January 16, 1961 Tsunami: Kashima, Japan
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.8 earthquake began at Kashima, Japan on January 16, 1961 at 07:20:00 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.4 meters. Its effects were recorded at 5 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 16, 1961, 07:20:00 UTC
- Source
- Kashima, Japan
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.8, 40 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.4 m (1.3 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 5
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- -2
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- -1.3
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 36.000° N, 142.300° 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:
1961, January 16, 16:20 local time. An earthquake with source off the coast of Ibaraki Prefecture was felt on the coast and was accompanied by 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Choshi | Japan | 132 | 0.04 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 16, 07:56 | ||
| Nakaminato | Japan | 158 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 16, 07:50 | ||
| Minato-Ohashi | Japan | 159 | 0.07 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Onahama | Japan | 163 | 0.21 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 16, 07:52 | ||
| Ayukawa | Japan | 265 | 0.2 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 16, 08:14 |
More
Every tsunami in 1961The 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 1910.