Lighthouses of Japan: Fukuoka

Located at the southwestern end of the Japanese archipelago, Kyūshū is divided into seven prefectures. This page includes lighthouses of Fukuoka Prefecture on the northern coast of the island. Western Fukuoka faces northwest on the Tsushima Strait and the Sea of Japan, while Eastern Fukuoka faces northeast on the Seto Inland Sea, which separates Kyūshū from Honshū and Shikoku. In between, the narrow Kanmon Strait connects the Inland Sea and Sea of Japan.

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. There is at least one Coast Guard Section Office in each prefecture, often two or more. Fukuoka Prefecture has three offices, at Fukuoka, Wakamatsu, and Moji.

Note: Fukuoka Prefectures also has a short southern coastlines on Ariake Bay. Lighthouses of the Ariake coast are on the Kumamoto Area page.

A note on the Sea of Japan/East Sea controversy: The Directory takes no side in any international dispute; it makes use of the terminology, names, and spellings as they currently exist in each area covered. The sea between Japan and Korea is called the Sea of Japan on the pages for Japan and the East Sea on the pages for Korea.

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.

Okina Shima Light
Okino Shima Light, Sea of Japan
Japanese Coast Guard Seventh Region photo

General Sources
Lighthouses in Japan - Fukuoka: A comprehensive site, although almost entirely in Japanese.
Kiso's Lighthouses: This site has many excellent photos of Japanese lighthouses.
Lighthouse-Japan.com - Fukuoka: This site has good photos and background information for many of the major lighthouses.
Our Lighthouses of Fukuoka Prefecture: A comprehensive collection of photos of lighthouses in Fukuoka.
Coast of Japan - Cape/Lighthouse Index: This site has numerous photos of Fukuoka lighthouses. Entirely in Japanese, but lighthouses can be located by their JCG numbers.
Lighthouses in Fukuoka Prefecture: Photos available from Wikimedia.
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.
The Famous Fifty Lighthouses: Photos of the lighthouses voted most famous in Japan, posted by the Eighth Coast Guard Region. Two of the fifty stand in the area covered by this page (Shira Su and He Saki).

