June 9, 1646 Tsunami: Sanriku, Japan
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.6 earthquake began at Sanriku, Japan on June 9, 1646.
Where the waves reached
The source of the tsunami. No runup with a place is recorded for it.
- 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
- June 9, 1646
- Source
- Sanriku, Japan
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.6
- Runups recorded
- 0
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Very doubtful tsunami
- Source location
- 37.700° N, 141.700° E
The toll
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million) 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.
1646, June 9. 37.7 N, 141.7 E, magnitude 7.6. The castles of Sendai and Shiroishi were devastated. No severe damage due to the tsunami was recorded. (reference #1065)
More
Every tsunami in 1646The 1600sTsunamis 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 5420.