Gerontology Wiki
Gerontology Wiki
Gerontology Wiki
7,796
pages
in: Female centenarians, Japanese centenarians, 1913 births,
and 12 more

Umeno Sumiyama

Sign in to edit
Umeno Sumiyama
Umeno Sumiyama
Umeno Sumiyama with Guinness World Records certificate
Birth: 5 November 1913
Shodo Island, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan
Death: May 2023
Shodo Island, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan
Age: 109 years, 177–207 days
Country: JapanJPN
Verified

Umeno Sumiyama [Japanese: 炭山ウメノ] (5 November 1913 – May 2023) was a Japanese centenarian who, together with her twin sister Koume Kodama, were the oldest identical living twins validated by Guinness World Records until Kodama's death on 3 February 2022.

Biography[]

Umeno Sumiyama and her twin sister Koume Kodama were born in Shodo Island, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan on 5 November 1913, as the third and fourth (eldest and second daughter) of the 11 siblings.

She and her twin sister Koume Kodama started living apart from a young age. When they finished elementary school, Kodama left the island to help her uncle.

Sumiyama married with a man who lived on Shodo Island. The couple had four children. Sumiyama had to vacate her home towards the end of the Second World War as an air raid shelter was constructed in the mountain behind it, but the war end shortly afterwards.

As Sumiyama and Kodama got older, the twins joked about reaching the age of Kin Narita and Gin Kanie, who were not only the previous record holders for the oldest identical twins living, but also a household name in Japan. When she and her twin sister Koume Kodama celebrated their 99th birthday (a custom in Japan), Sumiyama looked at the photo of Kin and Gin and said "I think we look younger"!.

On 1 September 2021 at the age of 107 years, 300 days, she and her twin sister Koume Kodama were recognised as the world's oldest identical twins living (female) and the oldest identical twins ever (female) by Guinness World Records. Living in separate locations at the time, the official certificates were presented to Umeno and Koume by care home staff.

Koume Kodama died on 3 February 2022 at the age of 108 years, 90 days.

Umeno Sumiyama died in Shodo Island, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan in May 2023 at the age of 109 years, 177–207 days.

Gallery[]

References[]

Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.