July 13, 869 Earthquake: Sanriku, Japan
A magnitude 8.6 earthquake struck Sanriku, Japan on July 13, 869. 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
- July 13, 869
- Place
- Sanriku, Japan
- Magnitude
- 8.6 (Ms)
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 38.500° N, 143.800° E
- Country
- Japan
The toll
- Deaths
- Many (about 101 to 1,000); Very many (over 1,000) with its tsunami and other effects
- Damage
- Extreme (about $25 million or more)
- Houses destroyed
- Many (101 to 1,000)
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.
A strong earthquake causing great destruction and with many victims occurred on the territory of Aomori, Iwate and Miyagi prefectures. Gleaming bands of light flared up several times, illuminating all objects as if in daylight. People could not stand could do nothing but shout for help. Some were crushed by fragments of collapsing homes and some were swallowed up by enormous cracks in the earth. Cows and horses milled about in terror, bumping into each other. An extraordinary number of temples, warehouses, gates and walls were thrown to the ground. Prolonged rumbling sounds, like thunder, were heard. The earthquake also generated a tsunami. [38.5 N, 143.8 E; M=8.6, m=4]. (reference #414)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- June 15, 1896, Sanriku, Japan
- 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
- July 6, 1905, Off Fukushima, Japan
- June 12, 1978, Sanriku, Japan
- April 7, 2011, Near E Coast Honshu, Japan
- October 2, 1678, Sanriku,rikuchu, Japan
- February 13, 2021, Off Fukushima, Japan
- August 5, 1897, Sanriku, Japan
- October 9, 1257, Sanriku, Japan
- May 30, 1998, Sanriku, Japan
- December 7, 2012, Miyagi Prefecture, Honshu, Japan
More
Significant earthquakes of 869The 800sRecent 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 247.