| Date and time | Magnitude | Fatalities | Name of quake | Name in Kanji | Rōmaji name | Epicenter | Description |
| November 29, 684 (proleptic Gregorian calendar)November 26, 684 (Julian calendar) | MK (Kawasumi scale) | 101–1,000 | 684 Hakuhō earthquake | 白鳳南海地震 | Hakuhou Nankai jishin | mw- .mw- 32°48′N 134°18′E / 32.8°N 134.3°E / 32.8; 134.3 | link between earthquakes and tsunamis first confirmed |
| June 5, 745 (G)June 1, 745 (J) | 7.9 MK | | occurred in Mino Province | 天平地震 | Tenpyō jishin | 34°48′N 135°30′E / 34.8°N 135.5°E / 34.8; 135.5 | |
| July 13, 869 (G)July 9, 869 (J) | 8.9 MK | 1,000+ | 869 Jōgan earthquake | 貞観地震 | Jōgan jishin | 38°30′N 143°48′E / 38.5°N 143.8°E / 38.5; 143.8 | Tsunami flooded Sendai plain |
| June 16, 1026 (G)June 10, 1026 (J) | MJMA | 1,000 | 1026 Manju tsunami | 万寿地震 | Manju jishin | 34°48′N 131°48′E / 34.8°N 131.8°E / 34.8; 131.8 | Tsunami flooded Iwami Province |
| May 27, 1293 (G)May 20, 1293 (J) | 7.1 Ms | 23,024 | 1293 Kamakura earthquake | 鎌倉大地震 | Kamakura Daijishin | near Kamakura, Kanagawa | |
| August 3, 1361 (G)July 26, 1361 (J) | 8.4 Ms | | 1361 Shōhei earthquake | 正平南海地震 | Shōhei Nankai Jishin | 33°00′N 135°00′E / 33.0°N 135.0°E / 33.0; 135.0 | Triggered tsunami |
| September 20, 1498 (G)September 11, 1498 (J) | 8.6 MK | 31,000 | 1498 Meiō earthquake | 明応地震 | Meiō jishin | Nankai | |
| January 18, 1586 | 7.9 MK | | 1586 Tenshō earthquake | 天正大地震 | Tenshō Daijishin | | Islands in Ise Bay reportedly disappeared |
| February 3, 1605 | 7.9 MK | 5,000+ | 1605 Keichō earthquake | 慶長大地震 | Keichō Daijishin | 33°30′N 138°30′E / 33.5°N 138.5°E / 33.5; 138.5 | May have been two separate earthquakes; tsunami greatly exceeded that expected from the magnitude of the earthquake |
| September 27, 1611 | 6.9 MK | 3,700+ (Official estimate) | 1611 Aizu earthquake | 会津地震 | Aizu Jishin | Aizu basin, Fukushima Prefecture | |
| December 2, 1611 | 8.1 | 2,000+ | 1611 Sanriku earthquake | 慶長三陸地震 | Keichō Sanriku Jishin | Iwate Prefecture | |
| June 16, 1662 | 7.25 – 7.6 M | 700–900 | 1662 Kanbun earthquake | 寛文近江・若狭地震 | kanbun Ōmi wakasa jishin | south of Lake Biwa | |
| October 30, 1662 | 7.9 Mw | 200 | 1662 Hyūga-nada earthquake | 外所地震 | Dondokoro Jishin | Offshore of Kyushu | |
| 1667 | 8.5–9.0 M | unknown | 1667 Kanbun Tokachi-oki earthquake | 寛文十勝沖地震 (scientific) | kanbun Tokachi-oki jishin | Offshore Tokachi region | inferred from tsunami deposits |
| November 4, 1677 | 8.3–8.6 Mw | 569 | 1677 Bōsō earthquake | 延宝房総沖地震 | Enpō Bōsō-oki Jishin | Offshore Bōsō Peninsula | |
| December 31, 1703 | 8.0 ML | 5,233 | 1703 Genroku earthquake | 元禄大地震 | Genroku Daijishin | Edo | |
| October 28, 1707 | 8.6 ML | 5,000+ | 1707 Hōei earthquake | 宝永地震 | Hōei jishin | Off the Kii Peninsula | damaged Honshu, Shikoku and Kyūshū; last eruption of Mount Fuji |
| April 24, 1771 | 7.4 MK | 13,486 | 1771 Great Yaeyama Tsunami | 八重山地震 | Yaeyama jishin | Yaeyama Islands | Tsunami over 40 m (130 ft) |
