December 20, 1816 Tsunami: W. Izu Penin., Japan
A tsunami caused by a landslide began at W. Izu Penin., Japan on December 20, 1816. 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
- December 20, 1816
- Source
- W. Izu Penin., Japan
- Cause
- Landslide
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 1
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Erroneous entry
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.
Reference #414:
December ?, 1816, event validity questionable (1). There was a flood at Matsuzaki (Izu Peninsula) during a heavy rain. These may have been waves of storm origin, an overflow of the river, or waves from a landslide.
Reference #150:
December 20, 1816, event validity 0. W Izu Peninsula. Matsuzaki, yama tsunami (landslide). Many deaths, houses drifted and sunk. No earthquake description.
Reference #79:
December ?, 1816. Observation: Japan - Chubu, Izu - Matsuzakigama. "Kaisho" of time of heavy rains. Possibly a storm surge or possibly only a river flood.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matsuzaki | Japan | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1816The 1800sTsunamis of JapanThis 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 618.