Lighthouses of the Nagasaki Area

Located at the southwestern end of the Japanese archipelago, Kyushu is divided into seven prefectures. This page includes lighthouses of Nagasaki Prefecture, which occupies the southwestern side of the island and includes many islands offshore in the East China Sea. Also included here are two lighthouses on Ariake Bay that are located in Fukuoka and Saga Prefectures, respectively. Fukuoka and Saga have many other lighthouses on their northern coasts, and those lighthouses are listed on the Northern and Eastern Kyushu page.

The island of Tsushima, which is located halfway between Kyushu and South Korea, is attched administratively to Nagasaki Prefecture. Its lighthouses are listed on a separate page.

In Japanese, the word for a lighthouse is toudai. The words saki and misaki are for capes and headlands, shima (also spelled sima or jima) is an island, wan is a bay, and ko is a harbor. Lighthouses in Japan are operated and maintained by the Japanese Coast Guard's Maritime Safety Agency. There is at least one Coast Guard Section Office in each prefecture, often two or more.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. JP numbers are the Japanese Coast Guard's light list numbers. Admiralty numbers are from volume F of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 112.

Kutinotu Lighthouse Kuchinotsu Light; Japanese Coast Guard photo

General Sources


Lighthouses in Japan: A comprehensive site, although almost entirely in Japanese. It's easiest to use the pages for each prefecture: Saga, Fukuoka, and Nagasaki. There's also a page on Lighthouses by R. H. Brunton listing the earliest Western-style Japanese lighthouses.
Kiso's Lighthouses: This site has many excellent photos of Japanese lighthouses.
Region Seven Lighthouses: Photos posted by the Seventh Coast Guard Region office at Fukuoka, which is responsible for Saga, Fukuoka, and Nagasaki Prefectures. There's also a page for historic lighthouses of the Meiji period.
Modern Lighthouse Design: Posted by the Japan Aids to Navigation Association (JANA), this page links to descriptions and photos of interesting modern lighthouses throughout Japan.

Lighthouses of Fukuoka and Saga Prefectures

Fukuoka Lighthouse * Miike Ko: 1951. Active; focal plane 65 m (213 ft); white flash every 10 s. 15 m (49 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery, rising from a 1-story concrete service building. Entire lighthouse is white. Kiso also has a good photo (halfway down the page), and Google has a satellite view. Miike Ko is the port for the city of Omuta, on the northeast side of Ariake Bay. Located atop a hill, Yotsu Yana, on the south side of the harbor area. Site open, tower closed. JP-6414; Admiralty F5174; NGA 11628.
Saga Lighthouse * Yato Hana: 1954. Active; focal plane 38 m (125 ft); white flash every 3 s. 9 m (30 ft) concrete post light attached to a small 1-story concrete equipment room. Entire lighthouse is white. The light marks the north side of the entrance to Isahaya Bay, an embayment on the west side of Ariake Bay. Located about 20 km (13 mi) northeast of Isahaya. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JAP-755; JP-6388; Admiralty F5179; NGA 11644.

