September 1, 1923 Earthquake: Tokyo, Yokohama, Japan

Ref #414:

1923, Sep 1, at 02:58:49. 35.25 N, 139.5 E, magnitude 8.2. There was a catastrophic earthquake in the Kanto region. The source of the earthquake, and the moderate tsunami which it generated, included Sagami Gulf and the Boso Peninsula, as well as adjacent areas of the sea and land, and apparently was oriented latitudinally. The assumed length of the source was 150-200 km.

In the pleistoseismic zone, the earthquake was preceded by an underground roar, like peals of distant thunder. Then began abrupt vertical shocks, which became horizontal oscillations, lasting 6 minutes. People could not remain standing, trees broke or were uprooted. A cloud of smoke was ejected from the Mihara volcano on Oshima Island.

The area of destruction included the prefectures of Kanagawa, Tokyo, Chiba, Shizouka and part of Saitama, Yamanashi, and Ibaraki. Homes caught fire at 134 places in Tokyo after the shocks. The enormous conflagration which broke out raged for three days and destroyed three quarters of the city. Fire storms also developed, in one of which, 38,000 people assembled in the city square died. Petroleum storage tanks burst at Yokohama and Yokosuka; the oil spreading on the ground and water took fire; some of the residents who were taking refuge from the earthquake on ships and boats were burned.

According to official data, 695,000 homes in Japan suffered damage: 55% of these were burned, 12% collapsed completely, 13% collapsed partly, about 20% suffered seriously from the tremors, and 0.2% were washed away by the tsunami waves. Of the total number of structures, the number of damaged homes was: 86.5% Kanagawa Prefecture, including 96% at Yokohama, and 81% at other places; 48% in Tokyo Prefecture, including 6.3% each in Saitama and Shizouka Prefectures; 3.5% in Yamanashi Prefecture; 0.2% in Ibaraki Prefecture. Brick and stone homes suffered especially, mainly in the foreign quarters. Almost 100,000 people died, and at least 47,000 injured; 2,144 people and 166 were injured in washed away homes. There were many residents of Tokyo who were holidaying on the Pacific Coast among the drowned. The losses amounted to more than 5 billion yen. Many artistic, historical and scientific valuables were lost.

The earthquake was accompanied by numerous aftershocks. Forty-four perceptible shocks were felt in the first 12 hours, 88 in the next 12 hours, and 60 and 47 in the next two 12-hour periods. The low-sensitivity seismographs at Tokyo registered 1700 shocks in the first three days.

1923, Sep 1. 99,331 deaths, 43,476 unknown (missing), 128,266 houses completely destroyed, 447,128 burned houses, 868 houses swept away, 35.1 N, 139.5 E, magnitude 7.9. (ref #150)

1923, Sep 1. 143,000 deaths, 103,733 injuries, 203733 affected, $600 million damage. (ref #1250)

1923, Sep 1. 142,807 deaths, $2800 million damage. (ref #1051)

1923, Sep 1. 142,807 deaths, 99,330 injuries, magnitude 8.2 Ms. (ref #1173)

1923, Sep 1, 02:58:36 UTC. 35.3 N, 139.5 E, shallow depth, magnitude 8.3 MS. (ref #88)

1923, Sep 1. Magnitude 8.2 MS, 7.9 Mw. (ref #1314)

1923, Sep 1, 02:58:37.04 UTC. 35.405 N, 139.084 E, depth 35 km, magnitude 7.9 Mw. (ref #9910)

1923, Sep 1, 02:58:35.54 UTC. 35.413 N, 139.298 E, depth 15 km, magnitude, 8.1 Mw. (ref #10476)

In Professor Imamura’s valuable report, published in July, 1924, the total number of deaths is reckoned as 99,331, of wounded as 103,733, and of missing 43,476. The Home Office Report, published in 1926, reduces all these figures, and especially those for the wounded and missing, the numbers given being killed 91,344, wounded 52,074 and missing 13,275. (ref #3743)

the number of more than 142,000 people, which has been frequently explained as the fatalities in this event, is not on a certain basis […] The database reveals the Kanto earthquake killed a total of 105,385 people [including missing]. (ref #13911)