March 21, 1589 Earthquake: Suruga, Japan

Date

March 21, 1589

Place

Suruga, Japan

Magnitude

6.7 (Ms)

Tsunami

Yes: the tsunami it caused

Epicenter

34.800° N, 138.200° E

Country

Japan

Deaths

Many (about 101 to 1,000) with its tsunami and other effects

Damage

Severe (about $5 to $25 million) with its tsunami and other effects

Houses destroyed

Many (101 to 1,000) with its tsunami and other effects

Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.

• September 1, 1923, Tokyo, Yokohama, JapanM7.9 · 105,385 deaths · $600 million · 695,000 houses destroyed · 123 km
• May 27, 1293, Kamakura, JapanM7.1 · 23,024 deaths · 118 km
• January 18, 1586, Ise Bay, JapanM8.2 · 8,000 deaths · 10,000 houses destroyed · 130 km
• October 27, 1891, Mino-Owari, JapanM8.4 · 7,273 deaths · 142,177 houses destroyed · 134 km
• November 11, 1855, Tokyo, JapanM7 · 6,757 deaths · 50,000 houses destroyed · 173 km
• December 30, 1703, Off SW Boso Peninsula, JapanM8.2 · 5,233 deaths · 20,162 houses destroyed · 166 km
• September 20, 1498, Enshunada Sea, JapanM8.3 · 5,000 deaths · 1,000 houses destroyed · 89 km
• January 12, 1945, S, Honshu, JapanM7.1 · 2,306 deaths · 7,221 houses destroyed · 92 km
• October 28, 1707, Enshunada, JapanM8.4 · 2,000 deaths · 10,000 houses destroyed · 86 km
• December 7, 1944, Off Southeast Coast Kii Peninsula, JapanM8.1 · 1,223 deaths · 29,205 houses destroyed · 135 km
• February 3, 1605, Enshunada, JapanM7.9 · 1,001 deaths · 80 houses destroyed · 147 km
• December 23, 1854, Enshunada Sea, JapanM8.3 · 1,000 deaths · 8,900 houses destroyed · 93 km
• December 17, 1096, Enshunada, JapanM8.4 · 400 deaths · 110 km
• November 25, 1930, Idu, Honshu, JapanM7.1 · 259 deaths · 8,099 houses destroyed · 76 km
• April 9, 1858, N, Hida, Japan203 deaths · 709 houses destroyed · 148 km

Significant earthquakes of 1589The 1500sRecent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history

Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 6038.