January 18, 1586 Tsunami: Ise Bay, Japan
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 8.2 earthquake began at Ise Bay, Japan on January 18, 1586. Its effects were recorded at 4 places. It killed 8,000 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
- January 18, 1586
- Source
- Ise Bay, Japan
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 8.2
- Runups recorded
- 4
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 1
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 2
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 35.000° N, 136.800° E
The toll
- Deaths
- Many (about 101 to 1,000); 8,000 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
- Houses destroyed
- Many (101 to 1,000); 10,000 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.
January 18, 1586. In Shiga Prefecture at the town of Nagahama, which had about a thousand homes and was often visited by traders, a fire broke out and destroyed half the city. Terrible tremors lasted many days. Then the sea (Lake Biwa) surged on the city with such force that the water pushed over all the buildings and carried them off together with all the inhabitants. Not a trace remained of the rich trading city, except for the castle, and even that was underwater. (Reference #414)
June 11, 1586 (35 N, 136.8 E, magnitude 8.2). Tsunami damage at Nagashima, Tsushima (Owari), Ohminato (Ise). Many persons drowned. Castles at Nagashima, Kuwana, Kameyama, Ogaki, Nagahama, Kaerigumo, Sawayama etc, and more than 10,000 houses destroyed by quake. More than 8,000 deaths. (reference #150)
Honda et al. (1908, Reference #1897) states: "Great sea waves on the coast of central part of Honshiu."
September, 1586. There was a very strong earthquake, The sea flooded the coast, carrying away homes and their residents. The city of Nangasuma (Nangashima?) was completely destroyed (Mallet, 1855; Heck, 1934, 1947). [The information in Kampfer's book (1729) has been misinterpreted. The matter relates to the events of 18.1.1586 at Nagahama on the coast of Biwa Lake, Shiga Prefecture.] (reference #414)
Note: The source of the 1586 earthquake is controversial but the recent consensus is that it was an inland earthquake (see reference #12837). As such, the 8000 tsunami deaths in Ise-bay are now considered unreliable.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nagashima | Japan | 13 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Tsushima | Japan | 20 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Ominato (Ise) | Japan | 54 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Nagahama | Japan | 65 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1586The 1500sTsunamis 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 191.