Ashizurimisaki Lighthouse, Maritime navigation tower in Tosashimizu, Japan

Ashizurimisaki Lighthouse is a white stone tower standing 20 meters above rocky cliffs at the southernmost point of Shikoku Island, surrounded by extensive grounds planted with thousands of flowers. The structure occupies a prominent coastal position where ocean views extend across the Pacific in multiple directions.

Ashizurimisaki Lighthouse was first lit on 1 April 1914, with an octagonal concrete tower and a fourth-order Fresnel lens. In 1944 it was strafed by US aircraft during the Pacific War. On 29 July 1960 it was rebuilt in its present rocket-shaped design. Medium-wave maritime weather broadcasts began in September 1971 and ended on 30 September 2016.

The lighthouse grounds hold a literary monument to novelist Torao Tamiya, inscribed with a line from his novel Ashizurimisaki: "The spray of the crashing waves was falling like rain over the whole face of the giant rocks on the cliff." The lighthouse is also listed among Japan's 50 Selected Lighthouses.

From Nakamura Station on the Tosa Kuroshio Railway, take the Kochi Seinan Kotsu bus bound for Ashizurimisaki Center; the ride takes about 1 hour 40 minutes, and the lighthouse is a 5-minute walk from the Ashizurimisaki stop. The tip of the cape is exposed to the open Pacific, so wind and rain can arrive quickly.

At the foot of the lighthouse, in the garden below, stands a literary monument to the novelist Tamiya Torahiko. It is inscribed with a line from his novel Ashizurimisaki: "The spray of the crashing rough waves was falling like rain over the whole face of the giant rock on the cliff."