Oral tradition indicates that a tsunami-like wave occurred along the east coast of Taiwan during the middle of the 19th cen- tury. However, evidence of the event is limited. Based on interviews with local residents we obtained evidence of a tsunami-like wave from a local resident who watched the sea wave strike the coast. His account was passed down to his great granddaughter. The total number of generations between them spanned one and a half centuries. From our interviews with local residents, we observed the difficulty that people experience in retaining original memories for more than two generations. For this reason, this account of the tsunami-like wave is a valuable and rare case for the study of tsunamis along the east coast of Taiwan.