January 22, 1959 Tsunami: Sanriku, Japan
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.8 earthquake began at Sanriku, Japan on January 22, 1959 at 05:10:00 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.8 meters. Its effects were recorded at 9 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
- January 22, 1959, 05:10:00 UTC
- Source
- Sanriku, Japan
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.8, 40 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.8 m (2.6 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 9
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- -2
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- -0.3
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 37.500° N, 142.200° 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 #414:
1959, January 22, 14:10 local time. There was an earthquake with source off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture, which was felt in the northern part of Honshu Island. It caused a weak tsunami which was registered by tide gauges.
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 | 108 | 0.45 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 22, 05:46 | ||
| Matsukawaura | Japan | 113 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 22, 06:04 | ||
| Enoshima | Japan | 113 | 0.06 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 22, 05:42 | ||
| Onahama | Japan | 131 | 0.08 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 22, 05:48 | ||
| Tsukihama | Japan | 136 | 0.13 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Nakaminato | Japan | 193 | 0.08 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 22, 05:50 | ||
| Tanaka (Nakaminato) | Japan | 194 | 0.08 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Kamaishi | Japan | 198 | 0.18 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 22, 05:52 | ||
| Miyako | Japan | 239 | 0.08 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 22, 05:58 |
More
Every tsunami in 1959The 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 2026-09-24. NCEI tsunami event 1886.