Anorisaki Lighthouse (安乗埼灯台, Anorisaki tōdai) is a lighthouse on the top of Shima Peninsula in the city of Shima, Mie Prefecture, Japan.

Anori Saki Lighthouse

安乗埼灯台
Anori Saki Lighthouse
Map
LocationSouth of Shima
Mie Prefecture
Japan
Coordinates34°21′54.5″N 136°54′30.9″E / 34.365139°N 136.908583°E / 34.365139; 136.908583
Tower
Constructed1 April 1873 (1873-04-01)[1]
Foundationconcrete
Constructionconcrete tower
AutomatedOctober 1988
Height12.7 metres (42 ft) [1]
Shapesquare tower with balcony and lantern
Markingswhite tower and lantern
HeritageRegistered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan Edit this on Wikidata
Light
First lit1948 (current)
Focal height33.3 metres (109 ft) [1]
LensFourth Order Fresnel
Intensity330,000 cd
Range16.5 nautical miles (30.6 km; 19.0 mi)
CharacteristicFl W 15s.[2]
Japan no.JCG-2769[3]

History edit

The Anorisaki Lighthouse was designed and constructed by British engineer Richard Henry Brunton. Work began in late 1871.[4] It was first lit on April 1, 1873. It is the first lighthouse in Japan to use a rotating Fresnel lens. The octagonal structure was built of Zelkova serrata wood and had a total height of 10.6 metres.

During his career in Japan, Brunton constructed 25 lighthouses from far northern Hokkaidō to southern Kyūshū, each with a different design. Although Anorisaki Lighthouse was the 20th of the 25 built by Brunton, it was the oldest with a wooden construction.

Since its construction in the late 19th century, Anorisaki Lighthouse was relocated twice. The lighthouse was first relocated in 1911 due coastal erosion, being moved five miles further inland, and then again in 1948, when the original structure was replaced with a more modern design and relocated to the Museum of Maritime Science in Tokyo.

The modern replacement was completed in August 1948 and is a square ferro-concrete structure with a height of 12.7 metres. The lens was upgraded to a 4th order Fresnel in 1950.

The lighthouse was fully automated and has been unattended since October 1988. Since April 29, 2004, it has been open to the public for tours, with a small museum attached containing displays about the filming of the 1957 Japanese movie Times of Joy and Sorrow.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c 安乗埼灯台 (in Japanese). 4th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters (Japan). Archived from the original on 28 October 2010. Retrieved 31 December 2010.
  2. ^ Anorisaki Lighthouse
  3. ^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Japan: Southern Mie Prefecture". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
  4. ^ Maloney, Iain (2023). The Japan lights. Tippermuir Books Ltd, Perth, Scotland. p. 53. ISBN 9781913836320.

References edit

  • Brunton, Richard. Building Japan, 1868–1879. Japan Library, 1991. ISBN 1-873410-05-0
  • Pedlar, Neil. The Imported Pioneers: Westerners who Helped Build Modern Japan. Routledge, 1990. ISBN 0-904404-51-X

External links edit

 
Original Brunton-designed structure now at the Museum of Maritime Science, Tokyo