August 26, 887 Tsunami: Nankaido, Japan
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 8.6 earthquake began at Nankaido, Japan on August 26, 887. 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
- August 26, 887
- Source
- Nankaido, Japan
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 8.6
- Runups recorded
- 2
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 3
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 3
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 33.000° N, 135.300° E
The toll
- Deaths
- Many (about 101 to 1,000)
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 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.
Aug 26, 887, about 16:00 [local time], 33 N, 135.3 E, magnitude 8.6. There was a strong shock in the Kyoto region, causing great destruction and some victims. At the same time, there was a strong earthquake in the prefectures of Osaka, Shiga, Gifu, and Nagano. A tsunami flooded the coastal locality, and some people died. The coast of Osaka and primarily Osaka Bay suffered especially heavily from the tsunami. The tsunami was also observed on the coast of Huyga-Nada. (reference #414)
Aug 26, 887, 33 N, 135.3 E, magnitude 8.6. Many people drowned and many houses destroyed. Destructive tsunami in Osaka Bay. Tsunami also attacked Hiuga. (reference #150)
Aug 26, 887. Sea waves on the coast of Settsu and neighbouring provinces. (reference #1897)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Osaka Bay | Japan | 166 | Eyewitness observation of water height | ||||
| Hiyuga | Japan | 475 | Eyewitness observation of water height |
More
Every tsunami in 887The 800sTsunamis 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 77.