Shirasu Lighthouse (白州灯台, shirasu tōdai) is a lighthouse on the island of Ainoshima, which is administered by Kokurakita-ku, Kitakyūshū, Japan. Work began in March 1872.[5] The permanent light was lit 1 September 1873. It was one of the lighthouses designed by Richard Henry Brunton, who was hired by the government of Japan to help construct lighthouses to make coastal waters safe for foreign ships to approach, after Japan opened up to the West.[6]

Shirasu Lighthouse
Sira Su
白州灯台
Shirasu Lighthouse
Map
LocationAinoshima
Kokurakita-ku, Kitakyūshū
Japan
Coordinates33°59′01.2″N 130°47′30.4″E / 33.983667°N 130.791778°E / 33.983667; 130.791778
Tower
ConstructedSeptember 1, 1873 (1873-09-01) (first) [1]
Constructionstone tower
Height16.7 metres (55 ft)
Shape2-stage cylindrical tower with gallery and lantern
Markingsblack and white bands tower, white lantern
Light
First lit1900 (current)
Focal height16 metres (52 ft)
Intensity800 cd
Range12.5 nautical miles (23.2 km; 14.4 mi)[2]
CharacteristicFl W 4s.[3]
Japan no.JCG-5544[4]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ 岩松助佐衛門 (in Japanese). Kitakyūshū City. 2008. Archived from the original on 10 March 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  2. ^ 白州灯台 Sira Su Japanese Coast Guard
  3. ^ 白州灯台 (in Japanese). Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transportation. Retrieved 1 January 2011.
  4. ^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Japan: Fukuoka Area". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
  5. ^ Brunton, Richard (1991). Building Japan, 1868-1879. Japan Library. p. 254. ISBN 1-873410-05-0.
  6. ^ Maloney, Iain (2023). The Japan lights. Tippermuir Books Ltd, Perth, Scotland. p. 179. ISBN 9781913836320.