Lighthouses of Japan: Wakayama Prefecture

This page lists lighthouses of the Japanese prefecture of Wakayama, which faces southwest on the Pacific Ocean southeast of Ōsaka. The prefecture includes a large part of the scenic Kii Peninsula (Kii-hanto), which projects southward into the Pacific and is the southernmost coast of Honshū.

In Japanese, the word for a lighthouse is tōdai or toudai (灯台). 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 at least one Coast Guard Section Office in each prefecture; Wakayama has two, at Tanabe and at Wakayama City.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. JCG 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 - Wakayama
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.
Lighthouse-Japan.com - Wakayama
This site has excellent photos for many lighthouses in Wakayama. Note that the lights are listed by the Japanese (JCG) light list numbers.
Lighthouses (Wakayama Prefecture)
Another comprehensive site for lighthouse photos.
Kiso's Lighthouses
This site has many excellent photos of Japanese lighthouses. Kiso's page for Honshū-Pacific Ocean has many of the photos referenced on this page. Unfortunately, this page is posted on Yahoo Japan, which does not allow us to link directly to the photos. To find a specific photo, look for the JCG light list number in Kiso's Japanese descriptions.
Misty's Japanese Lighthouse Tour - Wakayama
Photos and a few notes for lighthouses in all parts of the country.
Lighthouses in Wakayama Prefecture
Photos available from Wikimedia.
Lighthouses of Region 5 - Wakayama
Photos posted by the Fifth Coast Guard Region.
Tanabe Lighthouse Photos
A page of photos posted by the Tanabe Coast Guard Office.
The Famous Fifty Lighthouses
Photos of the lighthouses voted most famous in Japan, posted by the Eighth Coast Guard Region. One of the fifty (Shiono Misaki) is in Wakayama.
Richard Henry Brunton
Wikipedia article on the Scottish engineer who built most of Japan's oldest lighthouses, including the surviving Sugashima Light and the first lighthouse at Anori Saki.
Japan: Modern Lighthouses
Historic postcard views posted by Michel Forand.

Kantori Saki Light
Kantori Saki Light, Taiji, January 2008
Wikimedia public domain photo by Tarafuku10
Shingū City Lighthouses
Shingū Detached Breakwater South Head
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); two red flashes every 6 s. 10 m (33 ft) round concrete tower with a flared top, attached to a small equipment shelter. Entire lighthouse is red. The Coast Guard has a small photo (middle lighthouse in the last row), and Google has a satellite view. Located at the south end of the main breakwater of Shingū. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. JCG-2871.2; Admiralty M6007.3; NGA 8682.
* Shingū South Breakwater
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); green light, 3 s on, 3 s off. 9.5 m (31 ft) concrete post attached to a square 1-story concrete equipment shelter. Entire lighthouse is white. The Coast Guard has a small photo (right lighthouse in the last row), and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the short south breakwater of Shingū. Probably accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-1856; JCG-2873; Admiralty M6007.2; NGA 8684.
* Ugui (Ukui, Ugui Koma Saki)
1925. Active; focal plane 53 m (174 ft); white flash every 5 s. 8.5 m (28 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower, rising from a small square 1-story concrete equipment room. Entire lighthouse is white. Lighthouse-Japan.com has photos, another photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. The harbor facilities of Ugui are built on an isthmus, at least partially artificial, that connects a hilly, wooded island to the mainland about 10 km (6 mi) south of Shingu. Located at the southern tip of the island. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-711; JCG-2874; Admiralty M6007; NGA 8688.
Obera Shima
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 19 m (62 ft); white flash every 3 s. 15 m (49 ft) round tapered white tower with gallery. Entire lighthouse is white. The Tanabe Coast Guard office has photos, Google has a satellite view. Located on a small island about 1.3 km (0.8 mi) south of the Ugui lighthouse. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. JCG-2876; Admiralty M6006.8; NGA 6696.

