Historical eventSeptember 201498
1498 Meiō earthquake
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.
In context
- When
- Thursday, September 20 1498528 years ago
- Category
- Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
- Era
- 15th century · 1490s
- Calendar
- Julian — as recorded at the time
- Recorded from
- Wikipedia “On this day” feed
Dates before 15 October 1582 are in the Julian calendar, so the weekday shown follows the Julian reckoning of the time.
At a glance
Dates: From 1498-09-20.
Place: Japan.
Type: Nankai megathrust earthquake.
What happened
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.
September 20 through the years
Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.
- 14981498 Meiō earthquake
- 20002000 MI6 attack
- 2000Real Irish Republican Army
- 2001War on terror
- 20032003 Maldives civil unrest
- 2007Jena Six
- 2008Islamabad Marriott Hotel bombing
- 2011Don't ask, don't tell
- 2017Hurricane Maria
- 2018Sinking of MV Nyerere
- 2019September 2019 climate strikes
Sources
- Wikipedia article (text, CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 for adapted text · how we source this
Cite this page
“1498 Meiō earthquake”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/1498-mei-earthquake-1498-september-20, accessed October 27, 2026.
Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.
Questions about this entry
When did 1498 Meiō earthquake happen?
September 20 1498 — 528 years ago, on a Thursday.
Is this a Julian or a Gregorian date?
It is the date as recorded at the time, on the Julian calendar. The Gregorian equivalent falls about ten days later; sources from different countries may give either.
Where does this text come from?
Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.
How do I cite this page?
Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.
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