September 10, 1597 Tsunami: Beppu Bay, Japan
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.4 earthquake and a landslide began at Beppu Bay, Japan on September 10, 1597. Its effects were recorded at 1 place. It killed 40 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
- September 10, 1597
- Source
- Beppu Bay, Japan
- Cause
- Earthquake and landslide
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.4
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 1
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
- Source location
- 33.300° N, 131.600° E
The toll
- Deaths
- 40
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.
Sept 10, 1597, 33.3 N, 131.6 E, magnitude 6.4. Landslides at Tsurumidake. Hisamitsujima (Is) in Beppu Bay disappeared. More than 40 deaths. (reference #150)
We might add that about a year later, on Sept. 10, 1597, the region was visited by another severe shock when the small promontory of Hisamitti-zima, situated between the above mentioned island and the city of Beppu, vanished under the sea. (reference #1097)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hisamitsujima Island, Beppu Bay | Japan | 9 | Eyewitness observation of water height | 40 |
More
Every tsunami in 1597The 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 204.