Lighthouses of Japan: Nagoya (Aichi Prefecture)

This page lists lighthouses of the Japanese prefecture of Aichi, which includes the city of Nagoya. Located on the south coast of Honshū, Aichi Prefecture surrounds the busy harbors of Atsumi and Chita Bays and the east side of Ise Bay.

In Japanese, the word for a lighthouse is tōdai or 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 kō is a harbor. Lighthouses in Japan are operated and maintained by the Japanese Coast Guard's Maritime Safety Agency. On Honshū there is usually one Coast Guard Section Office in each prefecture, sometimes two.

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 M of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 112.

General Sources
Lighthouses in Japan - Aichi
A comprehensive site, although almost entirely in Japanese. 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.
Misty's Japanese Lighthouse Tour
Photos and a few notes for lighthouses in all parts of the country.
Lighthouse-Japan.com - Aichi
Excellent photos with notes (in Japanese) for many of the lighthouses.
Fourth Region Lighthouse Information
Photos and information for five coastal lights near the entrance to Ise Bay, posted by the Fourth Coast Guard Region Office (this region includes Aichi and Mie Prefectures).
Aids to Navigation Nagoya
Posted by the Nagoya Coast Guard office, information on major lighthouses of the region.
The Famous Fifty Lighthouses
Photos of the lighthouses voted most famous in Japan, posted by the Eighth Coast Guard Region. One of the fifty (Irago Misaki) stands in the area covered by this page.

Noma Saki Light
Noma Saki Light, November 2010
anonymous Wikimedia Creative Commons photo
Tahara City (Atsumi Peninsula) Lighthouses
* Akabane Kō
1991. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); two red flashes every 6 s. 9.5 m (31 ft) round concrete tower with a flared top, attached to a small 1-story concrete equipment shelter. Entire lighthouse covered with red tiles. Jason Weddington has a photo, another good photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the east breakwater at Akabane, an artificial small boat harbor on the south side of the Atsumi Peninsula. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. JP-2503.3; Admiralty M6218.5; NGA 5810.
* Irago (Irako) Misaki
1929. Active; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); white light, 3 s on, 3 s off. 15 m (49 ft) round concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Entire lighthouse painted white. A photo is at right, a good photo and a 2008 closeup are available, Lighthouse-Japan.com has several photos, the Coast Guard has a page and a second page for the lighthouse, and Google has a satellite view. The tower is probably endangered: the base of the lighthouse is almost in the surf. A tall navigation control tower for Ise Bay stands on the heights above the lighthouse. Located at the tip of the Atsumi peninsula near the town of Atsumi, marking the east side of the entrance to Ise and Mikawa Bays. Accessible by road. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-174; JP-2507; Admiralty M6052; NGA 5812.
* Atsumi (Irago Misaki) Breakwater
1960. Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); red light, 3 s on, 3 s off. 11 m (36 ft) concrete post light attached to a square 1-story concrete equipment room. Entire lighthouse covered with small red tiles. Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the main breakwater at Atsumi, about 1.5 km (1 mi) northeast of Irago Misaki. Accessible by walking the breakwater; there's also a good view from the Ise-Wan Ferry crossing the mouth of Ise Bay to Toba in Mie Prefecture. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-1691; JP-2520; Admiralty M6053; NGA 5816.
* Tatsuma (Tatuma) Saki
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); white light occulting three times every 13 s. 11 m (36 ft) square cylindrical concrete tower. The lighthouse is covered with small white ceramic tiles. Lighthouse-Japan.com has photos, Misty's Tour has additional photos, the Coast Guard has a page for the light, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a cape at the southern entrance to Mikawa Bay, an eastern branch of Ise Bay, about 9 km (5.5 mi) northeast of Irago Misaki. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-635; JP-2533; Admiralty M6055.5; NGA 5836.
Irago Misaki Light
Irago Misaki Light, January 2006
anonymous Creative Commons photo
Hime Shima
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); three red flashes every 12 s. 10 m (33 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower. Entire lighthouse is red. A distant view is available, and Google has a satellite view. Hime Shima is a small island off the eastern harbor of Tahara. Located at the end of a breakwater projecting from the east side of the island. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty M6209.5; NGA 5873.

Toyohashi City Lighthouse
Toyohashi Kō (Detached Breakwater Southwest End)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 17 m (56 ft); green flash every 5 s. 16 m (52 ft) white tower. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. The large industrial port of Toyohashi is at the eastern end of Mikawa Bay. This lighthouse marks the principal entrance to the city's several harbors. Located at the southwest end of the detached main breakwater of Toyohashi. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. ARLHS JPN-1718; Admiralty M6208; NGA 5874.

