December 6, 1616 Earthquake: Sanriku, Japan
A magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck Sanriku, Japan on December 6, 1616. It killed 200 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
- December 6, 1616
- Place
- Sanriku, Japan
- Magnitude
- 7.5 (Ms)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 39.000° N, 144.500° E
- Country
- Japan
The toll
- Deaths
- 200 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.
Dec. 6, 1616. There was a tsunami on the coast of Iwate Prefecture. An earthquake and tsunami occurred during the fair at Yokamachi. Several hundred people died at Kamaishi and Ozuchi. (reference #414).
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- June 15, 1896, Sanriku, Japan
- December 2, 1611, Sanriku, Japan
- March 2, 1933, Sanriku, Japan
- February 17, 1793, Sanriku,rikuzen,rikuchu, Japan
- August 23, 1856, Oshima, Japan
- December 28, 1994, Honshu, Japan
- October 9, 1257, Sanriku, Japan
- March 23, 1960, Sanriku, Japan
- July 13, 869, Sanriku, Japan
- May 30, 1998, Sanriku, Japan
- November 9, 2025, Off East Coast Honshu, Japan
- March 11, 2011, Off East Coast Honshu, Japan
- November 14, 2005, East Coast Honshu, Japan
- July 18, 1992, Honshu Island, Japan
- October 29, 1989, N. Honshu Island, 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 5960.