Tsunamis in Japan: the Biggest in History

Japan is known for its countless earthquakes and tsunamis. Earthquakes happen there all the time, but most are just small tremors that do not shake anyone. Throughout history, however, several powerful earthquakes have triggered major tsunamis. In this article, we will look at some of the tsunamis that have happened in Japan.

Contents 22

Hakuho - 684 AD

The first tsunami recorded in Japan occurred on November 29, 684, in the regions of Nankaido, Shikoku, Kii, and Awaji. It is estimated that the earthquake had a magnitude of 8.4, and the number of deaths is unknown.

Sendai - 869 AD

The Sendai region was hit by a large wave that caused flooding extending 4 km from the coast. The city of Tagajo was destroyed, with an estimated 1,000 casualties. The earthquake behind it is known as Sanriku.

Nankai - 887 AD

On August 26, 887, a large earthquake that struck Osaka, Shiga, Gifu, and Nagano caused a tsunami that flooded the coastal region of Osaka. The tsunami was also observed on the coast of Hyuga, Miyazaki.

Kamakura - 1293 AD

An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.1 caused a tsunami that hit Kamakura, resulting in more than 23,000 deaths, including those caused by the fires triggered by the earthquake.

Nankai - 1361 AD

On August 3, 1361, during the Shohei era, an earthquake of 8.4 struck Nankaidō, followed by a tsunami that hit Yukiminato and Awa, destroying more than 1,700 houses and drowning more than 60 people in Awa.

Nankai - 1498 AD

On September 20, 1498, an earthquake of 7.5 magnitude occurred and caused a tsunami. The port in Wakayama was damaged by a tsunami several meters high. More than 30,000 people died. The structure around the Great Buddha of Kamakura (7 m tall) was swept away by the tsunami.

Nankaidō - 1605 AD

On February 3, 1605, an earthquake of 8.1 caused a tsunami over 30 meters high that was seen on the coast of Boso and on Kyushu Island. More than 3,600 people drowned in the Shishikui area. The wave height reached 6-7 m in Awa, 5-6 m in Kannoura, and 8-10 m in Sakihama. In total, there were over 5,000 drownings.

Seikaido-Nankaidō - 1698 AD

On December 22, 1698, a large tsunami hit Seikaido-Nankaidō.

Hoei - 1707 AD

On October 28, 1707, during the Hoei era, an earthquake of magnitude 8.4 caused a tsunami up to 10 m high that hit Kochi. More than 29,000 houses were destroyed and washed away, causing 30,000 deaths. In Tosa province, 11,170 houses were washed away, and 18,441 people drowned. About 700 people were killed and 603 houses were washed away in Osaka. The waves reached up to 20 meters in Tanezaki.

Hokkaido - 1741 AD

On August 29, 1741, the western side of Hokkaido was hit by a tsunami associated with the eruption of the Oshima islands. The cause of the tsunami was a large landslide triggered by the eruption. 1,467 people were killed in Hokkaido and 8 in Aomori.

Yaeyama Islands, Okinawa - 1771 AD

An underwater earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 7.4 occurred on April 4, 1771, around 8:00 a.m., near the Yaeyama islands in the former Ryukyu kingdom (now Okinawa). The earthquake itself did not cause any deaths, but a tsunami killed about 12,000 people. It is estimated that the waves reached up to 80 meters. The tsunami also caused long-term effects such as epidemics, malaria, and the eventual destruction of crops.

Mount Unzen, Nagasaki, Kyushu - 1792 AD

The eruption of Mount Unzen in Nagasaki triggered earthquakes, avalanches, and even a tsunami that hit the province of Higo and Ariake, causing more than 5,000 deaths.

Nankai, Tokai, and Kyushu - 1854

The earthquake that struck the Ansei southern coast of Japan was actually a series of three earthquakes: two earthquakes of magnitude 8.4 and one earthquake of magnitude 7.4 over several days.

• An 8.4 magnitude earthquake on November 4, 1854, near what is now Aichi and Shizuoka, produced tsunamis of 4-6 meters;
• Another 8.4 magnitude earthquake on November 5 in Wakayama. The resulting tsunami reached a height of 8.4 m. More than 1,443 people died;
• A 7.4 magnitude earthquake on November 7, 1854, in Ehime and Oita prefectures;

The total result was 80,000-100,000 deaths from earthquakes and tsunamis combined.

Edo (Tokyo) - 1855 AD

A large earthquake and tsunami occurred in Tokyo, causing the death of 4,500 to 10,000 people.

Meiji Sanriku - 1896 AD

On June 15, 1896, around 19:36, a large underwater earthquake occurred off the coast of Sanriku, in northeastern Honshu, triggering tsunami waves that hit the coast about half an hour later. The earthquake did not kill anyone, but the tsunami reached waves of 30 meters and killed about 27,000 people.

Kanto - 1923 AD

The Great Kanto Earthquake, which occurred in eastern Japan on September 1, 1923, and devastated Tokyo, Yokohama, and the surrounding area, caused tsunamis that ravaged the coast of Shonan, the Boso Peninsula, the Izu Islands, and the eastern coast of the Izu Peninsula. In Atami, waves were recorded reaching 12 meters. Examples of the tsunami damage include about 100 deaths along the beach of Yuigahama in Kamakura and an estimated 50 people in Enoshima. However, tsunamis made up only a small part of the final death toll of more than 100,000, most of whom died in the fire.

Showa Sanriku - 1933 AD

On March 3, 1933, an earthquake of 8.1 struck the Sanriku coast in northeastern Honshu, destroying about 5,000 houses and killing 3,068 people, the vast majority as a result of tsunami waves. Iwate Prefecture lost 42% of its population and 98% of its buildings. Taro is now protected by a huge tsunami wall, currently 10 meters high and over 2 kilometers long.

Tonankai - 1944 AD

1,223 people were killed by the wave caused by an 8.0 magnitude earthquake on December 7, 1944, about 20 km from the Shima Peninsula.

Nankaidō - 1946 AD

The Nankai earthquake on December 21, 1946, had a magnitude of 8.4 at 04:19 local time. It caused a wave that swept away 1,451 houses and resulted in 1,500 deaths.

Niigata - 1964 AD

28 people died, and entire buildings were destroyed by liquefaction. The tsunami destroyed the port of Niigata.

Okushiri, Hokkaido - 1993 AD

A devastating tsunami occurred along the coasts of Hokkaido as a result of a 7.8 magnitude earthquake, 130 km off the coast, on July 12, 1993. Within minutes, the Japan Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning, which was broadcast by NHK in English and Japanese. It was already too late for Okushiri, a small island near the epicenter, where some waves reached 30 meters and hit within two to five minutes of the earthquake. Despite being surrounded by tsunami barriers, Aonae, a small village, was devastated over the next hour by 13 waves over two meters high coming from different directions. Of the 250 people killed as a result of the earthquake, 197 were victims of the tsunami that hit Okushiri. The waves also caused deaths along the coast of Hokkaido.

Tsunami in Japan - Tohoku - 2011 AD

On March 11, 2011, along the Pacific coast of Japan, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake produced a tsunami 10 meters high along the northeastern coast of Japan. The wave caused widespread devastation, with an official death toll of 18,550 people. The largest tsunami recorded in Miyako, Iwate, reached a total height of 40.5 meters. In addition, the wave caused several explosions at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. Tsunami warnings were issued along the entire Pacific coast.

As devastating as it is, unexpected disasters can happen anywhere. Japan's history shows just how powerful these events can be.