Historical tsunamis · Dec 24, 1854, 8:00 AM UTC
1854 Nankaido tsunami
Japan
The tsunami of Dec 24, 1854, 8:00 AM UTC originated near Nankaido (Japan).
Key facts
- Date
- Dec 24, 1854, 8:00 AM UTC
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Magnitude
- M8.4
- Maximum documented water height
- 28.0 m
- Deaths
- 3,000
- Houses destroyed
- 20,000
- Damage
- extreme (over US$ 25 million)
- Observation records
- 76
- Countries affected
- 3
It was triggered by a magnitude 8.4 earthquake.
The highest documented water height was 28.0 m (Kochi Prefecture, Japan).
76 observation sites in 3 countries are recorded.
Outside the source country, the earliest documented arrival was at San Francisco, Ca (United States) after 13:55 h.
The database records 3,000 deaths.
Houses destroyed: 20,000.
Damage is estimated at extreme (over US$ 25 million).
Map of observation sites
76Each 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)
- 13:55 hUnited States · San Francisco, Ca · 0.11 m
1 places with a documented arrival time
Observations by country
| Country | Observation records | Maximum documented water height | Deaths | Earliest arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | 72 | 28.0 m Kochi Prefecture | 1,661 | — |
 China | 1 | 1.00 m Shanghai | — | — |
 United States | 3 | 0.11 m San Francisco, Ca | — | 13:55 h |
Highest documented water heights
15 / 76Individual 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kochi Prefecture · Kochi | 28.00 m | 146 km | Japan |
| Kure · Kochi | 16.00 m | 165 km | Japan |
| USA · Kochi | 8.50 m | 150 km | Japan |
| USA Bay · Kochi | 8.50 m | 150 km | Japan |
| Kakisaki · Shizuoka | 6.70 m | 406 km | Japan |
| Koura · Shizuoka | 6.10 m | 391 km | Japan |
| Hiro · Wakayama | 6.00 m | 104 km | Japan |
| Shimoda · Shizuoka | 5.70 m | 405 km | Japan |
| Tachibana · Tokushima | 5.40 m | 91 km | Japan |
| Doi · Ehime | 5.00 m | 174 km | Japan |
| Matsuzaki · Mie | 5.00 m | 216 km | Japan |
| Mera · Chiba | 4.80 m | 489 km | Japan |
| Chichijima Islands · Bonin Is, Tokyo | 3.50 m | 961 km | Japan |
| Arai · Shizuoka | 3.00 m | 296 km | Japan |
| Shanghai | 1.00 m | 1,295 km | China |
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.