September 9, 1616 Earthquake: Miyagi Prefecture, Honshu, Japan
A magnitude 7 earthquake struck Miyagi Prefecture, Honshu, Japan on September 9, 1616. It caused a tsunami.
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 9, 1616
- Place
- Miyagi Prefecture, Honshu, Japan
- Magnitude
- 7 (Ms)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 38.100° N, 142.000° E
- Country
- Japan
The toll
- Deaths
- Many (about 101 to 1,000) with its tsunami and other effects
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
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.
1616, September 9, about 11:00 [local time]. There was a strong earthquake in the Sendai region. The walls of the castle, and some monuments were damaged. The epicenter was situated at sea near Miyagi Prefecture. A weak tsunami was observed on the coast of this prefecture. (reference #414)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- March 11, 2011, Honshu, Japan
- September 27, 1611, Aidu, Japan
- February 17, 1793, Sanriku,rikuzen,rikuchu, Japan
- July 6, 1905, Off Fukushima, Japan
- April 21, 1659, Aidu, Japan
- June 12, 1978, Sanriku, Japan
- June 13, 2008, Tokyo, Honshu, Japan
- April 11, 2011, Honshu, Japan
- March 16, 2022, Off Fukushima, Japan
- April 7, 2011, Near E Coast Honshu, Japan
- February 13, 2021, Off Fukushima, Japan
- October 2, 1678, Sanriku,rikuchu, Japan
- November 5, 1938, Near E Coast Honshu, Japan
- April 30, 1962, Sendai, Honshu, Japan
- July 23, 2008, N, Honshu, Japan
More
Significant earthquakes of 1616The 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 877.