| May 21, 1792 | 6.4 MK | 15,448 | 1792 Unzen landslide and tsunami[clarification needed] | 島原大変肥後迷惑 | Unzen jishin(Shimabara Taihen Higo Meiwaku) | 32°48′N 130°18′E / 32.8°N 130.3°E / 32.8; 130.3 | Changes to the Ariake Sea coastline, in the center of Mount Unzen, Kumamoto Prefecture (right) and the Amakusa Islands (see below) were affected by the tsunami An earthquake caused by volcanic activity of Mount Unzen (in the Shimabara Peninsula Nagasaki, Japan). It killed 15,000 people altogether, due in large part to a tsunami that was triggered by the collapse of nearby Mount Mayuyama's southern flank into the bay. The incident is also referred to with the phrase 'Shimabara erupted, Higo affected' (島原大変肥後迷惑), as many people in Higo, (Kumamoto, located 20 km (12 mi) away across the Ariake Sea) were also killed by the resulting tsunami, which then bounced back to hit Shimabara again. |
| December 18, 1828 | 6.9 MK | 1,559 (official confirmed) | 1828 Sanjō earthquake | 三条地震 | Sanjō Jishin | Sanjo, Niigata Prefecture (then Echigo Province) | According to the official confirmed report, 21,134 houses and buildings were damaged, and 1,204 of them burned down. There were 1,559 human fatalities, and 2,666 injured people in the affected area. |
| December 7, 1833 | MJMA | 150 | 1833 Shōnai earthquake | 庄内沖地震 | Shōnai-oki Jishin | Shōnai, Yamagata Prefecture | Destructive tsunami, one of the largest tsunamis in the Sea of Japan. |
| April 25, 1843 | MJMA | 91 | 1843 Tokachi earthquake | 天保十勝沖地震 | Tenpō Tokachi-oki Jishin | 42°00′N 146°00′E / 42.0°N 146.0°E / 42.0; 146.0 | Minor damage from shaking but many buildings swept away by the tsunami. 45 people died at Akkeshi on Hokkaido and a further 46 at Taro on the Sanriku coast of Honshu. |
| May 8, 1847 | 7.3 M | 8,600+ | 1847 Zenkoji earthquake | 善光寺地震 | Zenkōji Jishin | Nagano Basin (then Shinano Province) | In the central area of Nagano, many buildings collapsed, including Zenkōji temple. The earthquake triggered a complex variety of resulting disasters, which included fires, landslides, and flooding due to the formation and subsequent collapse of a "dam" made of debris from the collapsed buildings. According to the confirmed official report, the death toll throughout the region reached at least 8,600. 21,000 houses were damaged and 3,400 burned, and an additional 44,000 homes were damaged by the landslides in the area. |
| July 9, 1854 | 7.25 MK | 995 (official confirmed) | 1854 Iga–Ueno earthquake | 伊賀上野地震 | Iga Ueno Jishin | Iga, Mie Prefecture (then Iga Province) | According to the official confirmed report, 2,576 houses and buildings were damaged, with 995 human fatalities and 994 injures in the affected area. |
| December 23, 1854 | 8.4 MK | 2,000 (estimated) | 1854 Tōkai earthquake | 安政東海地震 | Ansei Tōkai Jishin | Suruga Bay | |
| December 24, 1854 | 8.4 MK | 10,000+ | 1854 Nankai earthquake | 安政南海地震 | Ansei Nankai Jishin | Nankai Trough | Over 10,000 people from the Tōkai region down to Kyushu were killed. |
| November 11, 1855 | 6.9 MK | 6,641 | 1855 Edo earthquake | 安政江戸地震 | Ansei Edo Jishin | Edo, near the mouth of the Arakawa River | Edo earthquake in 1855 |
