Tsumura was born in
Kobe, Japan, in 1944. He graduated from
Hitotsubashi University in 1966, where he majored in commerce before continuing his studies in the USA. While studying ethics, he became interested in the study of the
Hebrew Bible. He applied to
Asbury Theological Seminary to study for an M.Div., graduating in 1969. He then applied to
Brandeis University for a
research master's degree in Mediterranean Studies, which he completed in 1971. Tsumura's doctorate, also in Mediterranean Studies, was awarded by the same university in 1973 for his work on
Ugarit. After graduating from Brandeis University in 1974, he returned to Japan where he became a lecturer, and later professor, in Old Testament at Japan Bible Seminary. From 1975 to 1990, he served as Associate Professor of Semitic Linguistics at the
University of Tsukuba, teaching literature and linguistics. In 1990, he returned to Japan Bible Seminary. He is recognized as a world-wide scholar, having been a visiting scholar at
Harvard Divinity School (1973-1974), the
University of Michigan (1979), and
Harvard University in the department of Near Eastern Studies (1994).. He was a research fellow at
Tyndale House (Cambridge) from 1986 to 1988. He has taught Old Testament several times in
Hong Kong at the
China Graduate School of Theology. == Works ==