August 22, 1782 Earthquake: Tokaido, Japan
A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck Tokaido, Japan on August 22, 1782. 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
- August 22, 1782
- Place
- Tokaido, Japan
- Magnitude
- 7.3 (Ms)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 35.100° N, 139.700° E
- Country
- Japan
The toll
- Deaths
- Many (about 101 to 1,000) with its tsunami and other effects
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
- Houses destroyed
- 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.
August 23 (or 22), 1782, about 2:00 [local time], 35.1 N, 139.7 E, magnitude 7.3. There was a strong earthquake in the region of Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefectures. There was a landslide on Hakone Mountain. There were many aftershocks. Odawara, where there was much destruction, suffered especially heavily. Homes were damaged at Tokyo. A tsunami was observed on the coast of Kanagawa, Chiba, and Iwate Prefectures. The data on these events are contradictory. (reference #414)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- September 1, 1923, Tokyo, Yokohama, Japan
- May 27, 1293, Kamakura, Japan
- November 11, 1855, Tokyo, Japan
- December 30, 1703, Off SW Boso Peninsula, Japan
- September 20, 1498, Enshunada Sea, Japan
- November 4, 1677, Off SE. Boso Peninsula, Japan
- November 25, 1930, Idu, Honshu, Japan
- September 12, 1495, Kamakura, Japan
- July 29, 1649, Tokyo, Japan
- March 1, 1633, Odawara, Japan
- March 11, 1853, Odawara, Japan
- May 8, 1974, Nakagi, Japan
- January 14, 1978, Tokkaido, Oshima, Japan
- June 20, 1894, Tokyo, Japan
- September 21, 1931, Honshu, Japan
More
Significant earthquakes of 1782The 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 5924.