August 5, 1897 Tsunami: Sanriku, Japan
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.7 earthquake began at Sanriku, Japan on August 5, 1897 at 00:10:00 UTC. The water rose as high as 3.6 meters. Its effects were recorded at 37 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 5, 1897, 00:10:00 UTC
- Source
- Sanriku, Japan
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.7
- Maximum water height
- 3.6 m (11.8 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 37
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 1
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 1.5
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 38.000° N, 143.700° E
The toll
- 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.
Reference #414:
August 5, 1897, 9:12 [local time]. There was an earthquake with source off the coast of Sanriku. It caused a tsunami which was observed all along this coast and which caused minor destruction.
Reference #1897:
Sea waves on the coasts of Sanriku.
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 | 196 | 1.05 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Ryori | Japan | 196 | 2.7 | Eyewitness observation of water height | day 5, 00:40 | ||
| Oharahama | Japan | 198 | 3 | Eyewitness observation of water height | day 5, 00:40 | ||
| Onagawa | Japan | 202 | 3 | Eyewitness observation of water height | day 5, 00:43 | ||
| Ofunato | Japan | 204 | 2.8 | Eyewitness observation of water height | day 5, 00:40 | ||
| Okachi | Japan | 204 | 2.1 | Eyewitness observation of water height | day 5, 00:40 | ||
| Hirota | Japan | 205 | 3 | Eyewitness observation of water height | day 5, 00:30 | ||
| Okkirai | Japan | 206 | 3 | Eyewitness observation of water height | day 5, 00:40 | ||
| Yoshihama | Japan | 207 | 2.5 | Eyewitness observation of water height | day 5, 00:20 | ||
| Oppa | Japan | 208 | 2 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Kojirahama | Japan | 209 | 1.8 | Eyewitness observation of water height | day 5, 01:10 | ||
| Kesennuma | Japan | 211 | 1.2 | Eyewitness observation of water height | day 5, 00:25 | ||
| Sakari | Japan | 211 | 2.3 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Kamaishi | Japan | 212 | 1.5 | Eyewitness observation of water height | day 5, 00:40 | ||
| Shizukawa | Japan | 212 | 1.4 | Eyewitness observation of water height | day 5, 00:25 | ||
| Unosumai (Kamaishi) | Japan | 212 | 1.8 | Eyewitness observation of water height | day 5, 00:40 | ||
| Ryoishi | Japan | 213 | 1.5 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Ozuchi | Japan | 218 | 1.2 | Eyewitness observation of water height | day 5, 00:15 | ||
| Ishinomaki | Japan | 218 | 3.6 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Miyako | Japan | 236 | 1.2 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 5, 00:40 | ||
| Arahama | Japan | 244 | 1.5 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Iwanuma | Japan | 249 | 1.5 | Eyewitness observation of water height | |||
| Omoto | Japan | 258 | 2.1 | Eyewitness observation of water height | day 5, 00:50 | ||
| Onahama | Japan | 275 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 5, 00:57 | |||
| Noda | Japan | 285 | 1.2 | Eyewitness observation of water height | day 5, 00:25 | ||
| Kuki | Japan | 292 | 0.8 | Eyewitness observation of water height | day 5, 00:25 | ||
| Taneichi | Japan | 316 | 1.2 | Eyewitness observation of water height | day 5, 00:16 | ||
| Choshi | Japan | 355 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 5, 01:02 | |||
| Katsugida | Japan | 370 | 1.2 | Eyewitness observation of water height | day 5, 00:50 | ||
| Aburatsubo | Japan | 482 | 0.03 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 5, 01:10 | ||
| Mera | Japan | 487 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 5, 01:02 | |||
| Takada | Japan | 492 | 2.4 | Eyewitness observation of water height | day 5, 00:40 | ||
| Hanasaki | Japan | 607 | 0.08 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 5, 00:40 | ||
| Kushimoto | Japan | 875 | 0.15 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 5, 02:00 | ||
| Natsui | Japan | 2.1 | Eyewitness observation of water height | day 5, 00:15 | |||
| Otuna | Japan | 1.5 | |||||
| Toni | Japan | 1.8 | 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 1241.