August 3, 1361 Tsunami: Nankaido, Japan

Name: August 3, 1361 Tsunami: Nankaido, Japan
Start: 1361-08-03
Location: Nankaido, Japan

August 3, 1361 · 660 deaths · 1,700 houses destroyed · Definite tsunami

A tsunami caused by a magnitude 8.4 earthquake began at Nankaido, Japan on August 3, 1361. Its effects were recorded at 6 places. It killed 660 people.

Where the waves reached

The source (white) and every runup with a place, colored by the water height recorded there. A ring is a runup NCEI marks doubtful.

Under 1 m
1 to 3 m
3 to 10 m
10 to 30 m
30 m and more
Height not recorded

Tsunami warnings in force

The tsunami

Date: August 3, 1361
Source: Nankaido, Japan
Cause: Earthquake
Earthquake: Magnitude 8.4
Runups recorded: 6
Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura): 3
Tsunami magnitude (Iida): 4
Waters: Ocean
How certain: Definite tsunami
Source location: 33.000° N, 135.000° E

The toll

Deaths: 660
Damage: Extreme (about $25 million or more)
Houses destroyed: 1,700

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.

Aug 3, 1361, 33 N, 135 E, magnitude 8.4. There was a strong earthquake in Tokushima, Osaka, Wakayama, and Nara Prefectures and on Awaji Island. A tsunami was observed on the coast of Tokushima arid Kochi Prefectures, in Kii Strait and in Osaka Bay. A tidal wave, like a large mountain, approached Yuki Bay, which is on the southeastern coast of Tokushima Prefecture, and 1700 homes were washed away in Yuki Port; several hundred people died. At Naruto, in Tokushima Prefecture, the water retreated from shore. The bottom of the inlet in the Naniwa region was bared for a large distance, and people began to gather fish. A large wave then approached and several hundred people died. The settlement of Naniwa suffered damage. (reference #414)

Aug 3, 1361, 33 N, 135 E, magnitude 8.4. Yunomine Hot Spring (Wakayama Prefecture) stopped. Yukiminato, Awa completely destroyed by tsunami and more than 1,700 houses washed away. 60 persons drowned at Awa. Sea water receded in several hundred ha and flooded again, 500-600 deaths at Nambaura, Osaka. (reference #150)

Aug. 3, 1361. Sea waves on the coast of Settsu and Awa; great loss of life and property. It is recorded that on the coast of Settsu, the sea has receded for about an hour before the coming in of the wave crest, and also that the narrow strait of Naruto was drained dry. (reference #1897)

1369. An erroneous date is given by Milne (Milne, 1908) for the tsunami at Kamakura. (reference #414)

Every runup

Nearest the source first. Heights are above sea level at the time; a tide gauge reads half the wave’s full height.

Where	Country	Km from source	Measured by	Deaths
Yuki Port, Tokushima	Japan	93	Eyewitness observation of water height	200
Awa	Japan	123	Eyewitness observation of water height	60
Naruto, Tokushima	Japan	136	Eyewitness observation of water height
Naniwa, Osaka	Japan	189	Eyewitness observation of water height	200
Nambaura, Osaka	Japan	194	Eyewitness observation of water height	600
Settsu	Japan	205	Eyewitness observation of water height

Every tsunami in 1361 The 1300s Tsunamis of Japan The earthquake This day in weather history Alerts in force

Sources

Tsunami events and runups 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 tsunami event 124.