Irōzaki Lighthouse

34°36′10.1″N 138°50′42.2″E / 34.602806°N 138.845056°E / 34.602806; 138.845056TowerConstructed1871 (first)Foundationconcrete baseConstructionconcrete towerHeight11.38 metres (37.3 ft)Shapecylindrical tower with balcony and lanternMarkingswhite tower and lanternLightFirst lit1933 (current)Focal height59.54 metres (195.3 ft)LensLB-H40Intensity60,000 candela (white)
67,000 candela (red)Range38 kilometersCharacteristicAl Fl W R 16s.^[1]Japan no.JCG-2448^[2]

Irōzaki Light (石廊埼灯台, Irōzaki tōdai) is a lighthouse located on a hill at the outermost extremity of Cape Irōzaki south of the town of Minamiizu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan on the southernmost extremity of Izu Peninsula. It is located within the borders of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park.

History

Although not one of the eight lighthouses stipulated specifically by the provisions of the Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Amity and Commerce of 1858, the Irōzaki Lighthouse was one of the earliest of the 26 lighthouses to be built in Meiji period Japan by British engineer Richard Henry Brunton, and was the tenth western style lighthouse to be completed in Japan. Its construction was given priority by the Meiji government due to the frequency of marine accidents off the Izu Peninsula. The original structure as designed by Brunton was octagonal, and was constructed of wood.

Work began in July 1871. The Irōzaki lighthouse was completed on October 5, 1871. This structure was destroyed during a wind storm on November 14, 1932, and was replaced with the current reinforced concrete structure on March 31, 1933. Its lens was upgraded and structure repaired in 1993.

The Irōzaki Lighthouse is listed as one of the “50 Lighthouses of Japan” by the Japan Lighthouse Association. It is operated by the Japan Coast Guard.

See also

• List of lighthouses in Japan

Notes

References

• 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

Early Meiji lighthouses
(Léonce Verny)Later Meiji lighthouses
(“Brunton’s Children”)Other historic lighthousesModern lighthouses