Higashimuro District (Kushimoto Area) Lighthouses
Katsuo Shima (Katuojima)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 20 m (66 ft); two white flashes every 7 s. 15 m (49 ft) round white tower with double gallery. Entire lighthouse is white. The Coast Guard has a closeup photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a skerry about 5 km (3 mi) south of the Ugui lighthouse, off Taiji harbor. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS JPN-1952; JCG-2877; Admiralty M6003; NGA 6708.
* Taiji (Taichi, Taizi) Kō
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); continuous red light with a more intense flash every 6 s. 9 m (30 ft) concrete post light attached to a square 1-story concrete equipment shelter. Entire lighthouse is red. The Coast Guard has a small photo (left lighthouse, fifth row from the bottom), and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the main (north) breakwater at Taiji. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-1974; JCG-2882; Admiralty M6003.4; NGA 6712.
* Uragami (Urakami) Kō Approach
1986. Active; focal plane 56 m (184 ft); white or red light depending on direction, 3 s on, 3 s off. 8.5 m (28 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower attached to a 1-story equipment building. Entire lighthouse is white. A photo and a second photo are available, and Google has an indistinct satellite view. The light guides vessels approaching the narrow fjord leading to Uragami harbor. Located on a steep promontory near Shimosato, about 2.5 km (1.5 mi) south of Taiji. Site open, tower closed. JCG-2885.5; Admiralty M6001.5.
* Kozagawa (Kozakawa, Koza Kawaguchi)
Date unknown (station established 1932). Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); red light occulting once every 8 s. 8.5 m (28 ft) concrete post light rising from a 1-story equipment building. Lighthouse painted red. Another photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a short pier on the east side of the river entrance at Koza, just a few feet off the coastal highway. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-1956; JCG-2888; Admiralty M6000; NGA 6732.
Katsuo Shima Light
Katsuo Shima Light, Taiji
Japanese Coast Guard Fifth District photo
* Kantori Saki
Date unknown (station established 1899). Active; focal plane 41 m (135 ft); white flash every 8 s. 16 m (52 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Entire lighthouse is white. A photo is at the top of this page, Lighthouse-Japan has photos, Kiso also has a good photo, and Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located on a promontory projecting eastward into the Pacific about 5 km (3 mi) east of Taizi. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-229; JCG-2884; Admiralty M6002; NGA 6716.
Kushimoto Kō North Breakwater
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); red flash every 3 s. 9.5 m (31 ft) round concrete tower with a flared top, attached to a small equipment shelter. Entire lighthouse is red. The Coast Guard has a small photo (right lighthouse in the 13th row), and Google has a satellite view. Located at the south end of the main breakwater of Kushimoto. Site status unknown. JCG-2897; Admiralty M5996; NGA 6780.
Kushimoto Kō South Breakwater
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); green flash every 3 s. 10 m (33 ft) round concrete tower with a flared top, attached to a small equipment shelter. Entire lighthouse is white. The Coast Guard has a small photo (middle lighthouse in the 13th row), and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the south breakwater of Kushimoto. Site status unknown. JCG-2896; Admiralty M5996.2; NGA 6736.
Tojima Saki
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); white flash every 3 s. 8 m (26 ft) round concrete tower. Entire lighthouse is white. Google has a satellite view. Located at the northernmost point of Kii Oshima, marking the channel between the island and the mainland. Site status unknown. JCG-2891; Admiralty M5997.3; NGA 6752.
* Kii Oshima
1983. Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); continuous green light with a more intense flash every 5 s. 8.5 m (28 ft) concrete post light attached to a square 1-story concrete equipment shelter. Lighthouse covered with white tile. Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located at the end of a breakwater at the small boat harbor on the northwest side of Kii Oshima, an island about 6 km (3.5 mi) long lying to the east northeast of Shiono Misaki (Cape Shiono). The island is connected to the mainland by a bridge. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. JCG-2898; Admiralty M5997.2.
