June 15, 1896 Earthquake: Sanriku, Japan
A magnitude 8.3 earthquake struck Sanriku, Japan on June 15, 1896 at 10:33 UTC. It killed 27,122 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
- June 15, 1896
- Time
- 10:33 UTC
- Place
- Sanriku, Japan
- Magnitude
- 8.3 (Mw)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 39.500° N, 144.000° E
- Country
- Japan
The toll
- Deaths
- 27,122
- Injuries
- 9,247
- Damage
- Extreme (about $25 million or more)
- Houses destroyed
- 11,000
- Houses damaged
- 11,000
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.
Reference #414:
1896, June 15, 19:33 (local time). A strong earthquake in Sanriku, Honshu Island, was felt over an enormous area and generated a catastrophic tsunami. According to official accounts, 10,617 buildings were washed away, 27,122 people died, and 9,247 people were injured. The greatest destruction from the earthquake took place in Iwate Prefecture, which was closest to its source. Many homes were destroyed at Miyako, Yamada, Kamaishi and nearby settlements. There was lesser damage in a vast zone, extending from Miyagi Prefecture to the regions of Hidaka and Tokachi on the south coast of Hokkaido Island. The earthquake took the form of slow, undulating, not very strong, but prolonged oscillations.
Different Reports of Epicenters and Effects
LatitudeLongitudeMagnitudeDeathsHouses
DestroyedReference #39N143.5E27,122106,170#106839.5N144E7.626,36011,000#15039.6N144.2E7.627,12210,617#41439.6N144.2E7.627,12210,617#7927,122106,170 (includes tsunami effects)#1006
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- March 11, 2011, Honshu, Japan
- December 2, 1611, Sanriku, Japan
- March 2, 1933, Sanriku, Japan
- February 17, 1793, Sanriku,rikuzen,rikuchu, Japan
- December 6, 1616, Sanriku, Japan
- May 16, 1968, Off East Coast of Honshu Island, Japan
- August 23, 1856, Oshima, Japan
- August 9, 1901, Off Northeast Coast Honshu, Japan
- December 28, 1994, Honshu, Japan
- October 2, 1678, Sanriku,rikuchu, Japan
- March 23, 1960, Sanriku, Japan
- October 12, 1935, Sanriku, Japan
- November 9, 2025, Off East Coast Honshu, Japan
- October 9, 1257, Sanriku, Japan
- April 13, 1677, Sanriku, Japan
More
Significant earthquakes of 1896The 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 2489.