December 13, 1650 Tsunami: Echizen (Fukui), Japan
A tsunami of meteorological origin began at Echizen (Fukui), Japan on December 13, 1650. Its effects were recorded at 1 place. It killed 21 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
- December 13, 1650
- Source
- Echizen (Fukui), Japan
- Cause
- Meteorological
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 1
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Very doubtful tsunami
The toll
- Deaths
- 21
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million); Moderate (about $1 to $5 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses destroyed
- 500
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.
Reference #414:
On 1650, December 13 (mistakenly October 31), a tsunami was observed on the coast of Fukui Prefecture. In Imamura's opinion , the waves were of storm origin.
Probability 2.
Reference #150:
Probably storm surge, 500 houses, 100 boats washed away. 21 deaths.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fukui | Japan | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1650The 1600sTsunamis of JapanThis 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 273.