February 19, 1897 Tsunami: Sanriku, Japan
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.4 earthquake began at Sanriku, Japan on February 19, 1897 at 20:50 UTC. The water rose as high as 1 meters. 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
- February 19, 1897, 20:50 UTC
- Source
- Sanriku, Japan
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.4, 33 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 1 m (3.3 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 2
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 38.100° N, 141.900° E
The toll
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Houses destroyed
- Many (101 to 1,000) with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
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.
Reference #414:
On Feb 20, 1897, 05:20 (Japanese local time; Feb 19, 1897, 20:50) there was a destructive earthquake (38.1 N, 141.5 E, magnitude 7.8) with source off the Sanriku coast, 260 km southeast of Miyako (Iwate Prefecture). A weak tsunami was observed on the coast at Sanriku. The sea level rose about 1 m at Sakari, in Ofunato Bay. The pen stopped on the tide gauge at Ayukawa after the beginning of the earthquake, as a result of the strong oscillations. The record resumed 6 hours later. The record showed that the sea level was oscillating in a way typical of tsunamis. The mean period of oscillations was 20-25 minutes and the maximal amplitude was 5 cm. The assumed travel time of the tsunami to Ayukawa was 15 minutes, to Onahama 60 minutes.
Reference #150:
Feb 20, 1897, 05:50 (Japanese local time; Feb 19, 1897, 20:50), 38.1 N, 141.9 E, shallow depth, magnitude 7.4. Tsunami height 1m at Sakari, Ofunato, Some damage in Iwate, Yamagata, Miyagi, Fukushima Pref. One house destroyed.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ayukawa | Japan | 41 | 0.05 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Sakari, Ofunato Bay | Japan | 111 | 1 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 1897The 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 1237.