August 27, 1847 Tsunami: Sanriku, Japan
A tsunami of meteorological origin began at Sanriku, Japan on August 27, 1847. Its effects were recorded at 4 places. It killed 335 people.
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 27, 1847
- Source
- Sanriku, Japan
- Cause
- Meteorological
- Runups recorded
- 4
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 1.5
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 1
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Very doubtful tsunami
The toll
- Deaths
- 335
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
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.
1847, August 27, event validity likely. Tsunami waves were observed on the coasts of the districts of Kesen (Iwate Prefecture), Motoyoshi, Monoo and Ojika (Miyagi Prefecture). Seventy-five ships were sunk; 333 people died. There was no earthquake. According to Imamura (reference #2559), the waves were of storm origin. (reference #414)
1847, August 27. Sanriku. Event validity 0. 75 vessels washed away. 335 fishermen drowned. Probably storm surge. (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Motoyoshi | Japan | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||||
| Monoo | Japan | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||||
| Ojika | Japan | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||||
| Kesen | Japan | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1847The 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 754.