1804 Eruption of Shikotsu

Name: 1804 Eruption of Shikotsu
Start: 1804
Location: Shikotsu, Japan

1804 · VEI 3 · Deaths: many

Shikotsu in Japan erupted in 1804 with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 3.

Where it erupted

Shikotsu, Japan.

Open the live map with volcanic ash advisories and webcams

The eruption

Date: 1804
Volcano: Shikotsu, caldera
Country: Japan
Volcanic Explosivity Index: 3, moderate to large (eruption column 3 to 15 km)
Location: 42.688° N, 141.380° E

The toll

Deaths: Many (about 101 to 1,000)

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.

Some sources report many fatalities, but Jaggar thinks report doubtful and Katsui does not list fatalities.

Every eruption in 1804 The 1800s Shikotsu Earthquakes near Shikotsu

Sources

Volcanoes and significant eruptions 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. Volcano numbers are the Smithsonian Institution’s Global Volcanism Program’s. NCEI event 4488.