| April 9, 1858 | 7.0 | 200–300 | 1858 Hietsu earthquake | 飛越地震 | Hietsu Jishin | Atotsugawa Fault | |
| March 18, 1872 | 7.1 MK | 551 (official confirmed) | 1872 Hamada earthquake | 浜田地震 | Hamada Jishin | off coast Hamada, Shimane Prefecture | According to the official confirmed report, 4506 houses were damaged by the earthquake, 230 houses were burned, 551 people were killed, and landslides destroyed 6567 homes in the affected area. This quake occurred at 16:40 local time. |
| February 22, 1880 | 5.5–6.0 | 0 | 1880 Yokohama earthquake | 横浜地震 | Yokohama Jishin | Yokohama City | The damage was minor. However, the Seismological Society of Japan was established in response to the quake. |
| July 28, 1889 | 6.3 | 20 | 1889 Kumamoto earthquake | 熊本地震 | Kumamoto Jishin | Tatsuda fault | First major earthquake after the establishment of the Seismological Society of Japan in 1880. |
| October 28, 1891 | 8.0 ML | 7,273 | 1891 Mino–Owari earthquake | 濃尾地震 | Nōbi Jishin | Neodani Fault | |
| June 20, 1894 | 6.6 ML | 31 | 1894 Tokyo earthquake | 明治東京地震 | Meiji-Tokyo Jishin | Tokyo Bay | The death toll was 31 killed and 157 injured. |
| October 22, 1894 | 7.0 ML | 726 (Official confirmed) | 1894 Shōnai earthquake | 庄内地震 | Shōnai Jishin | Sakata, Yamagata Prefecture | According to the official confirmed report, 14,118 houses and buildings were damaged and 2,148 were burned. There were 726 human fatalities and 8,403 people injured in the damaged area. A large-scale fire broke out in Sakata, and around the Shonai plain area, many instances of cracked earth, sinking ground, sand boils, and fountains were observed. |
| June 15, 1896 | 8.5 ML | 22,000+ | 1896 Sanriku earthquake | 明治三陸地震 | Meiji Sanriku Jishin | | This quake occurred off the coast of Sanriku in Iwate Prefecture, which caused a tsunami of 25 m (82 ft) to strike 35 minutes after the quake, destroying hundreds of houses and killed over 22,000 people. Tsunami were also observed as far away as Hawaii and in California. |
| September 1, 1923 | 8.3 ML | 142,800 | 1923 Great Kantō earthquake | 大正関東地震(関東大震災) | Taishō Kantō Jishin(Kantō Daishinsai) | Izu Ōshima | |
| May 23, 1925 | 6.8 ML | 428 | 1925 North Tajima earthquake | 北但馬地震 | Kita Tajima Jishin | Toyooka in Hyōgo Prefecture 35°36′N 134°48′E / 35.6°N 134.8°E / 35.6; 134.8 | According to the Japanese government's official report, there were 428 human fatalities, 1,016 people injured, 7,863 buildings destroyed, and 45,659 houses damaged by collapse or fire. This quake caused extensive damage to the town of Toyooka and the Maruyama River area. Just before the shaking could be felt, a sound like a cannon was reportedly heard intermittently from the direction of the estuary near the Maruyama River. During the earthquake, the ground in the town of Tokyooka experienced strong seismic vibrations for 16 seconds. As most of the buildings of the time were wooden, many of them were destroyed at once during the initial earthquake. In the fire that broke out subsequently, half of Toyooka was burned down, with many deaths resulting (a reported 8% of the town's population.) 272 deaths were confirmed to have occurred in the Kinosaki area. |
