is a lighthouse located on the outermost extremity of Cape Shiriyazaki, the northeasternmost point of

Honshu , historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island ...

, in Higashidōri,

Aomori Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan in the Tōhoku region. The prefecture's capital, largest city, and namesake is the city of Aomori. Aomori is the northernmost prefecture on Japan's main island, Honshu, and is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the ea ...

, Japan. It received protection as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2017.

History

The Shiriyazaki Lighthouse was one of the 26 lighthouses built in

Meiji period The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...

Japan by British engineer Richard Henry Brunton. Work began in June 1873. The lighthouse was completed on October 20, 1876 (after Brunton had departed from Japan), and was the first western-style lighthouse in the

Tōhoku region The , Northeast region, or consists of the northeastern portion of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. This traditional region consists of six prefectures (''ken''): Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi, and Yamagata. Tōhoku ret ...

. On November 20, 1877, a

fog bell A fog bell is a navigation mark used as an audible aid to navigation in seafaring, especially in fog and poor visibility. Floating navigation signs with bells are called bell buoys. On ships, the ship's bell is used for sound signals. Due to more s ...

was installed due to the high incidence of fogs and days of poor visibility in the area. This was the first fog bell in Japan, but the sound proved to be too weak, so on December 20, 1879 it was replaced by the first fog horn in Japan.Historical Lighthouses of Japan
/ref> Other noteworthy events include the installation of the first electric power generator for a lighthouse in Japan in 1901. In 1945, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, Shiriyazaki Lighthouse was bombarded by

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

warships, cracking its

Fresnel lens A Fresnel lens ( ; ; or ) is a type of composite compact lens developed by the French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel (1788–1827) for use in lighthouses. It has been called "the invention that saved a million ships." The design allows the ...

and causing severe damage to its structure, killing its attendant. However, the following year, on several occasions, fishermen reported being able to see a light in the ruined lighthouse, which enabled them to land safely despite a deep fog. However, when authorities investigated, they found that the stairs were blocked with rubble and the light room was completely destroyed. A temporary light was installed in the ruined structure from August 1946, and the rumors ceased. The lighthouse was repaired and went back into operation in 1951. The lighthouse is maintained by the

Japan Coast Guard The is the coast guard of Japan. The Japan Coast Guard consists of about 13,700 personnel and is responsible for the protection of the coastline of Japan under the oversight of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Th ...

. The Shiriyazaki Lighthouse 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.Japan Lighthouse Association home page

Notes

References

*Brunton, Richard. ''Building Japan, 1868-1879''. Japan Library, 1991. *Pedlar, Neil. ''The Imported Pioneers: Westerners who Helped Build Modern Japan''. Routledge, 1990.

External links

*
Historic Lighthouses of Japan

尻屋埼灯台
Japan's Modern Industrial Heritage {{Authority control Lighthouses completed in 1876 Buildings and structures in Aomori Prefecture Lighthouses in Japan Higashidōri, Aomori Buildings of the Meiji period 1876 establishments in Japan Registered Tangible Cultural Properties Important Cultural Properties of Aomori Prefecture

History

See also

Notes

References

External links