Historical tsunamis · Dec 23, 1854, 12:46 AM UTC
1854 Enshunada Sea tsunami
Japan
The tsunami of Dec 23, 1854, 12:46 AM UTC originated near Enshunada Sea (Japan).
Key facts
- Date
- Dec 23, 1854, 12:46 AM UTC
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Magnitude
- M8.3
- Maximum documented water height
- 21.0 m
- Deaths
- 1,000
- Houses destroyed
- 8,900
- Damage
- extreme (over US$ 25 million)
- Observation records
- 70
- Countries affected
- 2
It was triggered by a magnitude 8.3 earthquake.
The highest documented water height was 21.0 m (Toba, Japan).
70 observation sites in 2 countries are recorded.
Outside the source country, the earliest documented arrival was at San Francisco, Ca (United States) after 12:12 h.
The database records 1,000 deaths.
Houses destroyed: 8,900.
Damage is estimated at extreme (over US$ 25 million).
Map of observation sites
70Each dot is a documented observation site; colour and size show the observed water height. The triangle marks the source.
Tsunami arrival times
Documented arrival times from the NOAA/NCEI database, showing the earliest recorded location per country. Coverage is incomplete: a country without an entry was not necessarily spared.
- 0:00 hEarthquake (origin)
- 12:12 hUnited States · San Francisco, Ca · 0.10 m
2 places with a documented arrival time
Observations by country
| Country | Observation records | Maximum documented water height | Deaths | Earliest arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | 67 | 21.0 m Toba | 268 | — |
 United States | 3 | 0.10 m Astoria, Or | — | 12:12 h |
Highest documented water heights
15 / 70Individual documented observations for this event. Heights come from different measurement types and sources; not every location has a measured height.
| Location / station | Observed height | Distance from source | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toba · Mie | 21.00 m | 113 km | Japan |
| Koga · Mie | 10.50 m | 146 km | Japan |
| Nagashima · Mie | 10.00 m | 146 km | Japan |
| Shimoda · Shizuoka | 10.00 m | 122 km | Japan |
| Hamada · Shimane | 6.00 m | 544 km | Japan |
| Okagata · Shizuoka | 5.70 m | 446 km | Japan |
| Kawasaki · Shizuoka | 5.00 m | 86 km | Japan |
| Maisaka · Shizuoka | 5.00 m | 80 km | Japan |
| Sagara · Shizuoka | 5.00 m | 81 km | Japan |
| Futami Bay, Chichijima Island · Bonin Is, Tokyo | 4.50 m | 869 km | Japan |
| Osaka · Osaka | 3.00 m | 233 km | Japan |
| Susaki · Kochi | 3.00 m | 434 km | Japan |
| Tokyo Bay · Tokyo | 3.00 m | 252 km | Japan |
| Tanabe · Wakayama | 2.70 m | 236 km | Japan |
| Chita Bay · Aichi | 1.50 m | 149 km | Japan |
More tsunamis
Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Global Historical Tsunami Database. Confirmed events only. Deaths and damage are database estimates; older records are incomplete. Water heights come from different types of observation.