NOTES ON JAPANESE EARTHQUAKES. 391 



were destructive among the earthquakes in Japan recorded in 

 the original histories and journals, I have been guided by the 

 following considerations : 



(a) A shock whose destructive characters are clearly des- 

 cribed, may be considered as a destructive earthquake ; 

 [h) A shock in Kyoto, Kamakura or Yedo (Tokyo), Avhich 

 is recorded simply as a great earthquake, but whose 

 destructive effects are not specially mentioned, was pre- 

 sumably a strong earthquake ; 

 (c) A shock recorded, as a great earthquake, whose area of 

 disturbance was very extensive or whose after-shocks 

 were numerous, may be presumed as a destructive earth- 

 quake even when there exists no special description of 

 the destructive effects ; 

 {d) A shock in a remote province, which is recorded as a 

 great earthquake, may generally have been a destructive 

 earthquake, even when there exists no special descrip- 

 tion of the destructive effects. 

 4. The total number of destructive earthquakes in Japan 

 estimated on these principles and counting to the end of the 

 year 1898, is two hundred and twenty-two, whose dates and 

 districts are given in Table I. I will note here that the date of 

 destructive shocks in Liu-kiu Islands and the provinces of Tsu- 

 shima and Kaga, whose original records are not yet in the 

 hands of the Earthquake Investigation Committee, have pro- 

 visionally been taken from the late Mr. H. Okajima's " Nippon 

 Saiishi " or A History of Unusual Events in Japan. Again 

 a few records relating to Hokkaido have been taken from *' Hok- 

 kaido-shi " or History and Geography of Hokkaido. 



1) Formosa excepted. 



