112 years since the Taisho Great Eruption

First and foremost, I don't have a photo of an active volcano or Sakurajima volcano, so I just used a photo in my collection that looks a bit like a volcanic scene! But I wanted to write a little about this significant day in Japanese history, when the Taisho Great Eruption happened on Sakurajima, Kagoshima's iconic and still active volcano.

January 12th is “Sakurajima Day” (桜島の日), to commemorate one of the most powerful volcanic events in Japan’s modern history. On this day in 1914, the Taishō Great Eruption, started. It was a massive month‑long series of explosions and lava flows that reshaped both the landscape and local life. The eruption produced such enormous lava fields that they extended across the sea, ultimately connecting Sakurajima to the Ōsumi Peninsula for the first time. Before 1914, the volcano had been a true island; afterward, it became part of the mainland.

The scale of the eruption was extraordinary. Fifty‑eight people lost their lives, and ash fell across Japan, from Kyushu all the way to the Tōhoku region. Scientists later estimated that the total amount of volcanic material reached about 3.2 billion tons, roughly equivalent to 1,600 Tokyo Domes. Today, January 12th is a fierce reminder of the power of Mother Nature and how we all need to be disaster ready and aware with Japan's dynamic geology.