The Rokkosaki Lighthouse is a lighthouse located in Suzu, Ishikawa, Japan. Because of its location in the Noroshi neighborhood of Suzu, it is also called the Noroshi Lighthouse. The lighthouse's important cultural history has led it to be named as an A Rank on the "Lighthouse Preservation" list of lighthouses built during the Meiji Period.[1] It has also been selected as one of "Japan's 50 Lighthouse," a survey conducted in 1998 asking respondents around Japan for their favorite lighthouse.[2] In 2017, the lighthouse was selected as a "Lighthouse of Love".[3]

Rokkōsaki Lighthouse
Map
LocationSuzu, Ishikawa, Japan
Coordinates37°31′44″N 137°19′35″E / 37.528889°N 137.326389°E / 37.528889; 137.326389
Tower
Constructed1883
Constructionstone Edit this on Wikidata
Automated1963
Shapecylindrical
Light
LensFresnel Lens
Intensity55,000 cd
Range33 km

The Rokkosaki Lighthouse is also unusual because, unlike many lighthouses that flash via a rotating lens,[4] it has a fixed lens with a shielding that rotates around it.[5]

The lighthouse is located in the Noto Hantō Quasi-National Park and atop 50 meter tall sheer cliffs that rise above the Sea of Japan. At the base of the cliffs extend "senjoujiki" wave-cut platforms formed by the erosive effect of strong waves.

History

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The Rokkosaki Lighthouse was completed in 1883. The design of the lighthouse is often accredited to Richard Henry Brunton, the "Father of Japanese lighthouse" due to its remarkable similarity to other lighthouses Brunton designed. This is sometimes contested, however, due to the fact that Brunton returned to Scotland in 1876, seven years before the completion of the Rokkosaki Lighthouse.

The white stones used to build the lighthouse were quarried in Anamizu, transported to Noroshi on ships, then lifted to the top of the cliffs via a cable system. The time-consuming process took about two years to complete.

References

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  1. ^ "保存灯台|Lighthouse-JAPAN.com". lighthouse-japan.com. Retrieved 2021-04-14.
  2. ^ "あなたが選ぶ「日本の灯台50選」 | 「灯台のことなら」 公益社団法人 燈光会". 「灯台のことなら」 公益社団法人 燈光会 (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-04-14.
  3. ^ "認定灯台". 恋する灯台プロジェクト 公式サイト (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-04-14.
  4. ^ "Lens Rotation by Thomas Tag | US Lighthouse Society". uslhs.org. Retrieved 2021-04-14.
  5. ^ "禄剛埼灯台のまち石川県珠洲市". 海と灯台プロジェクト (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-04-14.