May 1, 1939 Earthquake: NW, Honshu, Japan
A magnitude 7 earthquake struck NW, Honshu, Japan on May 1, 1939 at 05:58 UTC. It killed 27 people.
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
- May 1, 1939
- Time
- 05:58 UTC
- Place
- NW, Honshu, Japan
- Magnitude
- 7 (Ms)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 40.100° N, 139.500° E
- Country
- Japan
The toll
- Deaths
- 27
- Injuries
- 52
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
- Houses destroyed
- 479
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:
On May 1, 1939, at 14:58 [local time] there was a very strong earthquake on the Oga Peninsula (Akita Prefecture). Homes were destroyed on most of the peninsula; 479 homes completely collapsed, 27 people died and 52 were injured. Noticeable deformations of the ground occurred; landslides and avalanches were observed at many places in the mountainous locale. The peninsula rose; the maximal rise (44 cm) was observed on its western coast. This was the strongest earthquake in this region since 1810.
According to the seismic station at Akita, the earthquake consisted of two shocks. The second shock occurred about 1 minute 40 seconds after the first and apparently was somewhat stronger. Both shocks were also clearly registered on the tide gauge record at Tsuchizaki, west of Akita.
After the earthquake, a tsunami was observed on the coast of the Oga Peninsula.
Iida et al. (1967): 1.V; 5h58m; 39.95 N., 139.8 E.; 0 km; M=7, m=-0.7.
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- October 31, 1341, Jusanko, Japan
- March 8, 1766, Hirosaki, Japan
- July 10, 1804, Kisakata, Japan
- June 19, 1694, Ugo, Japan
- August 31, 1896, Senhoku, Ugo, Japan
- October 18, 1644, NW. Honshu Island, Japan
- May 26, 1983, Akita, Honshu, Japan
- March 15, 1914, Senhoku, Japan
- December 7, 1833, NW, Honshu, Japan
- September 25, 1810, Oga, Japan
- May 27, 1704, N of Nosiro, Japan
- June 16, 1964, W Coast, Honshu, Japan
- June 13, 2008, Tokyo, Honshu, Japan
- February 8, 1793, Aomori, Japan
- July 23, 2008, N, Honshu, Japan
More
Significant earthquakes of 1939The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1939Recent 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 3639.