May 21, 1929 Tsunami: Hyuganada Sea, Japan
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.1 earthquake began at Hyuganada Sea, Japan on May 21, 1929 at 16:35 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.7 meters. 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
Travel times
How long the first wave took to reach each part of the ocean, one line for each hour up to 24, estimated from the source and the depth of the sea.
The travel times are computed in your browser, which needs JavaScript.
- 1 to 4 hours
- 5 to 6 hours
- 7 to 14 hours
- 15 hours and more
Computed in your browser the way NOAA’s own travel time maps are: the wave travels at the square root of gravity times the depth, over NOAA’s ETOPO1 depths averaged to a 10 arc-minute grid. Checked against NOAA NCEI’s maps for 21 tsunamis over the first 24 hours, these lines fall within 10 minutes of NCEI’s at half the points compared and within 52 minutes at 9 in 10. They give when the first wave could arrive, not how high it is; bays, harbors and island chains finer than the grid can see it later. Not for use in a warning: see tsunami.gov.
The tsunami
- Date
- May 21, 1929, 16:35 UTC
- Source
- Hyuganada Sea, Japan
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.1, 30 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.7 m (2.3 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 1
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- -0.5
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 31.700° N, 132.200° 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:
Aburatsu tide gage traced tsunami.
Reference #414:
1929, May 22, 1:35 local time. There was a shock on the south of Miyazaki Prefecture, causing considerable destruction in Miyazaki and vicinity. A loud rumble was heard at the same time as the shock, and according to doubtful sources, a typhoon occurred. Homes were shaken to such an extent that they almost collapsed, and it was difficult to move about inside the homes. The frightened people ran to the street. The city was plunged into darkness due to breakage of the cables of the power network, and the residents spent the whole night on the street. There were about another ten shocks after the main one.
A strong earthquake was felt in the region of Takachiho, at Oita and Kumamato (clocks stopped). A mild earthquake was felt at Kagoshima (the walls of homes creaked) and at Matsuyama, in Ehime Prefecture.
According to the Miyazaki seismic station, the epicenter of the earthquake was situated 60 km southeast of Miyazaki, near the coast of Hyuga-Nada.
Tsunami waves were registered on this coast (Hyuga-Nada). Fortunately, the tsunami did no damage at all.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aburatsu | Japan | 75 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 1929The 1900sTsunamis 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 2026-10-01. NCEI tsunami event 1614.