* Kashino Saki (Kasino Saki, Kii Oshima)
1870 (substantially rebuilt in 1954). Active; focal plane 47 m (154 ft); two white flashes every 20 s. 15 m (49 ft) round cylindrical concrete and stone tower with lantern and gallery. Entire lighthouse is white. Lamsus Crusoe's photo is at right, the Fifth Coast Guard District has a good closeup, Lighthouse-Japan.com has excellent photos, Wakayama Prefecture has a page with numerous photos, and Google has a distant satellite view. This lighthouse, designed by Richard Henry Brunton, has the original stone foundation and the original cast iron first order lantern, but a modern concrete section was inserted between the two. Access to the lantern is now by an external spiral stairway. A semicircular 1-story keeper's house surrounds the original base. Despite these alterations, this is a historic light station, one of the oldest Western-style lighthouses in Japan. The lighthouse stands at the eastern tip of Kii Oshima; it is the landfall light for the cape for westbound ships. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-239; JCG-2889; Admiralty M5998; NGA 6756.
Kashino Saki Light
Kashino Saki Light, Kii Oshima, October 2008
Flickr Creative Commons photo by Lamsus Crusoe
Myoga Shima
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); white flash every 3 s. 14 m (46 ft) slender round cylindrical white concrete tower with an expanded upper section below the light. Lighthouse-Japan.com has a good photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a rocky promontory on the southeast side of Kii Oshima. Access across the rocky shore may be difficult. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-810; JCG-2895; Admiralty M5995.6; NGA 6772.
* Tojiro (Toziro) Hana
1975. Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); continuous red light with two more intense flashes every 6 s. 6.5 m (21 ft) post light centered on a square 1-story concrete equipment shelter. Lighthouse covered with red tile. Another photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the west end of Kii Oshima, under the bridge connecting the island to the mainland. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-1960; JCG-2893; Admiralty M5996.4; NGA 6748.
Uno Shima (U Shima)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 21 m (69 ft); white flash every 3 s. 14 m (46 ft) slender round cylindrical white concrete tower. Lighthouse-Japan.com has a photo, and Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located on a skerry off the eastern point of the Cape Shiono peninsula. Accessible only by boat, but there is a distant view from the mainland. Site and tower closed. ARLHS JPN-835; JCG-2901; Admiralty M5995; NGA 6768.
**** Shiono (Siono) Misaki (2)
1878 (station established 1873) (Richard Henry Brunton). Active; focal plane 49 m (161 ft); white flash every 15 s. 23 m (75 ft) round stone tower with lantern and gallery. Entire lighthouse is white. Lamsus Crusoe's photo is at right, the Fifth Coast Guard District has a photo, Lighthouse-Japan.com has lovely photos, a nice closeup photo and a good 2007 photo are available, Wikimedia has several photos, Forand has a historic postcard view, and Google has a satellite view. This beautiful and historic lighthouse marks the southernmost point of the island of Honshū. A modern 1-story building houses a lighthouse museum displaying the original first-order Fresnel lens and other artifacts of area lighthouses. The first lighthouse here was a small wood tower. Located at the extreme southern tip of the Kii Peninsula, about 5 km (3 mi) south of Kushimoto. Site open, tower open daily. ARLHS JPN-573; JCG-2902; Admiralty M5994; NGA 6776.
Arita Kō
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); red flash every 3 s. 10 m (33 ft) concrete post light attached to a square 1-story concrete equipment room. Lighthouse covered with red tiles. The Coast Guard has a tiny photo (middle lighthouse in 9th row) and Google has a satellite view. Located on a detached breakwater in the entrance to Arita harbor, in the lee of Shiono Misaki. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-1933; JCG-2906.3; Admiralty M5990; NGA 6802.
Shiono Misaki Light
Shiono Misaki Light, Kushimoto, October 2008
Flickr Creative Commons photo by Lamsus Crusoe

Nishimuro District Lighthouses
* Esu Saki
1961. Active; focal plane 33 m (108 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 11 m (36 ft) round hourglass-shaped concrete tower with gallery. Entire lighthouse is white. A photo is available, Kiso has a closeup photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located on an island off the tip of a sharp promontory about 4 km (2.5 mi) southeast of Susami. At low tide it may be possible to walk over a rocky ledge to the island. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-062; JCG-2907; Admiralty M5989; NGA 6804.
