October 1512 Tsunami: Tokushima Prefecture, Japan
A tsunami of unknown cause began at Tokushima Prefecture, Japan in October 1512. Its effects were recorded at 1 place. It killed 3,700 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
The tsunami
- Date
- October 1512
- Source
- Tokushima Prefecture, Japan
- Cause
- Unknown
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 1.5
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Very doubtful tsunami
The toll
- Deaths
- 3,700
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.
Oct 1512. A tsunami was observed on the coast of Tokushima Prefecture (Shikoku island). More than 3,700 people drowned in the flood. However, there was no earthquake. It is possible that the waves were of storm origin, although Reference #2559 (erroneously indicates 1521) considers that the description refers to the tsunami of January 31, 1605.
[It is also possible that this refers to a tsunami of distant
origin, for example, from an earthquake in Peru.]
(reference #414)
Oct 1512. Japan, Shikoku. Inundation drowning more than 3700. No earthquake. Probably a storm surge. (reference #79)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shikoku Island doubtful | Japan | Eyewitness observation of water height | 3,700 |
More
Every tsunami in 1512The 1500sTsunamis of JapanAlerts 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 158.