April 16, 1700 Tsunami: Tsushima, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7 earthquake began at Tsushima, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan on April 16, 1700. The water rose as high as 6 meters. Its effects were recorded at 1 place. It killed 1,000 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
- April 16, 1700
- Source
- Tsushima, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7
- Maximum water height
- 6 m (19.7 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Questionable tsunami
- Source location
- 34.200° N, 129.300° E
The toll
- Deaths
- 1,000
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
- Houses destroyed
- Many (101 to 1,000)
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.
1700, Apr 16, magnitude 7. There was a large earthquake in Tsushima. Houses were washed away and more than 1,000 deaths. (reference #150)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tsushima | Japan | 11 | 6 | Eyewitness observation of water height | 1,000 |
More
Every tsunami in 1700The 1700sTsunamis 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 2690.