* Wabuka Saki (Susami Kō Approach)
1979. Active; focal plane 89 m (292 ft); continuous white spotlight. 9 m (30 ft) round cylindrical white concrete tower. A photo and a second photo sre available, and Google has a satellite view. The light illuminates a rocky reef off the point of the cape. Located atop a steep bluff at Wabuka, about 5 km (3 mi) southeast of Susami. JCG-2908; Admiralty M5988.7.
Susami
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 58 m (190 ft); white flash every 5 s. 10 m (33 ft) round white concrete tower. No closeup photo available; there's another distant view and Google has a satellite view. Located on an island that partly shelters the harbor of Susami, about 2 km (1.2 mi) south of the town. A breakwater causeway connects the island to the mainland. Site status unknown. ARLHS JPN-603; JCG-2909; Admiralty M5988; NGA 6808.
* Susami Ko
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 25 m (82 ft); continuous light, white, red or green depending on direction. 7 m (23 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery; the light is shown through a square window in the front of the lantern room. Entire lighthouse is white. Lighthouse-Japan.com has photos, another photo is available, and Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located on a bluff behind the waterfront in Susami. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-1973; JCG-2910; Admiralty M5988.4; NGA 6812.
* Ichie (Itie) Saki
1921. Active; focal plane 95 m (312 ft); two white flashes every 30 s. 11 m (36 ft) octagonal concrete tower with lantern and gallery, attached to a 1-story concrete keeper's house. Entire lighthouse is white. Lighthouse-Japan.com has excellent photos, Kiso has a photo, Forand has a historic postcard view, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a prominent cape about 20 km (12.5 mi) south of Tanabe. Accessible by road. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-185; JCG-2912; Admiralty M5986; NGA 6820.
* Bansho Hana
1955. Active; focal plane 37 m (121 ft); white light occulting once every 8 s. 8.5 m (28 ft) round concrete tower with gallery, rising from a small 1-story equipment room. Entire lighthouse is white. Lighthouse-Japan has photos, a closeup is available, and Google has a distant satellite view. Located on a promontory sheltering Tanabe Bay, about 8 km (5 mi) south of Tanabe. Accessible by road. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-042; JCG-2913; Admiralty M5984; NGA 6824.
Ichie Saki Light
Ichie Saki Light, Tanabe
Japanese Coast Guard Tanabe Office photo
Siso Shima
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); white flash every 5 s. 12 m (39 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with gallery. Entire lighthouse is white. A view from the mainland is available, and Google has a fuzzy satellite view of the island. Located on a skerry about 800 m (1/2 mi) west of the Bansho Hana lighthouse. Accessible only by boat, but there is a good view from the mainland. Site and tower closed. ARLHS JPN-587; JCG-2914; Admiralty M5979; NGA 6828.
Tanabe (Shimotu) Okino Shima
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); white flash every 3 s. 15 m (49 ft) square cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery, rising from a 1-story concrete equipment house. Kiso has a photo, a distant view is available, and Google has a distant satellite view of the reef. Located on a small island in the entrance to Tanabe Bay, about 3 km (2 mi) northwest of the Bansho Hana lighthouse. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS JPN-1976; JCG-3320; Admiralty M5978; NGA 6832.

Tanabe City Lighthouses
* Mori West Breakwater
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); continuous green light with a more intense flash every 6 s. 8.5 m (28 ft) concrete post light attached to a square 1-story concrete equipment room. Lighthouse covered with white tiles. The Coast Guard has a small photo (middle lighthouse in 5th row), but Google has only a very fuzzy satellite view. Located at the end of a short breakwater on the west side of the entrance to the sheltered Mori harbor, on the south side of Tanabe. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-1964; JCG-2932; Admiralty M5981.6; NGA 6872.
