Tsunami from Meiō Earthquake

Date: September 20, 1498 • Location: Omaezaki-shi, Japan

A tsunami caused by the Meiō earthquake washed away the building housing the Great Buddha (pictured) at Kōtoku-in in Kamakura, Japan; the statue has since stood in the open air.

The 1498 Meiō earthquake struck off the coast of Nankaidō, Japan, at approximately 08:00 local time on September 20, 1498. With an estimated magnitude of 8.6 Ms, it triggered a massive tsunami. The exact death toll from this event remains uncertain, but reports range from 5,000 to 41,000 casualties. The tsunami, caused by the Meiō Nankaidō earthquake, washed away the building that housed the statue of the Great Buddha at Kōtoku-in in Kamakura, although the statue itself remained intact.