Subduction zones are generally characterized by large earthquakes that contribute about 90% of the total seismic moment worldwide, and can cause great damage from tsunamis such as the 2004 Sumatra Mw 9.0 earthquake. Here, we report recurrent large subduction zone earthquakes revealed by extensive submarine liquefactions formed in the Nankai-Suruga trough where the Philippine Sea plate is subducting beneath the Eurasian plate. Field evidence and grain-size analysis of liquefied deposits show that the multiple-liquefactions were repeatedly induced by strong earthquake shaking during the Pleistocene in the eastern Nankai-Suruga subduction zone. The recognition and analysis of submarine liquefactions provide reliable paleoseismic evidence in the Nankai-Suruga subduction zone.