Egawa East Breakwater
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); red light, 2 s on, 2 s off. 9 m (30 ft) concrete post light attached to a square 1-story concrete equipment room. Lighthouse covered with red tiles. The Coast Guard a small photo (middle lighthouse in 4th row), and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the east breakwater of the Egawa harbor, on the west side of Tanabe. Site status unknown. ARLHS JPN-1975; JCG-2925; Admiralty M5980.4; NGA 6852.
Tanabe Kō (Okinoshima, Tenjin Saki)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); white flash every 3 s. Approx. 10 m (33 ft) concrete post light rising from a square 1-story concrete equipment building. A closeup photo is available, also a second photo (halfway down the page), and Google has a satellite view. Located on an islet at the north side of the entrance to Tanabe harbor. It appears that one can cross to the island at low tide. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-1976; JCG-2918; Admiralty M5978; NGA 6832.

Hidaka District and Gobō City Lighthouses
* Inami Yokoshima Breakwater
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); two red flashes every 6 s. 8.5 m (28 ft) concrete post light attached to a square 1-story concrete equipment room. Lighthouse covered with red tiles. The Coast Guard has a small photos (middle lighthouse in second row), and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the east breakwater of Inami. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-1946; JCG-2937; Admiralty M5977; NGA 6884.
Gobō Katsuo Shima (Katuoshima)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 18 m (56 ft); white flash every 4 s. 15 m (49 ft) round white concrete tower. The Coast Guard has a tiny photo (middle lighthouse in first row), a distant view is available, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a small island about 4 km (2.5 mi) south of Gobō. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS JPN-1940; JCG-2938; Admiralty M5974; NGA 6888.
* Kii Hino Misaki (2)
1951 (station established 1895). Active; focal plane 140 m (459 ft); three white flashes every 40 s. 14 m (46 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery, attached to a 1-story concrete equipment building. Entire lighthouse painted white. A Coast Guard photo is at right and the Coast Guard has additional photos, Lighthouse-Japan.com has good photos, Kiso has a closeup, Misty's Tour has another photo, and Google has a satellite view. One of Japan's most important lighthouses, this light stands at the gateway to the Inland Sea (Seto Naikai). Its powerful light has a range of more than 50 km (32 mi). The original lighthouse was destroyed by a U.S. air raid in 1945. Located at the tip of a long promontory about 10 km (6 mi) west of Gobō. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-255; JCG-3301; Admiralty M5970; NGA 6900.
Hino Misaki
Kii Hino Misaki Light, Gobō
Japanese Coast Guard Fifth District photo

Arida District Lighthouses
Naka Iso
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 17 m (56 ft); two white flashes every 5 s. 16 m (52 ft) round concrete tower, painted black with a red horizontal band. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located on a rocky reef about 5 km (3 mi) north of Hino Misaki. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. JCG-3304; Admiralty M5969.4; NGA 6912.
Asika Shima
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); two white flashes every 5 s. 14 m (46 ft) round concrete tower, painted black with a red horizontal band. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located on a rocky reef about 15 km (9 mi) north of Hino Misaki. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty M5968.6; NGA 6944.
Taka Shima
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); six quick white flashes followed by one long white flash every 15 s. 14 m (46 ft) round concrete tower, upper half painted yellow and lower half painted black. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located on a rocky reef about 5 km (3 mi) southeast of Hirogawa. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty M5968.3; NGA 6948.
* Yuasa Hiro (Yuasahiro) Kō
1998. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); continuous green light with a more instense flash every 5 s. 8.5 m (28 ft) concrete post light attached to a square 1-story equipment roon, covered in white ceramic tile. Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the north breakwater at Yuasa. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-1988; JCG-3317; Admiralty M5967.9; NGA 6954.
* Kii Myazakino Hana
1966. Active; focal plane 81 m (266 ft); white light occulting once every 8 s. 8.5 m (28 ft) square cylindrical concrete tower with gallery, covered with white ceramic tile. Lighthouse-Japan.com has closeup photos, another closeup is available, Kiso has a distant view, and Google has a distant satellite view. Located on the tip of a sharp, forested promontory projecting into the Kii Strait about 5 km (3 mi) southwest of Arida. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-256; JCG-3319; Admiralty M5967.8; NGA 6960.