Fukuoka Area (Sea of Japan) Lighthouses

Note: Except for the Eboshi Shima Light, lighthouses in this section are maintained by the Fukuoka Coast Guard Office.
Eboshi Shima Lighthouse
* Kishi Kō: 1976.Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); continuous green light with a more intense flash every 3 s. 8.5 m (28 ft) concrete post attached to a square 1-story concrete equipment shelter. Entire lighthouse is white. Bing has a distant satellite view. Located at the end of the west breakwater of Kishi harbor. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-2005; JCG-5863; Admiralty M5269.94; NGA 12288.
Chikuzen (Tikuzen) No Se: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); one short and one long green flash every 8 s. 14 m (46 ft) tapered round concrete tower, painted green. A photo is available, and Bing has a very distant satellite view. Located on a reef in the eastern entrance to Karatsu Bay. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-061; JCG-5861; Admiralty M5269.96; NGA 12284.
Todai Se: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); two white flashes every 5 s. 12 m (39 ft) concrete post rising from a square 1-story concrete equipment shelter and mounted on a concrete pier. Lighthouse painted black with a red horizontal band. Another photo is available. Located on a reef about 4 km (2.5 mi) northeast of the Mount Hikosan promontory. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. JCG-5857; Admiralty M5270; NGA 12304.
Okino Shima Lighthouse
Okino Shima: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 246 m (807 ft); three flashes every 60 s, two white flashes followed 10 s later by a red flash. 16 m (52 ft) square concrete tower attached to a 1-story equipment room. 2nd order Fresnel lens in use. Entire lighthouse is white. A keeper's house, formerly attached, has been demolished. The Coast Guard's photo appears at the top of this page, and Google has a distant satellite view. Okino Shima is an isolated mountain peak emerging from the Sea of Japan roughly 70 km (45 mi) north northwest of Fukuoka and a similar distance west northwest of the Kanmon Strait. The lighthouse is perched atop the peak. Administratively, the island is attached to Fukuoka City. Accessible only by helicopter or by boat in heavy seas. Site and tower closed. ARLHS JPN-485; JCG-5817; Admiralty M5076; NGA 12440.
Fukuoka City Lighthouses
Nagama Sho (Syo): Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); quick-flashing white light. 12 m (39 ft) concrete post with an expanded top and gallery. Lower half of the lighthouse painted yellow, upper half black. Another photo is available (1/3 the way down the page, #5856). Located on a reef about 5 km (3 mi) northwest of the tip of the Nishima Misaki peninsula. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. JCG-5856; Admiralty M5270.4; NGA 12308.
* Tsuyazaki (Tuyasaki, Tuyasaki) Hana: 1964. Active; focal plane 65 m (213 ft); white flash every 4 s. The lighthouse also has a continuous white spotlight (JCG-5821) that illuminates a reef to the south. 9 m (30 ft) round concrete tower rising from a square 2-story concrete equipment room. Entire lighthouse is white. Our Lighthouses has a page with closeup photos, Lighthouse-Japan.com has a page for the lighthouse, another closeup photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. There's also a photo of restoration in progress in late 2002. Located on a promontory about 3 km (2 mi) northwest of Fukuma. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-705; JCG-5820; Admiralty M5285; NGA 12416.
Munakata City Lighthouses
Onga District Lighthouses
* Hatsu Kō (Hazu Kō, Hatsu Saki): 1977. Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); red flash every 3 s. 9.5 m (31 ft) concrete post attached to a square 1-story concrete equipment room. Entire lighthouse is red. Our Lighthouses has a page with good photos, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the north breakwater of Hatsu harbor in Okagaki. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. JCG-5806; Admiralty M5291.4; NGA 12424.
Ashiya Kō (Outer Breakwater): Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); green flash every 3 s. 9.5 m (31 ft) concrete post attached to a square 1-story concrete equipment room. Entire lighthouse is white. Google has a satellite view. Located at the west end of the detached breakwater of Ashiya harbor, at the mouth of the Onga River. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. JCG-5805.1; NGA 12430.

