April 24, 1771 Earthquake: Ryukyu Islands, Japan
A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck Ryukyu Islands, Japan on April 24, 1771. It killed 13,486 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
- April 24, 1771
- Place
- Ryukyu Islands, Japan
- Magnitude
- 7.4 (Ms)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 24.000° N, 124.300° E
- Country
- Japan
The toll
- Deaths
- 13,486 with its tsunami and other effects
- Damage
- Extreme (about $25 million or more) with its tsunami and other effects
- Houses destroyed
- 3,237 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 #414:
A strong shock was felt on all the Ryukyu Islands, though there are no reports about any destruction caused by the earthquake. Its source apparently lay between Ishigaki and Miyako Islands.
Following the shock on Ryukyu Islands, a tsunami was observed with varying intensity at different places.
Iida et al. (1967): 24.IV; 24o N., 124.3o E.; M=7.4; m=4.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- March 12, 1966, Taiwan
- April 26, 1959, Taipei, Taiwan
- March 26, 2002, Ryukyu Islands, Japan
- February 28, 1915, SW Ryukyu Islands, Japan
- March 11, 1958, Ryukyu Islands, Japan
- June 10, 1938, SW Ryukyu Islands, Japan
- December 18, 2001, Taiwan
- 1667, Miyakojima, Japan
- July 4, 1917, NE of Taiwan
- October 15, 2004, T'Ao-Yuan, Taiwan
- May 24, 1994, Taiwan
More
Significant earthquakes of 1771The 1700sRecent 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 1405.