Shimotsu (Simotu) Kō (Okinoshima)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 94 m (308 ft); white flash every 4 s. 13 m (43 ft) square white concrete tower. A very distant photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. Located atop the island of Okinoshima, about 3 km (2 mi) offshore northwest of Arida. Site status unknown. ARLHS JPN-1970; JCG-3326; Admiralty M5967.4; NGA 6968.
Tsubune (Tubune) Hana
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 29 m (95 ft); white light, 3 s on, 3 s off. 9.5 m (31 ft) round white concrete tower. A very distant view is available, and Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located atop a steep promontory on the north side of the entrance to Osaki Bay. Site and tower closed (the light is in an oil tank farm). ARLHS JPN-685; JCG-3327; Admiralty M5966.5; NGA 6980.

Kainan City Lighthouses
Kainan Kō South Breakwater
1969. Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); red flash every 3 s. 9.5 m (31 ft) round hourglass-shaped concrete tower. Entire lighthouse is red. Google has a satellite view. Located on the short south breakwater at the entrance to Kainan harbor. Site open but difficult to reach, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-1951; JCG-3337; Admiralty M5966; NGA 7000.
Kainan Kō South Breakwater
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); green flash every 3 s. 10 m (33 ft) round hourglass-shaped concrete tower. Entire lighthouse is white. The Coast Guard has a closeup photo, there's a distant view, and Google has a satellite view. Located on the north breakwater at the entrance to Kainan harbor. Site status unknown. ARLHS JPN-1950; JCG-3338; Admiralty M5966.2; NGA 7004.

Wakayama City Lighthouses
* Wakaura Gyoko West Breakwater
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); green light, 2 s on, 2 s off. 10 m (33 ft) round hourglass-shaped concrete tower. Entire lighthouse is white. A distant view is available, and Google has a satellite view. Located on the west breakwater of a small boat harbor at the southeastern corner of Wakayama city. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty M5965.2.
* Saika (Saiga) Saki Kō (Wakayama Shimotsu Kō)
1983. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); two green flashes every 8 s. 10 m (33 ft) concrete post light attached to a square 1-story equipment room, covered in white ceramic tile. A distant view is available, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the south breakwater at the harbor sheltered by Saika Saki, on the south side of Wakayama. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-1967; JCG-3340.5; Admiralty M5965.05; NGA 7015.
** Saika (Saiga) Saki
1960. Active; focal plane 75 m (246 ft); white flash every 8 s.14 m (46 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery. the tower is also surrounded by two large observation platforms accessed by stairways. Entire lighthouse is white. A photo is at right, the Coast Guard has an excellent photo, Lighthouse-Japan.com has a page with photos, Kiso has a good photo, and Misty's Tour has additional photos, but due to a mismatch of frames Google's satellite view fails to show the lighthouse. The observation platforms provide a wide view of the Kii Strait and the coast of Shikoku. Located on a high promontory about 7 km (4.5 mi) south of Wakayama. Site open, observation platforms open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-525; JCG-3341; Admiralty M5965; NGA 7018.
Wakayama Kō South Breakwater
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); two red flashes every 7 s. 13 m (43 ft) round concrete tower with lantern and gallery, painted red. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. The pier no longer serves as a breakwater; satellite photos show a newer south outer breakwater that encloses it. Located at the end of short pier on the south side of the traditional harbor of Wakayama. This pier does not appear to be walkable, but there should be a good view from ferries crossing the Kii Strait to Tokushima, Shikoku. Site and tower closed. Admiralty M5963; NGA 7028.
Wakayama Kō North Breakwater
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); two green flashes every 7 s. 13 m (43 ft) round concrete tower with lantern and gallery, painted white. Thomas Prinz has a photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the north breakwater of the traditional harbor of Wakayama. This pier does not appear to be walkable, but there should be a good view from ferries crossing the Kii Strait to Tokushima, Shikoku. Site and tower closed. ARLHS JPN-1987; JCG-3345; Admiralty M5964; NGA 7032.
