Significant earthquakes of 1857

July 13, 1857 Earthquake: Tokaido, Japan

July 13, 1857 · M6.4

A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck Tokaido, Japan on July 13, 1857 at 22:00 UTC. 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
July 13, 1857
Time
22:00 UTC
Place
Tokaido, Japan
Magnitude
6.4 (Ms)
Epicenter
34.800° N, 138.300° E
Country
Japan

The toll

Damage
Limited (under about $1 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.

Some damage at Tanaka castle by earthquake. Tsunami on the lower river Oigawa. Tsunami damage around Okitsu. (reference #150)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

More

Significant earthquakes of 1857The 1800sRecent 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 6622.