Kitakyūshū City (Kanmon Strait) Lighthouses

Note: The Kanmon Strait is the narrow passage separating the southwestern tip of Honshū from the northern tip of Kyūshū. Since 1973, the two great islands have been joined by the Kanmonkyō Bridge, which crosses the narrowest point of the strait from Shimonoseki, Honshū, to Kitakyūshū, Kyūshū. The twisting strait has strong tidal currents and is not easy to navigate. Lighthouses on the north (Honshū) side of the strait are on the Western Yamaguchi page.
Wakamatsu Lighthouses
Shinkōnishi (Hibiki Shinko) East Breakwater: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); two green flashes every 6 s. 9.5 m (31 ft) concrete post attached to a square 1-story concrete equipment room. Entire lighthouse is white. Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located at the end of the east breakwater of the Shinkōnishi harbor in the Wakamatsu ward of Kitakyūshū. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-2031; JCG-5550; Admiralty M5295; NGA 12439.
* Sunatsu (Sunatu) Breakwater: 1963. Active; focal plane 12 m (93 ft); red flash every 5 s. 11 m (36 ft) concrete post rising from a square 1-story concrete equipment room. Entire lighthouse is red. A photo is available, and Google has a good satellite view. Located at the end of the breakwater in the Kokura neighborhood, near the southernmost point of the strait. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty JCG-5451; M5345; NGA 9844.
* Sunatsu (Sunatu) Fairway Range Rear: 1961. Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); continuous green light. 13 m (43 ft) round concrete tower with gallery; the light is shown as a panel of vertical neon tubes within a large arrow-shaped daymark. Entire lighthouse is white. A photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. The front light is on a similar but much smaller tower. This range guides westbound vessels as they make the turn around the southernmost point of the strait. Located on the waterfront at the south end of the Kokura basin. Site open, tower closed. JCG-5453; Admiralty M5344.1; NGA 9852.
* Oseto No. 1 Range Front: 1966. Active; focal plane 40 m (131 ft); continuous yellow light. 18 m (59 ft) round cylindrical metal tower with gallery; the light is shown as a panel of horizontal neon tubes within a triangular daymark. Entire lighthouse is white. A photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. The Oseto ranges guide eastbound vessels in the strait. Located beside highway 3 about 300 m (1000 ft) south of the strait. Site open, tower closed. JCG-5443; Admiralty M5340; NGA 9836.
* Oseto No. 1 Range Rear: 1966. Active; focal plane 79 m (259 ft); continuous yellow light. 18 m (59 ft) octagonal cylindrical concrete tower with gallery, attached to a 1-story concrete equipment room; the light is shown as a panel of horizontal neon tubes within a triangular daymark. Entire lighthouse is white. A photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a hill in Tamukeyama Park, 260 m (850 ft) southeast of the front light. Site open, tower closed. JCG-5444; Admiralty M5340.1; NGA 9840.
Moji Lighthouses
Note: The former city of Moji, now a ward of the metropolitan city of Kitakyūshū, occupies a peninsula separating the eastern half of Kanmon Strait from the open waters of the Seto Inland Sea.
* Oseto No. 2 Range Front: 1966. Active; focal plane 20 m (66 ft); continuous yellow light. 18 m (59 ft) square cylindrical skeletal tower with gallery and a triangular daymark. Entire lighthouse painted white. A photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the edge of the strait adjacent to the Ogura Marina in the Matsubara district of Kitakyūshū. Site open, tower closed. JCG-5439; Admiralty M5340.3; NGA 9820.
* Oseto No. 2 Range Rear: 1966. Active; focal plane 30 m (98 ft); continuous yellow light. 28 m (92 ft) square cylindrical skeletal tower with gallery and a triangular daymark. Entire lighthouse painted white. A photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. Located near the entrance to the Ogura Marina in the Matsubara district of Kitakyūshū. Site open, tower closed. JCG-5440; Admiralty M5340.31; NGA 9824.
Inoura Kō: 1970. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); two green flashes every 8 s. 10 m (33 ft) concrete post attached to a square 1-story concrete equipment room. Entire lighthouse is white. Google has a satellite view. Located at the north end of a long detached breakwater at Inoura harbor. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. JCG-5284; Admiralty M4984; NGA 9750.

Miyako and Buzen Area (Suo Bay) Lighthouses

Kanda Town (Miyako District) Lighthouses
* Kanda Kō North Breakwater: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); two red flashes every 8 s. 8.5 m (28 ft) concrete post centered on a square 1-story concrete equipment room. Entire lighthouse is red. A distant view is available, and Google has a satellite view. NGA spells the name Kando. Located at the end of the long north breakwater of Kanda harbor, just south of the Kitakyūshū airport. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-2003; JCG-5277; Admiralty M4982; NGA 9742.
* Kanda Kō East Breakwater: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); two green flashes every 8 s. 7.5 m (25 ft) concrete post centered on a square 1-story concrete equipment room. Entire lighthouse is white. Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of the east breakwater of Kanda harbor. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. JCG-5278; Admiralty M4981; NGA 9738.
Buzen City Lighthouse
Unoshima (Unosima) Kō: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); two red flashes every 8 s. 9.5 m (31 ft) concrete post rising from a square 1-story concrete equipment room. Entire lighthouse is red. Google has a distant satellite view. Located on a short, detached outer breakwater at the entrance to Unoshima harbor. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-2029; JCG-5267; Admiralty M4979; NGA 9730.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Nakagawa. This appears to be a traditional lighthouse, but it may be ornamental; we need information on its history. Located at the southern tip of Nakasu Island in the Naka River (Nakagawa) in the Hakata district of Fukuoka. Google has a satellite view.
Shira Su Replica. This tower is located in the Katsuyama park next to Kokura castle in Kitakyūshū. Japanese Wikipedia has the same photo on its page for Shira Su, but does not tell us when such a lighthouse stood on the reef. Another photo is available, and Google has a satellite view.

Adjoining pages: North: Western Yamaguchi | East: Northern Ōita | West: Saga

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