Hisashi Miyoshi

True run-up heights reached by the huge tsunami of 1896

The run-up height reached by the tsunami of 1896 at the former Ryohri Village had been erroneously recognized as high as only 21.9 m. Our study (1983) renewed the figure of 38.2 m (Matsuo, 1933), which is now officially recognized.In 1980, we selected the spot, Raga, Tanohata Village, and, using a hand level, pointed out the decisive underestimation of the run-up height in Igis report (1897). Our study, however, provided only circumstantial evidence that the maximum runup at the former Ryohri Village might be 38.2 m. In 1986, we directly studied the run-up height at the saddle point at Ohkubo, the former Ryohri Village using hand levels, and confirmed that it was at least as high as 36 m. Countermeasures for future tsunamis need major revisions, a part of which is the consideration on the combination of the large V-shaped Ryohri Bay and a neighboring small (V+U)-shaped bay. This consideration becomes essential and we show that the (V+U)-shaped bay is of the worst shape, basing on the survival ratios of individual small subhamlets, which have been recently ready for use (Yamashita, 1982).

Angle of energy flux at the origin of two major tsunamis

The energy flux of the Japan Sea Tsunami of May 26, 1983 radiated offshore causing the destruction of ships in Shimane Prefecture, the fourth worst area hit. In 1960, a tsunami from Chile attacked the Pacific coast from the Ryukyu Islands to Adak Island Alaska. The energy flux of the latter was similar to that of the former. The angle formed at the origin off the Chilean coast by the energy flux was 68°48′ or possibly slightly larger. The coincidence between the angle given by this process and that by the directivity theory of Miyoshi (1977) is good. The Sanriku District is located approximately on the center line of this angle. Judging from the fact that the Sanriku District was attacked most severely in 1960, it can be suspected that the energy flux was a little more sharply directed than estimated by the theory. The equivalent angle in the case of the Japan Sea Tsunami, which attacked the area from the tip of the Noto Peninsula to the east coast of the Korean Peninsula, was only 45°30′ and the smaller angle can be explained as a refraction effect of the Yamato Bank. The above information should be useful for warnings of future tsunamis.

The tsunami of 3 February 1605

Whether the origins of the tsunami of 3 February 1605 were separated ones or a joined one, is one of the most important problems for Japanese society. When the marine knowledge has not been popularized, it has been considered that the damage pattern on Hachijo Island (including Kojima) was an important key to solving this question.It resembles the situation that the reports concerning the tsunami of 1 April 1946 were introduced to Japanese society under an internal disturbance just after the war, and we overlooked the most important consideration on the combination of tsunami and storm waves caused by the trade wind, and received this tsunami as an extraordinarily huge one.We studied the statistics of recent wind directions around Hachijo Island in January and February 1973, 1974, 1977, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986 and 1987. And we believed that the probability was high that we could explain well that the damage pattern on Hachijo Island in 1605 was due to the combination of tsunami and storm waves caused by the monsoon.We need not, therefore, look back the damage pattern on Hachijo Island when we consider the fact that the necrologies of many temples in Shizuoka Prefecture record no death on 3 February 1605, proves to be the key to infer that the origins were separated ones.

Problems concerning the directivity of tsunami; application to the case of earthquake of 19 September 1985

AbstractIf knowledge of our theories on the directivity of tsunamis had received worldwide attention, the following operations could have been carried out internationally just after the large earthquake of 19 September 1985 which occurred near Acapulco, Mexico.Having found the great circle, “line S” which is perpendicular to the coast around Acapulco, we could have calculated the angles between line S and line A and between line S and line D, where line A and line D are the great circle connecting Acapulco and Auckland, New Zealand and that connecting Acapulco and Duke of York Island (Chile), respectively. The resultant angles are 30‡43′ and 41‡49′(>68‡48′/2), we could thereafter neglect the eastern half of the offshore energy flux.When we assume that the speed of trans-Pacific tsunami is 400 knots, the probability that the actual tsunami will come earlier than the calculated arrival time proves to be

Directivity of the Recent Tsunamis

\frac{1}{{\sqrt {2\pi } }}\int_{ - {\text{ }}\infty }^{ - {\text{ }}0.689} {e^{ - t^{{2 \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {2 2}} \right. \kern-\nulldelimiterspace} 2}} } dt = 0.2454}

Efficiency of the Tsunami

Contact with New Zealand prior to the forecasted arrival time was essential, but the tsunami attention for the Japanese coast was unnecessary.Without such application of our directivity theories, frequent fruitless warnings will be issued for future trans-Pacific tsunamis. Quick improvements in warning procedures are required.