Historical Events Today: 1896 – Tsunami strikes Shinto festival on beach at Sanriku Japan
On June 15. 1896 many villages along the coast of Sanriku were celebrating the return of the soldiers from the war against China, when an earthquake of magnitude 8.5 occurred nearly 145 kilometers offshore of Honshu. The direct effects of the five minutes long quake were of minor entity, the epicenter was distant enough to reduce catastrophic movements on the main island and earthquakes were nothing unusual in this region.
However 35 minutes after the earthquake the most devastating tsunami experienced until then in modern Japan hit the coast, one of the subsequent waves reached a height of over 30-38 meters. 26.000-27.122 people were killed and 9.000 buildings destroyed, the effects of the Tsunami were observed over the entire Pacific, in Hawaii some houses were swept away and a three meter high wave reached the coast of California. The tsunami was reported at Shirahama to have reached a height of 38.2 m, causing damage to more than 11,000 homes and killing some 22,000 people. Reports have also been found that chronicle a corresponding tsunami hitting the East coast of China, killing around 4000 people and doing extensive damage to local crops.
Explanation of the picture: Kanagawa Oki Uranami – “The Hollow of the Deep-Sea Wave off Kanagawa”, colored woodcut from the collection of “Thirty-Six Views of Fuji” (1831) by Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusa. The contrast between the various elements reflects the harmonic order between Ying and Yang and the necessity of solidarity of men in case of natural disasters.
The destructive power of water from the sea – Ying-contrasts with the calmness of the fishermen – Yang-the symmetric symbol is also formed by the wave and the sky. The similar color of the volcano in the background and the wave emphasize the harmony between mountain (symbol for the body) and wave (symbol for the soul).
However 35 minutes after the earthquake the most devastating tsunami experienced until then in modern Japan hit the coast, one of the subsequent waves reached a height of over 30-38 meters. 26.000-27.122 people were killed and 9.000 buildings destroyed, the effects of the Tsunami were observed over the entire Pacific, in Hawaii some houses were swept away and a three meter high wave reached the coast of California. The tsunami was reported at Shirahama to have reached a height of 38.2 m, causing damage to more than 11,000 homes and killing some 22,000 people. Reports have also been found that chronicle a corresponding tsunami hitting the East coast of China, killing around 4000 people and doing extensive damage to local crops.
Explanation of the picture: Kanagawa Oki Uranami – “The Hollow of the Deep-Sea Wave off Kanagawa”, colored woodcut from the collection of “Thirty-Six Views of Fuji” (1831) by Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusa. The contrast between the various elements reflects the harmonic order between Ying and Yang and the necessity of solidarity of men in case of natural disasters.
The destructive power of water from the sea – Ying-contrasts with the calmness of the fishermen – Yang-the symmetric symbol is also formed by the wave and the sky. The similar color of the volcano in the background and the wave emphasize the harmony between mountain (symbol for the body) and wave (symbol for the soul).
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