Omaesaki Lighthouse

Omaesaki Lighthouse
Omaesaki
御前埼灯台
Omaesaki Lighthouse
Map
LocationOmaezaki City
Shizuoka Prefecture
Japan
Coordinates34°35′45.0″N 138°13′32.6″E / 34.595833°N 138.225722°E / 34.595833; 138.225722
Tower
Constructed1874 Edit this on Wikidata
Foundationbrick and concrete
Constructionbrick tower
Height22.47 metres (73.7 ft)
Shapetapered cylindrical tower with balcony and lantern
Markingswhite tower and lantern
Light
First lit1874, 1946
Focal height50.4 metres (165 ft)
LensThird Order Fresnel
Intensity1,300,000 candela
Range36 kilometres (19 nmi)[1]
CharacteristicFl W 4s.
Japan no.JCG-2492[2]

Omaesaki Lighthouse (御前埼灯台, Omaesaki Tōdai) is a lighthouse located on a hill at the outermost extremity of Cape Omae south of Omaezaki Port, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.

A lighthouse was built at Cape Omae as early as 1635, when the Tokugawa Shogunate recognized the frequency of marine accidents on the rocks off the coast of Tōtōmi Province.

History

Omaesaki Lighthouse and sunrise
Omaesaki Lighthouse

Omaesaki Lighthouse was one of the 26 lighthouses to be built in Meiji period Japan by British engineer Richard Henry Brunton. Although not one of the eight lighthouses stipulated specifically by the provisions of the Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Amity and Commerce of 1858, construction was given priority by the Meiji government after a Japanese navy vessel grounded on the rocks off Cape Omae on April 8, 1871. Construction began on May 26, 1872 and the lighthouse was completed on May 1, 1874 at a cost of 25,000 yen. The lighthouse is noteworthy as the first to use a Fresnel lens in Japan.

The light was upgraded to a more powerful beam in 1917. During World War II, Omaesaki Lighthouse was bombarded by United States Navy warships, cracking its lens and causing severe damage to its structure. The light was repaired after the end of the war, and its lens upgraded to a third order Fresnel. It went back into operation on March 24, 1949.

Omaesaki Lighthouse is currently open to the public, and can be ascended for a panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean. It is registered with the Japanese government as an “A-grade Lighthouse” for historic preservation and is listed as one of the “50 Lighthouses of Japan” by the Japan Lighthouse Association. It is operated by the Japan Coast Guard.

Name

Omaesaki Lighthouse is located at Cape Omae (御前崎, Omae-zaki) in Omaezaki City (御前崎市, Omaezaki-shi), Shizuoka Prefecture. But the lighthouse name is "Omaesaki Lighthouse (御前埼灯台, Omaesaki Tōdai)".[3][4][5][6][7][8][9]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Omae Saki Lighthouses of Japan (in Japanese)
  2. ^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Japan: Eastern Shizuoka". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
  3. ^ "御前埼灯台（omae saki toudai）", 御前埼灯台（omae saki toudai）／御前崎市公式ホームページ, 御前崎市役所, September 30, 2021.
  4. ^ "御前埼灯台", 御前埼灯台｜御前崎を遊ぶ｜いいね！御前崎「御前崎観光ガイド」, 御前崎市観光協会.
  5. ^ "御前埼灯台", 御前埼灯台｜インフラツーリズム ポータルサイト-国土交通省総合政策局, 国土交通省総合政策局公共事業企画調整課.
  6. ^ "Omaesaki Lighthouse", Omaesaki Lighthouse, Policy Planning and Coordination Division for Public Works Projects, Policy Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.
  7. ^ "のぼれる灯台16――御前埼灯台（おまえさき）（静岡県御前崎市）", 御前埼灯台（おまえさき） | 「灯台のことなら」　公益社団法人　燈光会, 燈光会.
  8. ^ "Map", Historical Lighthouses of Japan | TOKOKAI, Tokokai.
  9. ^ "Omae Saki", Omae Saki | TOKOKAI, Tokokai.

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