April 13, 1677 Tsunami: Sanriku, Japan
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 8.1 earthquake began at Sanriku, Japan on April 13, 1677. The water rose as high as 6 meters. Its effects were recorded at 4 places.
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
- April 13, 1677
- Source
- Sanriku, Japan
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 8.1
- Maximum water height
- 6 m (19.7 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 4
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 2
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 2.6
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 40.000° N, 144.000° E
The toll
- Deaths
- Few (about 1 to 50)
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
- Houses destroyed
- Few (about 1 to 50)
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.
1677, April 13, about 22:00 [local time]. There was a strong earthquake in Aomori and Iwate Prefectures. There was a catastrophic tsunami on the Sanriku coast. Some time after the first shock, a weak tsunami approached the coast, and three large waves were observed from about 24:00 [Local time] for 4 hours. Several homes were washed away at Kuwagasaki. The people had time to escape before the arrival of the wave. Two hours after the strong shock, waves approached a village situated on the northern coast of Kamaishi Gulf, 500 m from shore, and 2 out of 60 homes were damaged. There were no victims, since the residents also had time to escape. (reference #414)
Tsunami intensity 2. (reference #3785)
1677, April 13, 40 N, 144 E, magnitude 8.1. Tsunami attacked Otsuchi, Miyako and Kuwagasak. 5-6m at the inner part of Miyako Bay. Houses washed away and people and animals drowned. 3 big waves observed. (reference #150)
1677, April 13. Sea waves on the southern coast of Rikuchiu; at Miyako, three large waves counted in the enterval ca. 10 h p.m. - 2 h. a.m." (reference #1897)
1677, April 13. Sanriku. 38.7 N, 144 E, magnitude 8.2. The strong shock and tsunami caused damage along the northern and central parts of Sanriku. (reference #1065)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miyako Bay | Japan | 177 | 6 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Kuwagasaki | Japan | 178 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Otsuchi | Japan | 193 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Kamaishi | Japan | 198 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1677The 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 321.