| March 7, 1927 | 7.6 ML | 3,020 | 1927 North Tango earthquake | 北丹後地震 | Kita Tango Jishin | Tango Peninsula in Kyoto Prefecture | Almost all of the houses in Mineyama (now part of Kyōtango) were destroyed, and the quake was felt as far away as Tokyo and Kagoshima. |
| November 26, 1930 | 7.3 Ms | 272 | 1930 North Izu earthquake | 1930年北伊豆地震 | Sen-kyūhyaku-sanjū-nen Kita-Izu Jishin | Izu Peninsula | |
| March 3, 1933 | 8.4 Mw | 3,000+ | 1933 Sanriku earthquake | 昭和三陸地震 | Shōwa Sanriku Jishin | 290 km (180 mi) east of the city of Kamaishi, Iwate | Kamaishi Bay, Iwate after 1933 earthquake and tsunami |
| November 3, 1936 | 7.2 Ms | 0 | 1936 Miyagi earthquake | 1936年宮城県沖地震 | Sen-kyūhyaku-sanjūroku-nen Miyagi-ken-oki Jishin | offshore Miyagi | |
| August 2, 1940 | 7.5 Mw | 10 | 1940 Shakotan earthquake | 1940積丹半島沖地震 | Sen-kyūhyaku-yonjū-nen Shakotan-oki Jishin | offshore Hokkaido | |
| September 10, 1943 | 7.2 ML | 1,083 | 1943 Tottori earthquake | 鳥取地震 | Tottori Jishin | offshore from Ketaka District | |
| December 7, 1944 | 8.1 Mw | 1,223 | 1944 Tōnankai earthquake | 昭和東南海地震 | Shōwa Tōnankai Jishin | 34°00′N 137°06′E / 34.0°N 137.1°E / 34.0; 137.1 | This earthquake occurred on Dec. 7, 1944, at 13:35 local time (04:35 UTC). Its moment magnitude was 8.1 and it was felt with a maximum intensity of 5 on the Shindo scale (or VII, "Severe", on the Mercalli intensity scale). It struck the provinces along the coast of the Tōkai region, causing serious damage and triggering a tsunami. The earthquake and tsunami combined killed 1,223 people, with injuries reported to have affected 20,000 people or more. |
| January 13, 1945 | 6.8 ML | 1,180 + 1,126 missing | 1945 Mikawa earthquake | 三河地震 | Mikawa Jishin | Mikawa Bay | An earthquake which occurred off Mie and Aichi prefectures, Japan at 03:38 on January 13, 1945. |
| December 20, 1946 | 8.1 Mw | 1,362 | 1946 Nankai earthquake | 昭和南海地震 | Shōwa Nankai Jishin | Nankai Trough | A major earthquake in Nankaidō, Japan. Occurred on December 20, 1946, at 19:19 UTC. The earthquake was felt from Northern Honshū to Kyūshū. |
| June 28, 1948 | 7.1 Mw | 3,769 | 1948 Fukui earthquake | 福井地震 | Fukui Jishin | near Maruoka, Fukui 36°06′N 136°10′E / 36.10°N 136.17°E / 36.10; 136.17 | A major earthquake in Fukui Prefecture, Japan. It struck at 5:13 p.m. on June 28, 1948 (the then Japan Daylight Saving Time; JDT). |
| March 4, 1952 | 8.1 Mw | 28 | 1952 Hokkaido earthquake | 1952年十勝沖地震 | Sen-kyūhyaku-goūjūni-nen Tokachi-oki Jishin | 42°18′N 144°54′E / 42.3°N 144.9°E / 42.3; 144.9 | The 1952 Hokkaido earthquake took place around March 4, 1952 in the sea east of Hokkaido. On the Moment magnitude scale, it measured 8.1. Casualties occurred due to the earthquake. |
| August 19, 1961 | 7.0 | 8 | 1961 North Mino earthquake | 北美濃地震 | Kitamino Jishin | 36°6′7″N 136°42′0″E / 36.10194°N 136.70000°E / 36.10194; 136.70000 | One of the earthquakes that the Japan Meteorological Agency named for the. 8 people dead. |
