March 1, 1865 Tsunami: Ryukyu Islands, Japan
A tsunami of unknown cause began at Ryukyu Islands, Japan on March 1, 1865. 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 1, 1865
- Source
- Ryukyu Islands, Japan
- Cause
- Unknown
- Earthquake
- The earthquake
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 0.5
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Very doubtful tsunami
- Source location
- 26.200° N, 127.500° 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.
Reference #150:
1865, March 1. Validity 1. Two high tide. No earthquake description.
Reference #414:
1865, March 1. Validity 2. A weak tsunami was observed on the coast of Okinawa Island. It was presumably due to an earthquake. The rise in the water level was similar to the tsunami of 13.V.1791.
1865, March 1, 9:30 local time. An earthquake was felt at Yokohama. It is possible that this is related to the above tsunami.
Reference #79:
1865, March 1. Source: Ryukyu Islands, observation: Ryukyu Island, Okinawa. Small tsunami
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Okinawa | Japan | 33 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1865The 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 936.