1498 528 years ago Historical Events September 20 2 sources

The Nankai tsunami washes away the building housing the Great Buddha at Kōtoku-in; it has been located outside ever since.

On September 20, in the year 1498, The Nankai tsunami washes away the building housing the Great Buddha at Kōtoku-in; it has been located outside ever since. This event is recorded as a Historical Events event in the history of September 20, one of 437 recorded events on this date across all of history.

The 1498 Meiō earthquake struck off the coast of Nankaidō, Japan, at approximately 08:00 local time on September 20, 1498. With an estimated magnitude of 8.6 Ms, it triggered a massive tsunami. The exact death toll from this event remains uncertain, but reports range from 5,000 to 41,000 casualties. The tsunami, caused by the Meiō Nankaidō earthquake, washed away the building that housed the statue of the Great Buddha at Kōtoku-in in Kamakura, although the statue itself remained intact.

Key Facts

  • This event took place on September 20, 1498 (AD era).
  • It is categorised as a Historical Events event in recorded history.
  • Referenced in 2 Wikipedia articles.
  • The event is associated with a specific geographical location (see map below).
  • Wikipedia source last updated on 26 July 2026.

On This Date in History 437

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Notable Deaths 2023 Sep 20 Maddy Cusack, English football player (born 1995)
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Notable Deaths 2016 Sep 20 Curtis Hanson, American film director and screenwriter (born 1945)
Notable Deaths 2016 Sep 20 Peter Leo Gerety, American bishop (born 1912)
Notable Deaths 2015 Sep 20 Mario Caiano, Italian director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1933)
Notable Deaths 2015 Sep 20 Jagmohan Dalmiya, Indian businessman (born 1940)
Notable Deaths 2015 Sep 20 Jack Larson, American actor (born 1928)
Notable Deaths 2014 Sep 20 Anatoly Berezovoy, Russian colonel, pilot, and cosmonaut (born 1942)
Notable Deaths 2014 Sep 20 Polly Bergen, American actress and singer (born 1930)
Notable Deaths 2014 Sep 20 Takako Doi, Japanese scholar and politician (born 1928)
Notable Deaths 2014 Sep 20 George Sluizer, French-Dutch director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1932)
Notable Deaths 2013 Sep 20 James B. Vaught, American general (born 1926)
Notable Deaths 2013 Sep 20 Gilles Verlant, Belgian journalist and critic (born 1957)
Notable Deaths 2012 Sep 20 Fortunato Baldelli, Italian cardinal (born 1935)
Notable Deaths 2012 Sep 20 Richard H. Cracroft, American author and academic (born 1936)
Notable Deaths 2012 Sep 20 Tereska Torrès, French soldier and author (born 1920)
Historical Events 2011 Sep 20 The United States military ends its "don't ask, don't tell" policy, allowing gay men and women to serve openly for the…
Notable Deaths 2011 Sep 20 Oscar Handlin, American historian and author (born 1915)
Notable Deaths 2011 Sep 20 Burhanuddin Rabbani, Afghan academic and politician, 10th President of Afghanistan (born 1940)
Selected Events 2011 Sep 20 The United States military ended its "don't ask, don't tell" policy, consequently allowing gay and lesbian people to…
Notable Deaths 2010 Sep 20 Leonard Skinner, American soldier and educator (born 1933)
Historical Events 2008 Sep 20 A dump truck full of explosives detonates in front of the Marriott hotel in Islamabad, Pakistan, killing 54 people and…
Selected Events 2008 Sep 20 An explosive-laden truck detonated in front of the Marriott hotel in Islamabad, Pakistan, killing 54 people and…
Historical Events 2007 Sep 20 Between 15,000 and 20,000 protesters march on Jena, Louisiana, United States, in support of six black youths who had…
Notable Deaths 2007 Sep 20 Johnny Gavin, Irish footballer (born 1928)
Notable Deaths 2006 Sep 20 Armin Jordan, Swiss conductor (born 1932)
Notable Deaths 2006 Sep 20 Sven Nykvist, Swedish director, producer, and cinematographer (born 1922)
Notable Deaths 2006 Sep 20 John W. Peterson, American pilot and songwriter (born 1921)
Notable Deaths 2005 Sep 20 Simon Wiesenthal, Austrian human rights activist, Holocaust survivor (born 1908)
Notable Deaths 2004 Sep 20 Brian Clough, English footballer and manager (born 1935)
Notable Deaths 2004 Sep 20 Townsend Hoopes, American soldier and historian (born 1922)
Historical Events 2003 Sep 20 Civil unrest in the Maldives breaks out after a prisoner is killed by guards.
Notable Births 2003 Sep 20 Thomas Matthew Crooks, American attempted assassin of Donald Trump (died 2024)
Notable Deaths 2003 Sep 20 Simon Muzenda, Zimbabwean politician, 1st Vice-President of Zimbabwe (born 1922)
Notable Deaths 2003 Sep 20 Gareth Williams, Baron Williams of Mostyn, Welsh lawyer and politician, Lord President of the Council (born 1941)
Notable Deaths 2002 Sep 20 Sergei Bodrov Jr., Russian actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1971)
Historical Events 2001 Sep 20 In an address to a joint session of Congress and the American people, U.S. President George W. Bush declares a "war on…
Historical Events 2000 Sep 20 The United Kingdom's MI6 Secret Intelligence Service building is attacked by individuals using a Russian-built RPG-22…
Notable Deaths 2000 Sep 20 Gherman Titov, Russian general, pilot, and astronaut (born 1935)
Selected Events 2000 Sep 20 The Real Irish Republican Army carried out a rocket-launcher attack on the MI6 headquarters in London, with no…
Notable Deaths 1999 Sep 20 Robert Lebel, Canadian businessman (born 1905)

This article draws on content from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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