Lighthouses of Nagasaki Prefecture

Shimabara Peninsula Lighthouses Okino Se: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); two white flashes every 5 s. 12 m (39 ft) round tower, painted black with a red horizontal band. No photo available. Located on a rock about 3 km (2 mi) east northeast of the entrance to Kuchinotsu harbor. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty F5184; NGA 11712.
* Kuchinotsu (Kutinotu): 1880. Active; focal plane 40 m (131 ft); two white flashes every 7 s. 6 m (20 ft) octagonal cylindrical brick tower with lantern and gallery, attached to a 1-story brick keeper's cottage. Entire lighthouse painted white. The Coast Guard's photo appears at the top of this page, and Kiso also has a closeup photo (about 3/4 the way down the page). This is one of the few surviving brick lighthouses in Japan. Located on a promontory overlooking the mouth of Ariake Bay and marking the entrance to Kuchinotsu harbor. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JAP-318; JP-6370; Admiralty F5186; NGA 11716.
Syamisen Shima: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 15m (49 ft); one short and one long green flash every 8 s. 15 m (49 ft) round tower, painted green. No photo available. Located on a rock near the north shore of Tachibana Bay about 15 m (9 mi) east of Nagasaki. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty F5187.6; NGA 11736.
Nagasaki Area Lighthouses * Kaba Shima: 1932. Active; focal plane 126 m (413 ft); white flash every 20 s. 15 m (49 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery, attached to a 1-story concrete service building. Entire lighthouse is white. 2° clamshell Fresnel lens in use. Kiso has a good closeup photo (about 3/4 the way down the page), and additional photos are available. This lighthouse serves a landfall light for Nagasaki and also for Ariake Bay. The island, Kaba Shima, lies just off the tip of the Nomozaki Peninsula about 30 km (19 mi) south southwest of Nagasaki city. The island is accessible by passenger ferry. The light station area is a nature park; some hiking may be needed to reach the site. Located on the southern tip of the island. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JAP-204; JP-6352; Admiralty F5191; NGA 11760.
Nomokita Ura (Nomo Kitaura): Date unknown. Active; focal plane 41 m (135 ft); white light, 3 s on, 3 s off. 12 m (39 ft) concrete post light attached to a 1-story concrete equipment room. Entire lighthouse is white. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located on a promontory on the south side of the entrance to the fjord forming the harbor of Nomokita, near the southwestern tip of the Nomozaki Peninsula. Site status unknown. ARLHS JAP-429; JP-6351; Admiralty F5193; NGA 11768.
Hizen Kuro Se: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); white flash every 3 s. 12.5 m (41 ft) round concrete tower, painted white. No photo available. Located on a rock of Hizen Takashima, a small port on Taka Shima, an island about 12 km (7.5 mi) southwest of Nagasaki. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JAP-2180; Admiralty F5193.6; NGA 11788.
*** Io Shima (Iujima) (3): Date unknown (after 2001; station established 1871). Active; focal plane 64 m (210 ft); four white flashes every 20 s. 11 m (36 ft) hexagonal concrete tower. Entire lighthouse painted white. The 1-story keeper's house and other light station buildings have been renovated as a lighthouse museum. The original Io Shima lighthouse, designed by Richard Henry Brunton, was a hexagonal cast iron tower, the first cast iron lighthouse to be installed in Japan. This historic building was damaged beyond repair by the atomic bomb of August 9, 1945. It was replaced in 1954 by a square cylindrical concrete tower seen on the Lighthouses of Japan page, in the Coast Guard's small photo, and in August 2001 photos. Sometime between 2001 and 2005 the lighthouse was either replaced or expanded to a hexagonal tower, reproducing the shape and form of the 1871 original. Kiso has a good photo and a closeup of the new tower (about 3/4 the way down the page), a panoramic view taken in May 2006 is also available, and Google has a satellite view. Io Shima is an island about 10 km (6 mi) southwest of Nagasaki; the island is accessible by ferry. Located at the northwestern tip of Io Shima, commanding a sweeping view of the East China Sea. Site open, museum open daily except Mondays, tower closed. ARLHS JAP-172; JP-6330; Admiralty F5194; NGA 11792.
Hira Se: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 17 m (56 ft); two white flashes every 5 s. 14 m (46 ft) round tower, painted black with one red horizontal band. No photo available. Located on a rock about 2 km (1.2 mi) east northeast of the Io Shima lighthouse. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty F5195; NGA 11796.
Nagasaki Ko: 1989. Active; focal plane 17 m (56 ft); green light; 3 s on, 3 s off. 19 m (62 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern, gallery, and a tall "dunce-cap" roof. Entire lighthouse is white. Karen Ray also has a photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of a detached breakwater on the north side of the entrance to Nagasaki harbor. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JAP-391; JP-6334; Admiralty F5195.5; NGA 11808.
* Mie Sikimi Ko (Nagasaki Gyoko) Range Front: 1992. Active; focal plane 67 m (220 ft); continuous yellow light. 13 m (43 ft) square cylindrical concrete tower with gallery, rising from a 1-story concrete equipment room. Entire lighthouse is white. The light is displayed from a triangular topmark mounted above the gallery. This light guides vessels into a new harbor that has been developed about 12 km (7.5 mi) northwest of Nagasaki; these facilities were needed because the traditional harbor is a narrow fjord of limited capacity. The rear light is on a smaller tower higher on the hill. Located on a bluff above the harbor. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JAP-812; JP-6327.2; Admiralty F5202.5; NGA 11833.
