August 19, 1835 Tsunami: Miyagi, Japan
A tsunami caused by an earthquake began at Miyagi, Japan on August 19, 1835. Its effects were recorded at 2 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
- August 19, 1835
- Source
- Miyagi, Japan
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Runups recorded
- 2
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 2
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 2
- 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 #150:
August 19, 1835. Off Miyagi Pref. Erroneous date of June 25. Tenpo 6. Same as previous event [July 20, 1835].
Reference #414:
August 19 (or September), 1835. A strong earthquake, affecting a vast area occurred on the northeast of Honshu Island (Sendai, Tsugaru Peninsula) and on Hokkaido Island (Nemuro). There was enormous destruction from a tsunami in Sendai Bay. A wave was also observed on the coast of Hokkaido (Nemuro Peninsula, Hanasaki), where more than 50 homes were destroyed. Iida (1967): 37.9 N, 141.9 E, M=7.6. [It is possible that this account relates to the same tsunami as that of 2O.VII.1835.]
Reference #79:
Sept. (Aug 19), 1835. Tenpo 7 VIII. Source: uncertain, observation: Japan - Hokkaido, Nemuro-Hanasaki. More than 50 houses destroyed. Account of tsunami is given in report of Nemuro observatory quoted both by Seikya and Omori and by Musya in their descriptions of Tenpo 7 VII (=1835 Sept. 5) Rikuzen quake, with interpretation that VIII of original report should actually be VII and neglect of fact that year of original report is different also. The Nemuro report is probably the basis for Honda's listing of a tsunami at Hanasaki in 1835 (no date) and Milne's listing of a quake and tsunami at Nemuro on 1835 Aug. 19.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sendai | Japan | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||||
| Hanasaki | Japan | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1835The 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 692.