alive at the time of her death. Tanaka followed the Tenrikyo sect of Shintoism, and often prayed at a shrine in the mountains. One of her sons died in World War II; she often walked 20 minutes to pay respects at his tomb. In her 90s, she moved to the Yukuhashi Memorial Hospital.
Following the death of Yukichi Chuganji on 28 September 2003, Tanaka became the second-oldest living person in Fukuoka Prefecture, after Ura Koyama.
Tanaka's age was verified by Japan's MHLW and Tamashiro Hiko, and validated by the GRG on 21 October 2004.
Tanaka died of natural causes in Yukuhashi, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, on 1 November 2003, at the age of 112 years, 145 days.
References[]
- 110年以上生きた日本人 DataCollectionSite
- Table B Gerontology Research Group
- 全国の長寿者上位20人 APDA, October 2002
- 全国の長寿者上位10人 APDA, October 2003