March 15, 1763 Tsunami: Sanriku, Hachionhe, Japan
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.1 earthquake began at Sanriku, Hachionhe, Japan on March 15, 1763. Its effects were recorded at 1 place.
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
- March 15, 1763
- Source
- Sanriku, Hachionhe, Japan
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.1
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 1
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 40.700° N, 142.000° E
The toll
- Deaths
- Many (about 101 to 1,000)
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
- Houses destroyed
- Many (101 to 1,000) 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.
1763, March 15. There was an earthquake with source in the open sea off the coast of the eastern part of Aomori Prefecture. Recurrent shocks continued through March and April. A tsunami was observed along the Sanriku Coast. At Minato village (north of Hachinohe), homes were washed away, and there were many victims. [This may have been a strong recurrent shock from the preceding earthquake (Watanabe, 1968) or it may be identical to the preceding event.] (reference #414)
1763, March 15. Many houses, persons and animals washed away at Minato village, Iwate Prefecture. (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minato | Japan | 46 | 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 477.