January 18, 1586 Earthquake: Ise Bay, Japan

There was a strong earthquake on January 18, 23:00 Local Time (36N, 136.8E, magnitude 7.9), in Kagawa, Hiogo, Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, Mie, Aichi, Gifu, Fukui, Ishikawa and Shizouka prefectures. The zone where there was some degree of dstruction presumably extended from Nara and Osaka prefectures in the southwest to the prefectures of Toyama in the northeast and Shizouka in the east. Fires broke out in places. There was considerable destruction at Kyoto. The Japanese literature reports a colossal landslide without indicating the exact location. It apparently occurred in the region of Biwa Lake, since it is known that Naghama was washed out. The vent is described as follows by a Christian missionary.

"In 1586, such a terrible earthquake was sent by heaven, that there had been nothing like it before in Japan. The tremors ceased only after 40 days and extended from Sakata District to Kyoto Prefecture. Sixty homes collapsed at Sakai...At Kyoto, many buildings collapsed, including a famous temple with many idols ... In Gifu Prefecture, a fortress was situated on a high mountain. After numerous strong shocks, the earth opened up and swallowed the mountain and the fortress. In their place appeared a lake. The same occurred in Ika District as well... The palaces at Osaka felt very strong tremors, but nevertheless were not toppled...

In Shiga Prefecture at the town of Nagahama, which had about a thousand homes and was often visited by traders, a fire broke out and destroyed half the city. Terrible tremors lasted many days. Then the sea (Lake Biwa) surged on the city with such force that the water pushed over all the buildings and carried them off together with all the inhabitants. Not a trace remained of the rich trading city, except for the castle, and even that was underwater.

The data about this wave in the Japanese literature are apparently so vague, that different specialists have mistakenly attributed the tsunami to the Pacific or to the Sea of Japan [coast of Honshu Island]

(above from reference #414)

Jan 18, 1586. Castles at Nagashima, Kuwana, Kameyama, Ogaki, Nagahama, Kaerigumo, Sawayama, and more than 10,000 houses destroyed by quake. There were more than 8,000 deaths. (reference #150)

Great inland earthquake in central Japan. Seismic intensity V or greater around the lake. It has been suggested (Iida, 1987; Sugiyamaet al., 1991; Kanaori et al., 1993c) that this earthquake was accompanied by the movements of the Miboro, Atera, and Isewan faults, and is presently regarded as one of the largest inland earthquakes to ever occur in Japan. The ground motion around the lake resulting from this event may have reached intensity V or greater. (reference #12837)