No Se: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 19 m (62 ft); one short and one long green flash every 8 s. 15 m (49 ft) round conical tower, painted green. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located on the southwesternmost islet of a rocky reef extending southwestward just west of the Mie Sikime harbor entrance. Accessible only by boat, although there is probably a good view from the mainland. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty F5201; NGA 11836.
Ohiki Shima (O Se): Date unknown. Active; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); white flash every 4 s. 15 m (49 ft) round concrete tower. Entire lighthouse is white. No photo available. Located on a skerry about 11 km (7 mi) west southwest of Seto Ko. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS JAP-2243; Admiralty F5207; NGA 11840.
Kashira Shima: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 19 m (62 ft); white flash every 3 s. 15 m (49 ft) round concrete tower. Entire lighthouse is white. No photo available. Located on a skerry about 2 km (1.2 mi) southeast of Matsu Shima. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS JAP-2197; NGA 11846.
Mitoko Shima: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 48 m (157 ft); white light, 3 s on, 3 s off. 11 m (36 ft) round concrete tower. Entire lighthouse is white. No photo available. Located on an island about 2.5 km (1.5 mi) southeast of Sakito. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS JAP-363; JP- 6305; Admiralty F5211; NGA 11900.
Yoko Sone: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 23 m (75 ft); six quick white flashes followed by one long white flash every 15 s. 24 m (79 ft) tower. Upper half of the tower painted yellow, lower half black. No photo available. Located on an isolated rock 18 km (11 mi) west southwest of Mitoko Shima. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. NGA 11906.
Sasebo Area Lighthouses
Ushigakubi: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); white light, 3 s on, 4 s off, 3 s on, 3 s off. 12m (39 ft) round tapered tower with a small equipment shelter in the base. Entire lighthouse is white. Located at the southwestern tip of Hashira Iwa, a 5 km (3 mi) long, S-shaped island about 12 km (7.5 mi) west of Sasebo. Google has a satellite view. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JAP-2291; JP- 6243; Admiralty F5240.4; NGA 11960.
Hirado Area Lighthouses
Note: Hirado Shima is an island about 27 km (17 mi) long, separated from the mainland of Kyushu by Hirado Bay. At its northern end, the bay shrinks to the narrow Hirado Strait.
Shimokareki (Simo-Kareki) Shima: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 37 m (121 ft); white flash every 3 s. 16 m (52 ft) square cylindrical concrete tower with gallery. Entire lighthouse is white. Kiso has a distant view (near the bottom of the page). Shimokareki Shima is a narrow, 700 m (0.44 mi) long island in the middle of the southern entrance to Hirado Bay. Located at the southern tip of the island. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JAP-565; JP- 6237; Admiralty F5241; NGA 11972.
Aosa Saki: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); white flash every 4 s. 8.5 m (28 ft) concrete post light rising from a 1-story concrete equipment room. Entire lighthouse is white. Kiso has a photo (near the bottom of the page). Located at the tip of a promontory at the southern entrance to the Hirado Strait. Apparently accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JAP-2157; JP- 6232; Admiralty F5242.4; NGA 12020.
Hiro Se: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); white flash every 5s. 7 m (23 ft) round concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Entire lighthouse is white. Located at the northern tip of an island in the north entrance to Hirado Strait. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JAP-2176; JP- 6222; Admiralty F5249; NGA 12044.
Futame: Date unknown. Active; characteristics unknown. Approx. 10 m (33 ft) round hourglass-shaped concrete tower with lantern; the light is shown through a square window. Entire lighthouse is white. This light is 600 m (0.38 mi) north of the Hiro Se lighthouse; probably it is a spotlight illuminating the rock seen at the right of the Coast Guard photo. Site status unknown. JP-6221.
Ogami Shima: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 76 m (249 ft); white flash every 4 s. 12 m (39 ft) round concrete tower. Entire lighthouse is white. No photo available. Located atop an island off the southwestern tip of Hirado Shima. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS JAP-473; JP- 6219; Admiralty F5240; NGA 11984.
Nagase Hana: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 109 m (358 ft); white flash every 4 s. 9 m (30 ft) round concrete tower with gallery. Entire lighthouse is white. Kiso has a photo (near the bottom of the page). Located atop a cliff at the southwestern point of Ikitsuki Shima, a smaller island off the northeastern corner of Hirado Shima. Site status unknown. ARLHS JAP-2234; JP- 6208.5; Admiralty F5239.55; NGA 12014.
* Obae Hana: 1958. Active; focal plane 101 m (331 ft); white light, 3 s on, 3 s off. 10.5 m (35 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with gallery and an external stairway. Entire lighthouse is white. Mike Beale has a 2007 photo, Paul Latimer has a view of the site, and Kiso has two photos (near the bottom of the page). Located atop a spectacular vertical cliff on the northern tip of Ikitsuki Shima, a smaller island off the northeastern corner of Hirado Shima. Accessible by a hiking trail popular for its sweeping views of the East China Sea. Site open, and visitors can climb the stairs to the gallery. ARLHS JAP-448; JP- 6209; Admiralty F5239.5; NGA 12012.

