Kantorisaki Lighthouse, Navigation lighthouse in Taiji, Japan

Kantorisaki Lighthouse is a white octagonal tower standing on a rocky headland along the southern coast of Wakayama Prefecture. The structure rises from the coastal cliffs and serves as a navigation guide for maritime traffic passing through these waters.

Kantorisaki Lighthouse was completed and first lit in November 1899, replacing the earlier light at nearby Tōmyōzaki, which had been abolished in 1872 and left navigation in the area difficult. The tower was rebuilt in March 1963. The cape had long served as a lookout point: a whale-spotting post (yamami) stood here, sending signals to whaling boats, along with a ship-watching guard station set up around 1619 by Tokugawa Yorinori, first lord of Kishū Domain.

The name Kantorisaki comes from boats plying the Kumano Sea that used the cape as a landmark to set their rudders (kaji). Nearby stands a couple's pine, a natural monument over 350 years old, and a whale memorial stone recalls the whaling that once used the cape's lookout.

The lighthouse stands within the special zone of Yoshino-Kumano National Park, on a headland overlooking the Pacific. A lawn area surrounds it, and the married-ibuki trees, over 350 years old, stand nearby. The site is reached on foot, so allow time for walking and check conditions before setting out.

The name Kantorisaki comes from the practice of ships crossing the Kumano Sea, which used this headland as a landmark to set their rudder (kaji). Long before the lighthouse, the point held a whale-spotting post (yamami) that sent signals to whaling boats, and a boat-watching guard station set up around 1619 by Tokugawa Yorinori, first lord of Kishu Domain.