August 8, 1808 Tsunami: E. Awa, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.5 earthquake began at E. Awa, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan on August 8, 1808. The water rose as high as 1.5 meters. 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
- August 8, 1808
- Source
- E. Awa, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.5
- Maximum water height
- 1.5 m (4.9 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 0.5
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 0.5
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 33.900° N, 134.800° E
The toll
The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this tsunami.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
On August 8, 1808, there was an earthquake in Tokushima Prefecture, which caused tsunami waves on the coast of the prefecture. A wave 1.5 m high was observed at the Naka River. (reference #414)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Naka River | Japan | 13 | 1.5 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1808The 1800sTsunamis 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 599.