Wakayama Kita Kō West Breakwater
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 17 m (56 ft); red light, 3 s on, 3 s off. 17 m (56 ft) round concrete tower with lantern and gallery, painted red. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Land has been filled south of this pier for a new industrial area, so the "breakwater" is now only a few tens of meters long. Located on the south side of the entrance to Wakayama's newer harbor; possibly accessible. Site status unknown. ARLHS JPN-1955; Admiralty M5961.6; NGA 7036.
Wakayama Kita Kō North Breakwater
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 17 m (56 ft); green light, 3 s on, 3 s off. 17 m (56 ft) round concrete tower with lantern and gallery, painted white. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the breakwater on the north side of the entrance to Wakayama's newer harbor. Site status unknown. ARLHS JPN-1954; Admiralty M5961.8; NGA 7034.
Saika Saki Light
Saika Saki Light, Wakayama, December 2008
Wikipedia Creative Commons photo by 663highland
* Takura Saki
1956. Active; focal plane 49 m (161 ft); white light, 3 s on, 3 s off. 11 m (36 ft) concrete post light with gallery, rising from a 1-story hexagonal concrete equipment shelter. Entire lighthouse is white. Lighthouse-Japan.com has a page with good photos, Kiso has a photo, Misty's Tour has another photo, a closeup is available, and Google has a fuzzy satellite view. Takura Saki is a promontory at the north end of the Kii Strait and the south end of Ōsaka Wan; the entrance to the bay is only about 6 km (3.5 mi) wide. Located on the cape, about 7 km (4.5 mi) west of Wakayama. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-622; JCG-3354; Admiralty M5961; NGA 7040.
* Kada Kō Outer Breakwater
1989. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft), red light, 3 s on, 3 s off. 10 m (33 ft) round concrete tower, flared at the top, attached to a square 1-story concrete equipment shelter. Entire lighthouse is red. Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the main breakwater of Kada harbor, just north of Takura Saki. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-1948; JCG-3502.8; Admiralty M5960.5; NGA 7206.
* Tomoga (Tomo Ga) Shima
1872 (Richard Henry Brunton). Active; focal plane 60 m (197 ft); flash every 5 s, alternately red and white. 12 m (39 ft) round cylindrical stone tower with lantern and gallery, attached to a semicircular 1-story equipment house. Entire lighthouse painted white. Detached 1-story keeper's house. A Coast Guard photo is at right, Lighthouse-Japan.com has photos, Kiso has a photo, and Google has a satellite view. Military engineers moved the lighthouse 25 m (82 ft) east in 1890 to make way for a coastal defense battery. Tomoga Shima is a general name for a group of four islands in the entrance to Ōsaka Wan from the Kii Strait (Kii Suido). This historic lighthouse is built on Okino Shima, the largest and highest of the four. The island is a historic site and nature preserve, with hiking trails and the remains of military installations from World War II and earlier. Passenger ferry transportation is available from Kada, a small port just north of Takura Saki. Located at the western end of the island, about 6 km (3.5 mi) northwest of Takura Saki. Accessible by hiking trail. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-669; JCG-3501; Admiralty M5960; NGA 7200.
Zino (Jino) Shima
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 55 m (180 ft); two white flashes every 8 s. 9.5 m (31 ft) octagonal white concrete tower. No closeup photo available; Google has a satellite view. Zino Shima is the easternmost island of the Tomoga Shima group, and his lighthouse guides ships through the narrow channel, only 800 m (1/2 mi) wide, between the island and the mainland. The island is owned by the military and closed to civilians. Located on a hill at the eastern end of Zino Shima, about 5 km (3 mi) north of Takura Saki. Site and tower closed. ARLHS JPN-1990; JCG-3502; Admiralty M5959; NGA 7204.
Tomoga Shima
Tomoga Shima Light, Wakayama
Japanese Coast Guard Fifth District photo

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: North: Ōsaka | East: Mie Prefecture

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Posted November 5, 2006. Checked and revised August 25, 2012. Lighthouses: 53. Site copyright 2012 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.