Great Kantō Earthquake and Tsunami

December 31, 1703

The Genroku earthquake, estimated at magnitude 8.2, devastated the Kantō plain. Tsunamis smashed the coastline of Sagami Bay, killing over five thousand. Edo shook so violently that the shogun's castle walls cracked. Japan, perched on the Pacific Ring of Fire, received another reminder that the earth beneath its cities was never truly still.