5:15 PM - 6:45 PM
[SSS11-P13] Doubtful Earthquakes Listed in the Historical Earthquake Catalog
Keywords:Historical Earthquakes, Historical Source Criticism, Historical Earthquake Catalogs
The historical events part of the “Japanese Damaging Earthquakes List” (List) in “Chronological Scientific Tables” (CS Tables) is based on the historical earthquake catalog “Nihon Higai-Jishin Soran” [Usami’s catalog; Usami (1975, 1987, 1995, 2003), Usami et al. (2013)]. Because of the multiple revisions of Usami’s catalog and accumulation of new knowledge about historical earthquakes, List was revised in the 2021 and 2024 editions of the CS Tables [Harada & Koketsu (2020), Koketsu & Harada (2022)]. Because all the historical events added in the latest Usami’s catalog have not been included in the List, they examined whether to add these events to the List. Historical earthquakes assigned serial numbers (regarded as reliable ones) in the Usami’s catalog were candidates. As a result, 50 reliable historical earthquakes were added to the List, while the rest 38 events were suspended, because they still require further investigations about the reliability. In this study, we report the reasons for suspended to contribute to the confirmation of the reliability of earthquakes in the historical earthquake catalogs by adding our new examination.
The suspended 38 events are as follows [numbers in parentheses are the serial numbers]: Dec. 26, 1097 Kawachi (038-1), Sep. 14, 1099 Kawachi (040), Nov. 14, Ugo (060), Nov. 22, 1511 Mobara (070), 1522 Kii (075), Feb. 14, 1587 Tsugaru (078-1), Sep. 30, 1618 Kyoto (090), Mar. 8, 1627 Edo (093-1), Mar. 27, 1627 Tsugaru (093-2), Dec. 3, 1636 Echigo (097-1), Dec. 7, 1643 Edo (100), Apr. 15, 1644 Nikko (101), Jan. 3, 1657 Nagasaki (111), Jul. 6, 1671 Edo (125-2), Dec. 22, 1684 Hyuga (136), Dec. 29, 1685 Iyo (139), Nov. 28, 1688 Ugo-Konoura (142-1), 1691 Kaga-Daishoji (143), Jun. 22, 1703 Ogi (148-3), Jun. 23, Besshi (154-1), 1717 Kanazawa-Komatsu (161-1), Feb. 26, 1718 Hachinohe (162), 1734 Mimasaka-Bicchu (176-1), Jun. 18, 1748 Matsue (182-2), Dec. 17, 1779 Sado (205-2), Mar. 5, 1783 Edo (208-1), Jan. 14, 1823 Iwami (231-1), Mar. 28, 1831 Rikuchu (236-2), 1855 Owase (260-1), Aug. 6, 1855 Kitsuki (261), Aug. 6, 1855 Yonago (261-1), Dec. 9, 1856 Masuda (264-1), Jan 13, Aomori (266-1), May 17, 1858 Shinano-Suwa (272), 1860 Kai (277-1), 1868 Izu (date is unknown, 280-2), 1868 Miyakojima (280-3), Jan. 27, Off Iwaki (281-2).
The followings are examples of the reasons for suspended. 093-2: various historical documents describe the cracks in the ground, whereas most of these are manuscripts and compilations based on the same former historical document. The original document only describes the cracks briefly and thus, it is doubtful that this event was actually a major damaging earthquake. 100 and 111: damage due to both events is described only in the “Atlas Japannensis” by Dutch historian Montanus, who had never been Japan. This was edited from various reports by envoys and missionaries, and is considered to contain many exaggerations and inaccurate descriptions. 101: according to the reliable historical document, Apr. 15 was not the date of the Nikko Eq. but the date when the damage in Nikko was reported. Therefore, the date of the earthquake occurrence is uncertain. 125-2 and 208-1: damage is recorded only in the historical document edited after the 1855 Edo Eq. Ishibashi (1992) deemed the manuscript unusable for historical earthquake research. 143: damage due to this event is described in the clan’s chronicle edited >100 years after the event. The described damage for the 1691 event is same as that for the 1707 Hoei Eq. and thus, the 1691 damage was probably created by an editing error. 231-1: damage due to this event is described only in the Town History published in 1965 and is not found in contemporary historical documents. While the date of this event in the old Japanese calendar is Dec. 2 of the 5th year of Busei, heavy earthquake damaged to Iwami on Dec. 2 of 5th year of Ansei (1859 Iwami Eq.). Therefore, the 1823 event is probably a fake created due to an editing error of mistaking eras.
