September 10, 1597 Earthquake: Beppu Bay, Japan
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck Beppu Bay, Japan on September 10, 1597. It killed 40 people, counting the tsunami it caused.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- September 10, 1597
- Place
- Beppu Bay, Japan
- Magnitude
- 6.4 (Ms)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 33.300° N, 131.600° E
- Country
- Japan
The toll
- Deaths
- 40 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.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
Reference #150 lists earthquake on Sept 10, 1597, 33.3 N, 131.6 E, magnitude 6.4.
...a year later, on Sept. 10, 1597, the region was visited by another severe shock when the small promontory of Hisamitu-zima, situated between the above mentioned
island [Uriu-zima] and the city of Beppu, vanished under the sea. (reference #1097)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- May 21, 1792, Kyusyu Island, Japan
- June 30, 744, Shimabara, Yatsushiro, Higo, Japan
- June 16, 1026, Off Masuda, Shimane Prefecture, Japan
- March 14, 1872, SW, Honshu, Japan
- September 4, 1596, Beppu Bay, Japan
- April 15, 2016, Kumamoto, Oita, Japan
- October 30, 1662, Hiuganada, Japan
- July 28, 2026, Kumamoto, Japan
- December 7, 1922, Kyushu, Japan
- July 28, 1889, Kumamoto, Japan
- August 6, 1984, Nobeoka, Kyushu, Japan
- June 2, 1905, Aki, Japan
- July 12, 1676, Tuwano, Japan
- February 21, 1968, Kyushu, Japan
- March 24, 2001, Hiroshima, Okayama, Honshu, Kagama, Japan
More
Significant earthquakes of 1597The 1500sRecent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
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 5958.