Gamagōri City Lighthouses
Katahara (Katanohara) Kō
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); red flash every 3 s. 6.5 m (22 ft) round concrete tower with a flared top, attached to a small 1-story concrete equipment shelter. Entire lighthouse covered with red tiles. Peter Toshiro has a photo, and Google has a satellite view. Katahara and Nishiura are adjoining districts of Gamagōri, and the two harbor basins have a common entrance. Located at the end of the east breakwater at Katahara/Nishiura. Site status unknown. ARLHS JPN-1695; Admiralty M6200; NGA 5880.
* Nishiura Kō (Mikawa Nisiura)
1962. Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); green flash every 3 s. 8.5 m (28 ft) concrete post light attached to a 1-story concrete equipment room. Entire lighthouse is white. Peter Toshiro has a photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the south breakwater in Katahara/Nishiura, about 4 km (2.5 mi) northeast of Hashida Hana. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. JP-2565; Admiralty M6199; NGA 5884.
* Hashida (Hasida) Hana
1971. Active; focal plane 36 m (118 ft); flash every 10 s, alternately red and white. 14 m (46 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Entire lighthouse painted white. Lighthouse-Japan.com has good photos, Misty's Tour has photos, the Coast Guard has a page for the lighthouse including the photo at right, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a promontory separating Mikawa Bay and Chita Bay, another branch of Ise Bay, about 7 km (4.5 mi) south of Gamagori. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-087; JP-2566; Admiralty M6198.5; NGA 5888.
Hasida Hana Light
Hasida Hana Light; Japanese Coast Guard photo

Hazu District Lighthouse
* Nakashiba (Higashi-Hazu Kō East Breakwater)
1965. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); continuous red light with two more intense flashes every 10 s. 8.5 m (28 ft) concrete post light attached to a 1-story concrete equipment room. Entire lighthouse is red. Google has a distant satellite view of the location. Located at the end of the east breakwater in Higashi-Hazu, about 4 km (2.5 mi) northwest of Hashida Hana. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. JP-2573; Admiralty M6196.4; NGA 5916.

Hekinan City Lighthouses
Kinuura Kō East Breakwater
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 20 m (66 ft); two red flashes every 6 s. 20 m (66 ft) round iron tower, painted red. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. The upper end of Chita Bay ends in an estuary that has been developed intensively as the port of Kinuura. This lighthouse and the one listed below under Chita mark the ends of the two breakwaters at the lower end of the estuary. Located at the end of the east breakwater of Kinuura Kō. Site and tower closed. ARLHS JPN-1697; Admiralty M6163.4; NGA 5972.

Handa City Lighthouses
* Kinuura Kō Middle Wharf
1969. Active; focal plane 9.5 m (31 ft); green flash every 4 s. 8.5 m (28 ft) concrete post light centered on a square 1-story concrete equipment shelter. Entire lighthouse is white. Google has a satellite view. This light is near the pedestrian entrance to the Kinuura Tunnel, which connects the two sides of the harbor. Located at the end of a broad wharf district, marking the entrance to the upper harbor of Kinuura. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-1698; JP-2601; Admiralty M6164; NGA 5980.
* Handa Kō Breakwater
1975. Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); red flash every 3 s. 9.5 m (31 ft) concrete post light rising from a 1-story concrete equipment shelter. Entire lighthouse is red. Google has a satellite view. Located on a short breakwater at the base of the Kinuura Middle Wharf, sheltering a small harbor basin in downtown Handa. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-1687; JP-2602; Admiralty M6164.4; NGA 5992.

