Tsurushima Lighthouse, Maritime lighthouse in Ehime Prefecture, Japan
Tsurushima Lighthouse is a white stone tower standing 10 meters tall at an elevation of 58 meters on a small island. It sends out alternating white and red light signals every 16 seconds, along with a keeper's residence nearby.
This tower was built in 1873 by British engineer Richard Henry Branton and was the first Western-style lighthouse facility in Ehime Prefecture. It marked an important moment when Japan began adopting modern infrastructure during the Meiji era.
The keeper's residence beside the tower features wooden beams and imported glass windows typical of the Meiji era. These details reveal how Japanese officials embraced Western building methods during that transformative period.
You can reach the tower by taking a ferry from Mitsuhama Port to Tsurushima Port, then walking about 20 minutes on paved paths through the island. The paths are straightforward and mostly flat, making the walk quite manageable.
The tower's light signals vary in brightness: white flashes reach 310,000 candela while red flashes are 120,000 candela. This difference in intensity allows ships to spot the signals from up to 20 nautical miles away.
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