1896 Sanriku earthquake was one of the most destructive seismic events in Japanese history . The 8.5 magnitude earthquake occurred at 19:32 ( local time ) on June 15 , 1896 , approximately off the coast of Iwate Prefecture , Honshu . It resulted in two tsunamis which destroyed about 9,000 homes and caused at least 22,000 deaths . The waves reached a then-record height of ; this would remain the highest on record until waves from the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake exceeded that height by more than
2011 Tōhoku earthquake
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
1896 Sanriku earthquake