June 30, 744 Earthquake: Shimabara, Yatsushiro, Higo, Japan

Date

June 30, 744

Place

Shimabara, Yatsushiro, Higo, Japan

Magnitude

6.4 (Ms)

Tsunami

Yes: the tsunami it caused

Epicenter

32.400° N, 130.500° E

Country

Japan

Deaths

1,520 with its tsunami and other effects

Damage

Moderate (about $1 to $5 million) with its tsunami and other effects

Houses destroyed

470 with its tsunami and other effects

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.

• May 21, 1792, Kyusyu Island, JapanM6.4 · 15,030 deaths · 6,200 houses destroyed · 48 km
• September 4, 1596, Beppu Bay, JapanM6.9 · 708 deaths · 80 houses destroyed · 150 km
• April 15, 2016, Kumamoto, Oita, JapanM7 · 273 deaths · $20 billion · 43,386 houses destroyed · 50 km
• October 30, 1662, Hiuganada, JapanM7.9 · 200 deaths · 2,500 houses destroyed · 161 km
• January 12, 1914, Sakurijima, JapanM7.1 · 63 deaths · $19 million · 2,268 houses destroyed · 93 km
• September 10, 1597, Beppu Bay, JapanM6.4 · 40 deaths · 143 km
• July 28, 2026, Kumamoto, JapanM6.8 · 38 deaths · 3,539 houses destroyed · 38 km
• December 7, 1922, Kyushu, Japan27 deaths · 38 km
• July 28, 1889, Kumamoto, JapanM6.3 · 20 deaths · 239 houses destroyed · 48 km
• August 6, 1984, Nobeoka, Kyushu, JapanM6.7 · 20 deaths · 136 km
• February 21, 1968, Kyushu, JapanM6.3 · 3 deaths · 45 km
• March 18, 1987, Miyazaki, Naze, Kyushu, JapanM6.7 · 2 deaths · 132 km
• February 26, 1961, Miyazaki, JapanM7.3 · 2 deaths · 170 houses destroyed · 151 km
• November 18, 1941, Shikoku, JapanM7.4 · 2 deaths · 27 houses destroyed · 157 km
• November 2, 1931, Kyushu, JapanM7.5 · 1 death · 14 houses destroyed · 104 km

Significant earthquakes of 744The 700sRecent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history

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 9810.