Chita District (Chita Peninsula) East Coast Lighthouses
* Taketoyo
1941. Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); green light, 3 s on, 3 s off. 10 m (33 ft) concrete post light rising from a hexagonal 1-story concrete equipment room. Entire lighthouse is white. Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the south breakwater pier at the older harbor of Taketoyo, on the west side of Kinuura Kō. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-1714; JP-2596; Admiralty M6163; NGA 5984.
Kinuura Kō West Breakwater
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 20 m (66 ft); two green flashes every 6 s. 20 m (66 ft) round tower, painted white. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. The upper end of Chita Bay ends in an estuary which has been developed intensively as the port of Kinuura. This lighthouse and one listed above under Hekinan mark the ends of the two breakwaters at the lower end of the estuary. Located in Taketoyo at the end of the west breakwater of Kinuura Kō. Site and tower closed. ARLHS JPN-1715; Admiralty M6163.6; NGA 5988.
Kōwa Kō South Breakwater
1962. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); continuous red light with a more intense flash every 5 s. 8.5 m (28 ft) concrete post light attached to a 1-story concrete equipment room. Entire lighthouse is red. Google has a satellite view. Kōwa Kō is the harbor of Mihama Town, on the east side of the Chita Peninsula about 8 km (5 mi) south of Taketoyo. Located at the end of a breakwater on the south side of the river entrance, but the north side of the modern harbor. Site and tower closed (despite the photos, the pier appears dangerously narrow for walking). ARLHS JPN-1699; JP-2604; Admiralty M6162; NGA 6000.
Sakushima Kō West Breakwater
1965. Active; focal plane 9.5 m (31 ft); green light, 6 s on, 2 s off. 8.5 m (28 ft) concrete post light centered on a sqaure 1-story concrete equipment shelter. Entire lighthouse is white. K. Shimizu has a photo, but as of August 2010, Google has no satellite view. Sakushima is an island in Chita Bay about 4 km (2.5 mi) east of Minamichita at the tip of the Chita Peninsula and a simlar distance south of Isshiki on the mainland. Located on the west breakwater of Sakushima harbor. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. JP-2606.
* Namiga Saki (Nangasaki, Sakushima)
1947. Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); white light, 3 s on, 3 s off. 10 m (33 ft) concrete post light rising from a 2-story square concrete base. Entire lighthouse is white. A photo is available, and the Coast Guard has a page for the station, but as of August 2010, Google has no satellite view. Lighthouse-Japan.com has a page of photos of the island. Located at the western tip of Sakushima. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-1707; JP-2608; Admiralty M6161.5; NGA 6008.
Kadoishi
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); nine quick white flashes every 15 s. 12 m (39 ft) round solid concrete tower with double gallery and the light mounted atop a square steel equipment room. Lighthouse painted yellow with one black horizontal band. Google has a satellite view. Offshore beacons like this are fairly common on the Japanese coast. This one was refurbished in 2006; the equipment room was replaced. Located on a rock off Moro Saki (Morozaki), the southeast end of the Chita Peninsula, marking the southwest entrance to Chita Bay. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. JP-2617; Admiralty M6160; NGA 6012.
Ha Shima (Morozaki)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); six quick white flashes followed by one long white flash every 15 s. 10 m (33 ft) square cylindrical concrete tower; upper half painted yellow, lower half black. Google has a good satellite view. Located on a skerry off Morozaki, the tip of the Chita Peninsula. Accessible only by boat. JP-2622; Admiralty M6159; NGA 6036.
Owari No Shima (Owari Nojima, Shinojima)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 60 m (197 ft); two white flashes every 7 s. 10 m (33 ft) square cylindrical concrete tower with gallery, rising from a 1-story equipment building. Google has a satellite view. Owari No Shima is a small island in the center of the entrance to Mikawa Bay (and Chita Bay) from Ise Bay. Located at the south end of the island; Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS JPN-498; JP-2531; Admiralty M6055; NGA 6072.

Kadoishi Light
Japanese Coast Guard photo

Chita District (Chita Peninsula) West Coast Lighthouses
Toyohama Kō South Breakwater
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); two red flashes every 6 s. 7.5 m (25 ft) concrete post light attached to a 1-story concrete equipment room. Entire lighthouse is red. A photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of a detached outer breakwater at Toyohama, a small fishing port on Ise Bay 4 km (2.5 mi) west of Morosaki. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. JP-2626; Admiralty M6158.5; NGA 6092.
* Toyohama Kō West Breakwater
1941. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); green light, 3 s on, 3 s off. 8.5 m (28 ft) round concrete tower with a small gallery. Entire lighthouse is white. A photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the main breakwater of Toyohama. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. JP-2627; Admiralty M6158.2; NGA 6088.
Nakashu Kō East Breakwater
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); red flash every 5 s. 8.5 m (28 ft) concrete post light attached to a 1-story concrete equipment room. Entire lighthouse is red. Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of a detached outer breakwater at Nakashu, a small fishing port on Ise Bay 1.5 km (1 mi) west of Toyohama. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-1705; JP-2629; Admiralty M6156.5; NGA 6100.
* Nakashu Kō West Breakwater
1968. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); green flash every 5 s. 10 m (33 ft) concrete post light attached to a 1-story concrete equipment room. Entire lighthouse is white. Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the west breakwater of Nakashu. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-1706; JP-2630; Admiralty M6156; NGA 6096.
* Noma Saki
1921. Active; focal plane 20 m (66 ft); white light, 3 s on, 3 s off. 18 m (59 ft) round concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Entire lighthouse is white. A photo is at the top of this page, Lighthouse-Japan.com has good photos, another good photo is available, Misty's Tour has a excellent photos, Hama Tako has a dramatic sunset photo, and Google has a satellite view. This lighthouse stands on a headland on the east side of Ise Bay, guiding ships northward from the bay's entrance. It is easily the best known and most visited lighthouse of Aichi Prefecture. Located about 15 km (9 mi) south of Tokoname; accessible by road. ARLHS JPN-428; JP-2632; Admiralty M6144; NGA 6108.

