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This article looks at how earthquakes were explained and used as a basis for predictions in seventeenth- and early eighteenth-century Japan. During this period, which corresponds to the first third of the Edo period 江戸 (1603-1868), earthquakes were presented as phenomena that could be explained by various theories. Some of these relied upon “physical”principles derived from Confucian, Buddhist and even Aristotelian cosmologies, while others were grounded on mythical accounts featuring local gods. Furthermore, earthquakes continued to be considered as a form of omen, and as such could be subject to predictive techniques. By looking at the intersections between these two seismological approaches, we will see how cosmology is linked to moral considerations, and natural phenomena to human destiny.