Matsuura Area Lighthouse * Tsu (Tu) Saki: 1950. Active; focal plane 49 m (161 ft); white light occulting once every 8 s. 12 m (39 ft) round concrete tower with gallery and an external stairway that spirals around the tower. Entire lighthouse is white. The Coast Guard has a view from the sea. Located at the end of a long peninsula about 8 km (5 mi) northwest of Matsuura. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JAP-683; JP- 5926; Admiralty F5254; NGA 12084.
Azuchi (Azuti) O Shima Lighthouses
Note: Azuchi O Shima (one of many O Shimas in Japan) is an island about 8 km (5 mi) long and about 9 km (5.5 mi) north of Hirado Shima.
Iki Shima Lighthouses
Note: Iki Shima is an island in the Tsushima Strait about 32 km (20 mi) north of Matsuura and about 18 km (11 mi) northwest of Hadano Misaki in Saga Prefecture. The island is about 20 km by 15 km (13 by 9 mi) and is accessible by air or by ferry from Fukuoka.
* Ashibe (Asibe) Ko (2): Date unknown (station established 1916). Active; focal plane 42 m (138 ft); white light occulting once every 8 s. 8.5 m (28 ft) concrete post light attached to a 1-story concrete equipment room. Entire lighthouse is white. Google has a satellite view. Located on a bluff above the south side of the entrance to Ashibe, on the northeast coast of Iki Shima. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JAP-027; JP- 5949; Admiralty F5261; NGA 12668.
* Iruka Saki: 1967. Active; focal plane 31 m (102 ft); white light occulting twice every 6 s. 10 m (33 ft) round concrete tower attached to a small 1-story concrete equipment room. Entire lighthouse is white. The Coast Guard has a view from the sea, and Kiso also has a distant view (near the bottom of the page)Located on the southern tip of Iki Shima. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JAP-177; JP- 5932; Admiralty F5261.74; NGA 12700.
Naga Shima (Iki Nagashima): Date unknown. Active; focal plane 49 m (161 ft); white flash every 4 s. 8 m (26 ft) square concrete tower. Entire lighthouse is white. No photo available. Located on an island off the southwestern tip of Iki Shima. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS JAP-160; JP- 5935; Admiralty F5259; NGA 12624.
Wakamiya Shima: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 106 m (348 ft); white light occulting once every 8 s. 10 m (33 ft) round stone tower with lantern and gallery. Entire lighthouse painted white. Several large comunications towers are located at the station. No closeup photo available. Information is needed on this historic lighthouse. Located on an island off the northwestern tip of Iki Shima. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS JAP-737; JP- 5940; Admiralty F5260; NGA 12640.
* Uotori Saki: 1963. Active; focal plane 58 m (190 ft); white flash every 4 s. 8.5 m (28 ft) round concrete tower attached to a 1-story concrete equipment room. Entire lighthouse is white. Google has a satellite view. Located on a bluff above the northeastern point of Iki Shima. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JAP-719; JP- 5946; Admiralty F5260.4; NGA 12664.
Goto Islands Lighthouses
Note: The Goto Islands (Goto-retto) are an archipelago stretching over about 85 km (53 mi) southwestward into the East China Sea from a point to the west of Hirado Shima. The islands are roughly 100 km (60 mi) west of Nagasaki City. There are some 140 islands and islets in all, but only seven are inhabited. The largest and most populous islands are Nakadori Shima in the north and Fukue Shima in the south. The islands are accessible by ferry from Nagasaki, and there is air transportation from Nagasaki to Nakadori and to Fukue.
Koshiki (Kosiki) Shima: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 70 m (230 ft); white flash every 10 s. 13 m (43 ft) round concrete tower with lantern and gallery, attached to a 2-story concrete keeper's cottage. Entire lighthouse is white. This lighthouse is perched on a steep pinnacle of rock that emerges from the sea at the north end of the Goto chain. Accessible only by boat, and landing does not look easy. Site and tower closed. ARLHS JAP-808; JP- 6101; Admiralty F5018; NGA 12720.
