Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake

The 1995 Kobe Earthquake, also known as the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, as it is referred to in the region, was an earthquake that struck Japan, reaching a magnitude of 6.9 on the moment magnitude scale. It occurred on January 17, 1995, at 05:46 local time in the southern part of Hyōgo Prefecture and lasted for 20 seconds. The earthquake's focus was located just 16 km below the surface, at the northern end of Awaji Island, 20 km from the city of Kōbe, which has a population of one and a half million people. The Nojima Fault, responsible for causing this quake, runs through this area.

Approximately 6,434 people, primarily in Kobe, lost their lives as a result of the earthquake. Being the city closest to the epicenter and the rupture, it experienced the shock waves with the greatest intensity, registering a maximum of 10 degrees on the Mercalli scale; the earthquake was also strongly felt in the nearby city of Osaka, which avoided major damage; it was felt with moderate intensity in other distant cities like Nagoya and Hiroshima. The estimated damages amounted to 3 trillion yen, 2.5% of the country's GDP at that time. It was the worst earthquake in Japan since the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, which claimed 140,000 lives and holds the Guinness World Record for the "most expensive natural disaster to strike a country."

The earthquake struck at 05:46 local time, with no prior warning, and violently shook the city of Kobe for 20 seconds. The extent of the damage was much greater than that of the 1994 Los Angeles earthquake, which was slightly weaker at 6.7 on the Mercalli scale and happened just a year earlier. This was due to the higher population density in Kobe and the more linear planning of buildings, which increased the damage to structures.

The Great Hanshin Earthquake originated from the Nojima Fault at the northern end of Awaji Island. It propagated southwest across Awaji Island and northeast along the Suma and Suwayama faults, which run through the center of Kobe. Being directly above the rupture, the intensity of the shaking was quite violent. The ground acceleration recorded in Kobe far exceeded the parameters established by the seismic design code in effect at the time, which only applied to newly constructed buildings. This led to severe damage and widespread destruction in various areas; some buildings were completely torn from their foundations.

In memory of the fires that ravaged the region and the efforts of the volunteers, January 17, the anniversary of the event, has been designated Fire Prevention and Volunteer Day throughout Japan.

The Kobe Luminarie, a small Christmas light display, is set up in the center of Kobe, near Shin-Kobe Station, every December in memory of the earthquake. A large "1.17" is illuminated in Higashi Yuenchi Park near the city hall every January 17.

The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake has a numerical correspondence with many other earthquakes following the 11.7 pattern, such as the one that occurred a year earlier in Los Angeles. This pattern repeats, and until the Great California Earthquake on July 11, 2025, there are exactly 11,133 days, aligning this major earthquake with the "big one." Numerology reveals a sequence with an unparalleled symmetry.

The planetary positions during the Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake and those on July 11, 2025, show the following positions.