SHIMONOSEKI, Yamaguchi -- Tsunoshima Lighthouse in this southwestern Japan city is one of Japan's many lighthouses constructed in the early Meiji era (1868-1912) with involvement from British engineer Richard Henry Brunton, known as the "father of Japan's lighthouses."
The granite exterior of Tsunoshima Lighthouse is seen in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, on July 30, 2020. (Mainichi/Osamu Sukagawa)=Click/tap photo for more images.
The lighthouse in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, first came on in 1876, and even today it serves as a guidepost shining across the open sea. Because it was constructed on low ground, it was built as a high-standing tower -- a rarity at the time -- and measures around 30 meters tall. The tower is made from stone up to a height of about 24 m, and is characterized by its use of granite to create a soft-looking exterior. There are only two lighthouses in all of Japan that have not been painted over.
What ensures its light fulfills its role and travels far into the distance is its 259-centimeter, eight-sided Fresnel lens. This first-order lens was imported from the U.K. and is now the oldest functioning first-order lens in the country.
The lighthouse keeper's lodgings and storage facilities built beside it remain, and the brick lodging is used today as a museum. The lighthouse's interior is open to the public, and if visitors climb the 105-step spiral staircase, they can take in views of the beautiful coastline that surrounds it.
(Japanese original by Osamu Sukagawa, Kyushu Photo Department)
An eight-sided Fresnel lens manufactured in the U.K. in 1874 is seen in Tsunoshima Lighthouse in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, on July 29, 2020. (Mainichi/Osamu Sukagawa)=Click/tap photo for more images.
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The Japanese version of this article was originally published on Aug. 30, 2020.
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This series explores Japan's architectural wonders and secrets of yesteryear. Read more Retro Japan articles here.
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