Tsushimase (Tushimase) Hana: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 29 m (95 ft); white light, 4 s on, 4 s off. 12 m (39 ft) round concrete tower with double gallery. Entire lighthouse is white. Located at the northernmost point of Koshi Shima, the northernmost of the islands. Site status unknown. ARLHS JAP-833; JP- 6102; Admiralty F5017.8; NGA 12716.
* Hizen Nagasaki Hana: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); white light occulting once every 4 s. 7.5 m (35 ft) round concrete tower with an off-center gallery. Entire lighthouse is white. This is one of at least four Nagasaki Hana lights in Nagasaki Prefecture. Located in the surf at the easternmost point of Koshi Shima. The point appears to be accessible by road. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JAP-2232; JP- 6104; Admiralty F5017.7; NGA 12744.
Tsuwa Saki: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 119 m (390 ft); continuous white light with a more intense flash every 5 s. 9 m (30 ft) round concrete tower rising from a square 1-story concrete equipment room. Entire lighthouse is white. No closeup photo available. Located at the end of the long northern peninsula of Nakadori Shima. Site status unknown. ARLHS JAP-834; JP- 6117; Admiralty F5025; NGA 12728.
Yagatomeno Hana (Yakatame Saki): Date unknown. Active; focal plane 40 m (131 ft); white light, 4 s on, 4 s off. 11 m (36 ft) round concrete tower. Entire lighthouse is white. No photo available. Located on a promontory on the northwest coast of Nakadori Shima. Site status unknown. ARLHS JAP-746; JP- 6179; Admiralty F5027; NGA 12812.
Kushi Shima: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 114 m (374 ft); white flash every 4 s. 11 m (36 ft) round concrete tower rising for a square 1-story concrete equipment room. Entire lighthouse is white. No photo available. Located on a small island off the westernmost point of Nakadori Shima. Site status unknown. ARLHS JAP-314; JP- 6176; Admiralty F5028; NGA 12824.
Hirakushi Saki: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 36 m (118 ft); white flash every 5 s. 9.5 m (31 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with gallery. Entire lighthouse is white. Located on a promontory on the northeast coast of Nakadori Shima, near Arikawa. Site status unknown. ARLHS JAP-124; JP- 6121; Admiralty F5014; NGA 12776.
Hira Shima: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 53 m (174 ft); white flash every 4 s. 19 m (62 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Entire lighthouse is white. Kiso has a photo. Hira Shima is an island off the northeastern coast of Nakadori Shima. Located at the western tip of Hira Shima, marking the strait between the two islands. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS JAP-121; JP- 6122; Admiralty F5013; NGA 12780.
Goto Sao Saki: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 22 m (72 ft); white flash every 3 s. 12 m (39 ft) round concrete tower. Entire lighthouse is white. No photo available. Located at the southern tip of Nakadori Shima. Site status unknown. ARLHS JAP-073; JP- 6134; Admiralty F5009.6; NGA 12836.
Itokushi Hana (Itokusi Saki): Date unknown. Active; focal plane 107 m (351 ft); white light occulting twice every 12 s. 9.5 m (31 ft) round concrete tower. Entire lighthouse is white. No photo available. Located on the northern tip of Fukue Shima. Site status unknown. ARLHS JAP-186; JP- 6173; Admiralty F5029; NGA 12948.
Tamanoura (Kuro Se): Date unknown. Active; focal plane 34 m (112 ft); white flash every 3 s. 9 m (30 ft) round concrete tower rising for a square 1-story concrete equipment room. Entire lighthouse is white. Located atop a large rock in the entrnace to the harbor of Tamanoura, on the west coast of Fukue Shima. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. ARLHS JAP-825; JP- 6163; Admiralty F5033; NGA 12916.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

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