Lighthouses of Japan: Western Ehime

Smallest of the Japanese main islands, Shikoku is divided into four prefectures. This page includes lighthouses of western Ehime Prefecture. This coastline faces west on the Bungo Strait, which separates Shikoku from Kyūshū. It is a particularly rugged and intricately dissected coast, difficult for land and sea travelers alike.

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.

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 - Ehime
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 of Japan - Ehime
Another comprehensive site, in Japanese, with many photos.
Kiso's Lighthouses
This site has many excellent photos of Japanese lighthouses.
Misty's Japanese Lighthouse Tour - Ehime
Photos and a few notes in English for lighthouses in all parts of the country.
Ehime Lighthouses
Photos and travel directions for accessible lighthouses.
Lighthouse Photo Gallery
Photos from the web site of the Sixth Coast Guard Region.
Meiji Lighthouses of the Sixth Region
Also posted by the Sixth Coast Guard Region, information and photos concerning lighthouses built in the Meiji period (1868-1912).
The Japanese Lighthouse - Ehime
A collection of photos of lighthouses.
The Famous Fifty Lighthouses
Photos of the lighthouses voted most famous in Japan, posted by the Eighth Coast Guard Region. One of the fifty (Sada Misaki) stands in Ehime.

Sada Misaki Light
Sada Misaki Light, December 2006
Panoramio Creative Commons photo by Aaron Madlon-Kay

Note: The Bungo Strait (Bungo-Suidō) runs north and south separating the main islands of Shikoku and Kyūshū. The coastline on the Shikoku side of the strait is quite rugged and complex, and the lighthouses are in areas very difficult to reach.
Minamiuwa District Lighthouses
* Ninobae Hana (Iyo Fukaura Kō)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 9.5 m (31 ft); white light occulting twice every 6 s. 7.5 m (25 ft) round concrete tower with a flared top, attached to a 1-story concrete equipment shelter. Entire lighthouse is white. A photo is available (first photo on the page), but Google has only a very distant satellite view. Located at the tip of a promontory on the south side of the entrance to Fukaura harbor. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty M5611.2; NGA 10508.
* Tengi Hana (2)
1953 (station established 1949). Active; focal plane 73 m (240 ft); white light, 6 s on, 2 s off; in addition a spotlight illuminates a beacon on a reef about 800 m (1/2 mi) southeast. 7.5 m (25 ft) square cylindrical concrete tower with gallery; the spotlight is shown through a square window. Entire lighthouse is white. Misty's Tour also has photos, and Google has a satellite view. The station was established with a temporary post light. Located on a promontory about 20 km (13 mi) west of Sukomo. Accessible by hiking a narrow service road. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-639; JP-3125; Admiralty M5611; NGA 10504.
Kōmo Saki
1950. Active; focal plane 142 m (466 ft); white flash every 7 s. 6 m (20 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with gallery, attached to a small 1-story concrete equipment building. Entire lighthouse is white. Google has a very distant satellite view. Kōmo Saki lies at the end of the intricately dissected Iyo peninsula, really an island connected tenuously to the mainland by two narrow isthmuses. It's not clear what access there is to this remote location, but the webmaster of Misty's Tour got there for several photos. Located at the southwestern tip of the peninsula. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-272; JP-3129; Admiralty M5612; NGA 10492.
Iyo Ka Shima
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 36 m (118 ft); white flash every 4 s. 11 m (36 ft) round white concrete tower. A distant view is available, there's another distant view (fourth photo on the page), and Google has a very distant satellite view. Located on an island off the northwestern tip of the Iyo peninsula. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS JPN-193; JP-5601; Admiralty M5612.1; NGA 10488.
Kogai Bae
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); two white flashes every 8 s. 11 m (36 ft) round cylindrical white concrete tower. A photo is available (3/4 the way down the page and misidentified as 5602 Mabune), and Google has a satellite view. Located on an islet barely separated from the tip of a promontory about 3 km (2 mi) south of Kashiwa. Accessible only by boat. JP-5603; Admiralty M5612.2; NGA 10480.
Shiogo (Sioko) Shima (Kuro Bae)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 19 m (62 ft); white flash every 3 s. 17 m (56 ft) round cylindrical white concrete tower. A distant view is available. Located on a skerry about 4 km (2.5 mi) east of Kashiwa. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-2513; Admiralty M5612.3; NGA 10476.
Yurano Hana
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 93 m (305 ft); white flash every 5 s. 9 m (30 ft) square cylindrical concrete tower. Entire lighthouse is white. A photo is available (seventh photo on the page), and Google has a very distant satellite view. Located at the tip of another long and intricate peninsula projecting into the Bungo Strait about 30 km (19 mi) south of Uwajima. Accessible by a lengthy hiking trail. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-2431; Admiralty M5613; NGA 10468.

