January 29, 1763 Tsunami: Sanriku, Japan
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.4 earthquake began at Sanriku, Japan on January 29, 1763 at 09:00 UTC. The water rose as high as 5 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
- January 29, 1763, 09:00 UTC
- Source
- Sanriku, Japan
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.4
- Maximum water height
- 5 m (16.4 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 4
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 2
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 2
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
- Source location
- 40.800° N, 142.000° E
The toll
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million); Moderate (about $1 to $5 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses destroyed
- 2
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:
A tsunami was observed on the eastern coast of Aomori Prefecture and Hokkaido Island. There was much destruction at Hachinohe and Hakodate. Seven boats were washed away at Minato village (at Hachinohe) and 13 boats were washed away at Taneichi and Kuji.
Reference #150:
20 boats wrecked and washed away. Hachinohe and Kuji 4-5m. 1-2 houses and some temples destroyed in Aomori, Hakodate and Hachinohe.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hachinohe | Japan | 49 | 5 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Taneichi | Japan | 50 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Kuji | Japan | 71 | 5 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Hakodate | Japan | 152 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1763The 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 475.