The suspended 38 events are as follows [numbers in parentheses are the serial numbers]: Dec. 26, 1097 Kawachi (038-1), Sep. 14, 1099 Kawachi (040), Nov. 14, Ugo (060), Nov. 22, 1511 Mobara (070), 1522 Kii (075), Feb. 14, 1587 Tsugaru (078-1), Sep. 30, 1618 Kyoto (090), Mar. 8, 1627 Edo (093-1), Mar. 27, 1627 Tsugaru (093-2), Dec. 3, 1636 Echigo (097-1), Dec. 7, 1643 Edo (100), Apr. 15, 1644 Nikko (101), Jan. 3, 1657 Nagasaki (111), Jul. 6, 1671 Edo (125-2), Dec. 22, 1684 Hyuga (136), Dec. 29, 1685 Iyo (139), Nov. 28, 1688 Ugo-Konoura (142-1), 1691 Kaga-Daishoji (143), Jun. 22, 1703 Ogi (148-3), Jun. 23, Besshi (154-1), 1717 Kanazawa-Komatsu (161-1), Feb. 26, 1718 Hachinohe (162), 1734 Mimasaka-Bicchu (176-1), Jun. 18, 1748 Matsue (182-2), Dec. 17, 1779 Sado (205-2), Mar. 5, 1783 Edo (208-1), Jan. 14, 1823 Iwami (231-1), Mar. 28, 1831 Rikuchu (236-2), 1855 Owase (260-1), Aug. 6, 1855 Kitsuki (261), Aug. 6, 1855 Yonago (261-1), Dec. 9, 1856 Masuda (264-1), Jan 13, Aomori (266-1), May 17, 1858 Shinano-Suwa (272), 1860 Kai (277-1), 1868 Izu (date is unknown, 280-2), 1868 Miyakojima (280-3), Jan. 27, Off Iwaki (281-2).
The followings are examples of the reasons for suspended. 093-2: various historical documents describe the cracks in the ground, whereas most of these are manuscripts and compilations based on the same former historical document. The original document only describes the cracks briefly and thus, it is doubtful that this event was actually a major damaging earthquake. 100 and 111: damage due to both events is described only in the “Atlas Japannensis” by Dutch historian Montanus, who had never been Japan. This was edited from various reports by envoys and missionaries, and is considered to contain many exaggerations and inaccurate descriptions. 101: according to the reliable historical document, Apr. 15 was not the date of the Nikko Eq. but the date when the damage in Nikko was reported. Therefore, the date of the earthquake occurrence is uncertain. 125-2 and 208-1: damage is recorded only in the historical document edited after the 1855 Edo Eq. Ishibashi (1992) deemed the manuscript unusable for historical earthquake research. 143: damage due to this event is described in the clan’s chronicle edited >100 years after the event. The described damage for the 1691 event is same as that for the 1707 Hoei Eq. and thus, the 1691 damage was probably created by an editing error. 231-1: damage due to this event is described only in the Town History published in 1965 and is not found in contemporary historical documents. While the date of this event in the old Japanese calendar is Dec. 2 of the 5th year of Busei, heavy earthquake damaged to Iwami on Dec. 2 of 5th year of Ansei (1859 Iwami Eq.). Therefore, the 1823 event is probably a fake created due to an editing error of mistaking eras.