November 29, 684 Earthquake: Japan
A magnitude 8.4 earthquake struck Japan on November 29, 684. 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
- November 29, 684
- Place
- Japan
- Magnitude
- 8.4 (Ms)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 32.500° N, 134.000° E
- Country
- Japan
The toll
- Deaths
- Many (about 101 to 1,000)
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 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.
684, November 29. A strong earthquake occurred in the prefectures (from west to east) of Ehime, Kochi, Tokushima, Wakayam, Nara, Mie, Aichi and Shizouka. The tremors were especially strong in Kochi Prefecture. There was a tsunami which was most intensive on the coast of Kochi Prefecture. [32.5 N, 134 E.; M=8, m=3].(reference #414)
684, November 29. 32.5 N, 134 E, magnitude 8.4. (reference #150)
Most authors list the date as Nov 29, but Oct 14 (uncorrected Japanese date) and Nov 24 are also used. (from reference #79)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- February 3, 1605, Nankaido, Japan
- October 28, 1707, Nankaido, Japan
- December 24, 1854, Nankaido, Japan
- December 20, 1946, S Coast, Honshu, Japan
- August 3, 1361, Nankaido, Japan
- August 6, 1984, Nobeoka, Kyushu, Japan
- November 18, 1941, Shikoku, Japan
- April 1, 1968, Kyushu, Shikoku, Japan
- March 20, 1939, Seikaido, Japan
- December 3, 1855, Nankaido, Japan
- February 27, 1671, Nankaido, Japan
- August 26, 887, Nankaido, Japan
- February 22, 1099, Nankaido, Japan
- September 20, 1498, Nankaido, Japan
- April 17, 1948, Tokaido, Japan
More
Significant earthquakes of 684The 600sRecent 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 162.