September 12, 1495 Tsunami: Kamakura, Sagami Bay, Tokaido, Japan
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.1 earthquake began at Kamakura, Sagami Bay, Tokaido, Japan on September 12, 1495. The water rose as high as 5 meters. Its effects were recorded at 2 places. It killed 200 people, counting the earthquake or eruption that caused it.
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
- September 12, 1495
- Source
- Kamakura, Sagami Bay, Tokaido, Japan
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.1
- Maximum water height
- 5 m (16.4 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 2
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 2
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 2
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 35.100° N, 139.500° E
The toll
- Deaths
- 200
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses destroyed
- Few (about 1 to 50) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
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.
September 12, 1495, Kamakura, Sagami Bay, 35.1 N, 139.5 E, magnitude 7.1, tsunami intensity 2, validity 4. Tsunami reached Sendodan where it was about 1.6 km inland from Yuigahama shore line. More than 200 persons drowned by the tsunami and flood. Daibutsu temple was destroyed by the earthquake. Tsunami height 4-5 m at Kamakura. Tsunami affected Tokyo Bay. (reference #150)
September 12, 1495 (possibly 1494), 35.5 N, 139.2 E, validity 3. There was an earthquake in the region of Sanami Bay. There was a tsunami at Kamak'ura. The Daibutsu temple was destroyed and 200 people died. (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yuigahama | Japan | 21 | Eyewitness observation of water height | 200 | |||
| Kamakura | Japan | 24 | 5 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1495The 1400sTsunamis of JapanThe earthquakeThis day in weather historyAlerts 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 142.