Overview
Kinkasan Lighthouse is a whitewashed lighthouse standing atop a sheer cliff on the eastern shore of Kinkasan, a sacred island about one kilometer off the tip of the Oshika Peninsula in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture. It is one of the so-called 'Brunton lighthouses' designed by the British engineer Richard Henry Brunton, and it has cast its beam over the Pacific for well over a century. With its dramatic cliff-top setting and the trim, Meiji-era lines it still retains, it is celebrated as one of the '50 Lighthouses of Japan.'
Highlights
- ●A white lighthouse on a sheer cliff with a Pacific Ocean view
- ●One of the Meiji-era 'Brunton lighthouses' designed by Richard Brunton
- ●A Registered Tangible Cultural Property and a '50 Lighthouses of Japan' site
- ●Traces of a dramatic history of wartime destruction and rebuilding
History
Construction of Kinkasan Lighthouse began in March 1874, and it was completed and first lit on November 1, 1876, eight months after Brunton had left Japan. It was destroyed between July and August 1945 by the United States Navy in the closing stage of World War II, but was rebuilt in February 1946 to light the sea once more. On April 1, 2005 it was fully automated and unmanned. The lighthouse is listed as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan, a valuable monument to the country's modern lighthouse history.
Access
Administratively it belongs to Ayukawahama in Ishinomaki, and the lighthouse stands along the southeastern coast within Kinkasan island. You reach Kinkasan by boat from a port on the Oshika Peninsula and then explore the island on foot. Because the path to the cliff-top lighthouse and whether it can be viewed vary with conditions, confirm the latest information together with sailings from official sources before crossing.
Best season
On clear days when sea and sky are crisp, the contrast between the white cliff-top lighthouse and the blue Pacific is especially striking. As a sea crossing is required, boats may be canceled on windy or stormy days. Choosing a calm day from early summer to autumn lets you enjoy it at leisure alongside a walk around the island.
Map
38.2766, 141.5841 · Wikidata
Suggested itinerary
- 1Cross to Kinkasan by boat from a port on the Oshika Peninsula
- 2Pay respects at Koganeyama Shrine, then head toward the lighthouse
- 3Enjoy the cliff-top Kinkasan Lighthouse and the sea on the island's east coast
- 4Return to the harbor and watch the island recede from the boat home
Did you know?
💡 The designer, Richard Henry Brunton, was an engineer who built many lighthouses across Japan in the early Meiji period, and Kinkasan Lighthouse belongs to that body of work. Lost in war yet rebuilt, and lighting the sea for more than 130 years, its record speaks of the eventful history this lighthouse has passed through.
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