December 1403 Tsunami: Kumanonada, Japan
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7 earthquake began at Kumanonada, Japan in December 1403. The water rose as high as 2 meters. Its effects were recorded at 2 places.
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
The tsunami
- Date
- December 1403
- Source
- Kumanonada, Japan
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7
- Maximum water height
- 2 m (6.6 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 2
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 1
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 33.700° N, 136.500° E
The toll
The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this tsunami.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
Tsunami from Kii to Kamakura. (reference #150)
1403, December. There was a tsunami on the southern coast of Kii Peninsula and 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 | Water height, m | Inland, m | Measured by | First wave, UTC | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Coast of Kii Peninsula | Japan | 69 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Kamakura | Japan | 331 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1403The 1400sTsunamis of JapanThe earthquakeAlerts 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 128.