July 15, 1888 Eruption of Bandaisan

Name: July 15, 1888 Eruption of Bandaisan
Start: 1888-07-15
Location: Bandaisan, Japan

July 15, 1888 · VEI 4 · 461 deaths

Bandaisan in Japan erupted on July 15, 1888 with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 4. The eruption killed 461 people.

Where it erupted

Bandaisan, Japan, with its other significant eruptions.

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The eruption

Date: July 15, 1888
Volcano: Bandaisan, stratovolcano
Country: Japan
Volcanic Explosivity Index: 4, large (eruption column 10 to 25 km)
Killed by: Avalanche (debris and landslides); Pyroclastic flows, surges and direct blasts
Location: 37.601° N, 140.072° E

The toll

Deaths: 461
Injuries: 70
Damage: Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
Houses destroyed: Some (about 51 to 100)

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.

Debris avalanche buried several villages. Only ~116 bodies recovered; 70 injured, mostly burned and scarred by pyroclastic surge. (reference #9675)

Large scale of debris avalanche occurred, burying 5 towns and 11 villages at the foot of the volcano. 461 people were killed (other records indicate 477). Significant house, mountain forest, and agricultural land damage. (reference #12936)

Other significant eruptions of Bandaisan

May 9, 19382 deaths

Every eruption in 1888 The 1800s Bandaisan Earthquakes near Bandaisan This day in weather history

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 1211.