February 3, 1605 Earthquake: Nankaido, Japan
A magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck Nankaido, Japan on February 3, 1605. It killed 5,000 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
- February 3, 1605
- Place
- Nankaido, Japan
- Magnitude
- 7.9 (Ms)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 33.000° N, 134.900° E
- Country
- Japan
The toll
- Deaths
- 5,000 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); 400 with its tsunami and other effects
- Houses damaged
- Many (101 to 1,000)
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.
February 3, 1605, Nankaido, 33 N, 134.9 E, magnitude 8.1, tsunami intensity 3, validity 4. 700 houses (41%) at Hiro, Wakayama Prefecture washed away. 3,600 drowned in Shishikui area. Awa, wave height 6-7m. 350 at Kannoura 60 at Sakihama drowned, wave height 5-6 m and 8-10 m, respectively. Total more than 5,000 drowned. (reference #150)
January 31 (February 3), 1605, 20:00 [local time].
There was a catastrophic earthquake at Nankaido-Tokaido. Coastal mountains on the Boso Peninsula collapsed, piling up in the sea and forming elevations. The earthquake affected the prefectures of Chiba, Saitama, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Shizouka, Aichi, Mie and also the islands of Shikoku and Kyushu. There are reports that a slight shock was felt on the Kii Peninsula. An earthquake was felt in Kochi Prefecture, but no damage is reported...
In some catalogs (References #150 and #3785) it is considered that two strong earthquakes occurred almost simultaneously in 1605: one at Tokaido and one at Nankaido with the following approximate epicenter coordinates: 34.3 North, 140.3 East; 33 North, 134.9 East.
(reference #414)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- January 16, 1995, Kobe, Awaji-Shima, Nishinomiya, SW Honshu, Japan
- October 28, 1707, Nankaido, Japan
- December 24, 1854, Nankaido, Japan
- December 20, 1946, S Coast, Honshu, Japan
- December 20, 1711, Seionaikai, Japan
- August 3, 1361, Nankaido, Japan
- August 26, 887, Nankaido, Japan
- February 27, 1671, Nankaido, Japan
- February 22, 1099, Nankaido, Japan
- September 20, 1498, Nankaido, Japan
- April 17, 1948, Tokaido, Japan
- December 3, 1855, Nankaido, Japan
- August 15, 1331, Sagami, Japan
- August 8, 1808, E. Awa, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan
- November 29, 684, Japan
More
Significant earthquakes of 1605The 1600sRecent 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 833.