Near-source ground motions, teleseismic body waveforms, and geodetic displacements produced by the 1995 Kobe, Japan, earthquake have been used to determine the spatial and temporal dislocation pattern on the faulting surfaces. Analysis of the slip model indicates that the ground motions recorded within the severely damaged region of Kobe originated from the region of relatively low slip (about 1 m) deep beneath Kobe and not from the shallow, higher slip regions (about 3 m) beneath Aqaji Island. Although the slip was relatively low beneath Kobe, the combined effects of source rupture directivity, a short slip duration, and site amplification conspired to generate very damaging ground motions within the city.