Uwajima City Lighthouses
* Suge (Suga) Saki
1950. Active; focal plane unknown; two white flashes every 8 s. 13 m (43 ft) concrete post light rising from a small 1-story concrete equipment building. Entire lighthouse is white. Google has a satellite view. NGA lists the focal plane as 11 m (36 ft), clearly an error. Suge Saki is on the north side of the same long and intricate peninsula as the Yurano Hana Light (previous entry). Accessible by road, although the webmaster of Misty's Tour needed local information to find it. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-597; JP-5607; Admiralty M5614; NGA 10456.
Noto Saki (Aka Bae)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 16 m (52 ft); three white flashes every 13. 9 m (30 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower rising from a small 1-story concrete equipment building. Lighthouse painted with red and white horizontal bands. A photo is at right, additional photos and another photo are available (about 5/6 of the way down the page, #5613), and Google has a fuzzy satellite view. Located on a skerry just off the coast about 15 km (9 mi) southwest of Uwajima. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS JPN-2409; JP-5613; Admiralty M5614.34; NGA 10440.
Otoshi Hana (Otoshibana)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 9.5 m (31 ft); one short and one long green flash every 8 s. 9.5 m (31 ft) round concrete tower with gallery, mounted on a round concrete pier. Entire lighthouse is green. A photo is available (about 5/6 of the way down the page, #5614), and Google has a satellite view. Located just off a promontory about 1.2 km (3/4 mi) east of Komobuchi. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. JP-5614; Admiralty M5614.4; NGA 10420.
Hiburi Shima
1958. Active; focal plane 125 m (410 ft); two white flashes every 20 s. 10 m (33 ft) square cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery, rising from a 1-story concrete keeper's house or equipment building. Entire lighthouse is white. Another photo is available (about 5/6 of the way down the page, #5615), the Uwajima Coast Guard Office has a small photo (first photo on the page), and Google has a distant satellite view. Hiburi Shima is an inhabited island in Bungo Strait about 27 km (17 mi) west southwest of Uwajima. The island lies close to the main shipping channel of the strait, making this an important light station. Located at the western tip of the island. Accessible only by boat, but ferry service is available. Site status unknown. ARLHS JPN-110; JP-5615; Admiralty M5614.5; NGA 10436.
Noto Saki
Noto Saki Light; Japanese Coast Guard photo
Uwa Ka Shima
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 129 m (423 ft); white light, 3 s on, 3 s off. 10 m (33 ft) square cylindrical white concrete tower. No closeup photo available, and Google has a satellite view. This lighthouse marks the beginning of the approach to the harbor of Uwajima, the principal port on Shikoku's southwestern coast. Located atop a small but high island about 18 km (11 mi) west of Uwajima. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS JPN-734; JP-5616; Admiralty M5615.6; NGA 10424.
Oko Shima
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 61 m (200 ft); white flash every 3 s. 8.5 m (28 ft) round white concrete tower. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located at the eastern point of the island, about 13 km (8 mi) west of Uwajima. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. JP-5618; Admiralty M5615; NGA 10428.
* Uwajima Kō West Breakwater
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 9 m (30 ft); red flash every 5 s. 9 m (30 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 breakwater protecting Uwajima harbor. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty M5619.2.
Hikide Hana
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); white light occulting once every 4 s. 13 m (43 ft) round white concrete tower with double gallery. Kiso has a photo and a more distant view, a distant photo is available (almost halfway down the page), and Google has a satellite view. Located on a promontory on the north side of the entrance to Uwajima harbor. Probably accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-2370; JP-5627; Admiralty M5619.4; NGA 10412.
Ora Saki
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 30 m (98 ft); white light, 3 s on, 3 s off. 11 m (36 ft) round white concrete tower. Kiso has a photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located on the tip of a long peninsula at the northern entrance to the bay of Uwajima, about 10 km (6 mi) west northwest of the city. Site status unknown. JP-5630; Admiralty M5620; NGA 10408.

Seiyo City Lighthouses
* Osaki Hana
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 107 m (351 ft); white flash every 5 s; also a spotlight illuminating a nearby reef. 8.5 m (28 ft) square cylindrical white concrete tower. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. A closeup photo is available (1/5 the way down the page), but Google has only a very distant satellite view. Located on the tip of a rugged peninsula at the western end of Seiyo city. Accessible by road. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty M5622; NGA 10400.

