Fig.1. Kanagawa Oki Uranami - "The Hollow of the Deep-Sea Wave off Kanagawa", coloured 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 colour of the volcano in the background and the wave emphasise the harmony between mountain (symbol for the body) and wave (symbol for the soul).
Many books describe this wave as a tsunami, but it's shape, characterized by a deep leading through and a very peaked crest, reveals it's origin from the wind. Only some tsunamis resemble such a wave and only near the shore.
Fig.3. Drawing by Walter Molino, published in the Italian newspaper "La Domenica del Corriere" January 5, 1947, of a tsunami, probably the tsunami of the Great Tokyo Earthquake of the 1. September 1923. The devastation of the earthquake was caused mainly by the subsequent fire, but it triggered also a 11m high wave - estimated 90.000-130.000 people were killed.

Barren cherry blossom tree branches stand on a hill over the earthquake-and tsunami-destroyed town of Minamisanriku, northeastern Japan. -- PHOTO: AP

The “Yamadaka Jindai Cherry blossom” is counted to be one of the three largest cherry blossoms in Japan. It is known for its longest living, it is estimated to live up to 2000 years.






Sometimes there is Tsunamis' which are quite different. They are called Mega tsunami's. Why not? The distinction of this wave as compared to a normal tsunami is that a normal tsunami is caused by seismic activity where as a "mega' is caused by a large impact event. A landslide, a comet, anything major which causes a large displacement of water. Some of these waves can reach heights of 1700ft. Yes, that is right. In 1958, a mega tsunami caused by a landslide reached a height of 1710ft in Lituya Bay, Alaska.