January 12, 1914 Eruption of Aira

Name: January 12, 1914 Eruption of Aira
Start: 1914-01-12
Location: Aira, Japan

January 12, 1914 · VEI 4 · 63 deaths · $19 million · 2,268 houses destroyed

Aira in Japan erupted on January 12, 1914 with a Volcanic Explosivity Index of 4. The eruption killed 63 people, counting its secondary effects. It caused a tsunami.

Where it erupted

Aira, Japan, with its other significant eruptions.

Open the live map with volcanic ash advisories

The eruption

Date: January 12, 1914
Volcano: Aira, stratovolcano
Country: Japan
Volcanic Explosivity Index: 4, large (eruption column 10 to 25 km)
Killed by: Indirect deaths (disease, starvation, exposure); Seismic, or volcanic earthquake (tectonic earthquake deaths excluded); Avalanche (debris and landslides); Tephra (ash, bombs, lapilli, steam blasts)
Tsunami: Yes: the tsunami it caused
Earthquake: Yes: the earthquake with it
Location: 31.577° N, 130.659° E

The toll

Deaths: 28; 63 with the tsunamis, mudflows and other effects it caused
Injuries: Many (about 101 to 1,000); 112 with the tsunamis, mudflows and other effects it caused
Damage: $40,000; $19 million with the tsunamis, mudflows and other effects it caused
Houses destroyed: 2,148; 2,268 with the tsunamis, mudflows and other effects it caused

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.

63 total deaths. Half or more of the deaths resulted from collapse of stone walls and cliffs, mainly in Kagoshima during the earthquake. Few (6?) deaths on island because of effective evacuation; another 12 buried in landslide that was probably earthquake-induced. Uncertain number killed in building collapses during earthquake. Two people buried by pumice at Fumato. 23 drowned attempting to swim from island. Other estimates of deaths range 23 to 140. Injuries probably totalled 121, but estimates range from 87 to 127. (reference #1412)

58 deaths and 2268 houses destroyed, 120 collapsed and 2148 burnt down by eruption. (reference #150)

35 people killed, 127 wounded, and 4,177,139 Yen in damages. (reference #2060)

Other significant eruptions of Aira

Every eruption in 1914 The 1900s Aira Earthquakes near Aira 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 867.