Nishiuwa District (Sadamisaki Peninsula) Lighthouses
Note: The Sadamisaki Peninsula is a 32 km (20 mi) long finger of land pointing from the western tip of Shikoku. Narrow and mountainous, the scenic peninsula separates the Bungo Strait to the south from Iyo Bay, the westernmost basin of the Inland Sea, to the north. Highway 197 runs the length of the peninsula.
Ko Shima (Kojima)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); white flash every 5 s. 11 m (36 ft) round white concrete tower with gallery. A Coast Guard photo is at right, a distant view is available, but the tower is not seen in Google's fuzzy satellite view. Located on an islet marking the southern entrance to Yamatahama. Accessible only by boat. ARLHS JPN-2392; Admiralty M5622.7; NGA 10388.
Murono (Muroga) Hana
1972. Active; focal plane 31 m (102 ft); white light, 3 s on, 3 s off. 12 m (39 ft) two-stage round concrete tower, the lower part cylindrical and the upper part conical. Entire lighthouse is white. Lighthouse-Japan.com has a page with good photos, and a Google satellite view is available. Located on a promontory on the west side of the entrance to Ikata, about 8 km (5 mi) west of Yamatahama, near the base of the Sadamisaki peninsula. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-378; JP-5642; Admiralty M5623.6; NGA 10380.
Mekko Hana (Taka Bae)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 64 m (210 ft); white light occulting twice every 8 s. 12 m (39 ft) round white concrete tower. Lighthouse-Japan.com has a page with closeup photos, and Google has a satellite view. Located atop the end of a very narrow peninsula projecting from the south side of the Sadamisaki peninsula, about 10 km (6 mi) west of Yamatahama. May be accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS JPN-341; JP-5643; Admiralty M5624.5; NGA 10384.
* Sadamisaki Kō
1963. Active; focal plane 15 m (49 ft); continuous green light with a more intense flash every 6 s. 9.5 m (31 ft) concrete post light rising from a square 1-story concrete equipment room. Entire lighthouse is white. Google has a distant satellite view of the harbor. Located at the end of the main breakwater of Sadamisaki harbor, on the south side of the peninsula, about 5 km (3 mi) northeast of the point of the cape. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. JP-5647; Admiralty M5625.6; NGA 10465.
Ko Shima Light
Ko Shima Light; Uwajima Coast Guard Office photo
* Sada Misaki
1918. Active; focal plane 49 m (161 ft); three white flashes every 20 s. 18 m (59 ft) octagonal cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery, rising from a 1-story concrete keeper's house. Entire lighthouse is white. Aaron Madlon-Kay's photo is at the top of this page, Lighthouse-Japan.com has a page with several good photos, Kiso has a closeup photo, a 2008 photo and another good photo from the land side are available, Wikipedia has a sunset photo, and Google has a very distant satellite view. This is one of Japan's Famous Fifty Lighthouses. Although many lighthouses have lovely locations, few command a view as spectacular as this one. The Sadamisaki peninsula is 32 km (20 mi) long and never more than a few kilometers wide. It projects into the Inland Sea, separating Iyo Bay on the north from Uwa Bay on the south. At its tip, the lighthouse is surrounded by water in all directions. Accessible by road at the end of the very scenic highway 197. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-519; JP-4967; Admiralty M5424; NGA 9296.
* Mimai Saki
1976. Active; focal plane 73 m (240 ft); white light, 3 s on, 3 s off. 10 m (33 ft) two-stage round concrete tower with double gallery. Entire lighthouse is white. Lighthouse-Japan.com has a page with several photos, and Google has a very distant satellite view. Located on a sharp promontory on the north side of the Sadamisaki peninsula about 2/3 of the way to the cape. Accessible by road. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-354; JP-4966; Admiralty M5426; NGA 9292.
* Mitsukue (Mitukue) Kō (2)
Date unknown (station established 1960). Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); red light, 3 s on, 3 s off. 9 m (30 ft) concrete post light rising from a square 1-story concrete equipment room. Entire lighthouse is red. Google has a very distant satellite view of the harbor. NGA lists a 7 m (23 ft) skeletal tower at this location. Located at the end of the west breakwater of Mitsukue. Accessible by walking the pier. Site open, tower closed. JP-4965; Admiralty M5427; NGA 9288.
* Fusuma (Husuma) Hana
1956. Active; focal plane 60 m (197 ft); white flash every 10 s. 9 m (30 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Entire lighthouse is white. Lighthouse-Japan.com has a page with good photos, Misty's Tour has another photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a sharp promontory on the north side of the Sadamisaki peninsula about 1/3 of the way to the cape. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS JPN-145; JP-4964; Admiralty M5427.5; NGA 9284.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: North: Okayama and Hiroshima | East: Northern Ehime | South: Kōchi | West: Northeastern Kyūshū

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Posted May 28, 2007. Checked and revised January 2, 2012. Lighthouses: 25. Site copyright 2012 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.