Tokoname City Lighthouse
* Tokoname (Inner Breakwater)
1940. Active; focal plane 7.5 m (25 ft); red light, 2 s on, 2 s off. 6.5 m (21 ft) concrete post light attached to a 1-story concrete equipment room. Entire lighthouse is red. Google has a satellite view. Tokoname, on the east side of Ise Bay, is the location of Nagoya's international airport; the airport is built on a large artificial island in the bay. Located at the end of the original Tokoname breakwater. Site open, tower closed. JP-2640; Admiralty M6138; NGA 6120.
* Onisaki (Onizaki, Oniga Saki) North Breakwater
1956. Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); green light, 4 s on, 4 s off. 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 at the end of the north breakwater of the fishing port at Onisaki. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. JP-2641; Admiralty M6137; NGA 6124.

Chita City Lighthouse
Ise Wan Signal Station
1961. Active; focal plane 25 m (82 ft); white flash every 10 s. 20 m (66 ft) round harbor control station. Lighthouse-Japan.com has a distant view, the Coast Guard has a page for the lighthouse, and Google has a satellite view. Located in Ise Bay (wan) about 6 km (3.5 mi) northwest of Tokoname. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. ARLHS JPN-1816; JP-2645; Admiralty M6133; NGA 6136.

Nagoya City Lighthouses
Nagoya Middle Tidal Breakwater East End
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 20 m (66 ft); green light, 2 s on, 2 s off. 20 m (66 ft) round metal tower, painted white. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. The inner harbor of Nagoya is protected by a storm tide breakwater with two openings, on either side of a large artificial island. The main entrance is on the east of the island, and this lighthouse stands at the west side of that entrance. Site and tower closed. ARLHS JPN-1703; Admiralty M6113; NGA 6144.
Nagoya Middle Tidal Breakwater West End
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); continuous red light with two more intense flashes every 8 s. 14 m (46 ft) tower, painted red. No photo available, but Google has an indistinct satellite view. This lighthouses marks the entrance to the western side of the inner harbor of Nagoya, west of the artificial island. Site and tower closed. ARLHS JPN-1704; Admiralty M6115; NGA 6146.

Inuyama City (Meiji Mura) Lighthouse
*** Shinagawa
1870. Inactive since 1957 (a decorative light is displayed). 9 m (30 ft) round cylindrical tower with lantern and gallery. Entire lighthouse painted white. The original 4th order Fresnel lens is mounted in the lantern. A photo is at right, another photo and a 2008 closeup are available, and Google has a satellite view. This lighthouse, the oldest Western style lighthouse surviving in Japan, was built by the French engineer François L. Verny on an artificial island just off the Tokyo waterfront. After deactivation, it was dismantled and rebuilt at Meiji Mura (Meiji Village), a privately-owned historic theme park in Inuyama, about 20 km (13 mi) north of Nagoya. The lighthouse was rebuilt with reinforced concrete replacing the original brick exterior; however, the stone trim, lantern, gallery, and other fittings are all original. Meiji Mura includes more than 50 historic buildings and structures of the Meiji era (1868-1912), most of them rescued from demolition elsewhere in Japan. In addition to this lighthouse, Meiji Mura exhibits the 1-story brick keeper's house of the Suga Shima Light (see the Mie and Wakayama page), built in 1873, and a small acetylene-fueled cast iron beacon erected in 1904 on Konasami Shima, a small island near Hiroshima. Site open daily; we do not know if the tower is open. Owner/site manager: Meiji Mura.
Shinagawa Light
Shinagawa Light
Meiji Mura Museum photo

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: East: Shizuoka | Southwest: Mie and Wakayama

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Posted November 5, 2006. Checked and revised August 31, 2011. Lighthouses: 32. Site copyright 2011 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.