The is a lighthouse

Lighthouse

A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....

 located at the northernmost extremity of Honshū

Honshu

is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait...

 island, on Bentenjima, an island 600 meters off Cape Ōmazaki in Ōma

Oma, Aomori

is a town located in northeastern Aomori in Tōhoku region of Japan. As of 2009, the town had an estimated population of 5,950 and a density of 114 persons per km². Its total area was 52.06 km².-Geography:...

, Aomori Prefecture

Aomori Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku Region. The capital is the city of Aomori.- History :Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Aomori prefecture was known as Mutsu Province....

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. It is within the borders of the Shimokita Hanto Quasi-National Park

Shimokita Hanto Quasi-National Park

is a quasi-national park in the far northern Tohoku region of Honshū in Japan. It is rated a protected landscape according to the IUCN. The park, which covers most of Shimokita Peninsula, includes the volcanic peaks and caldera lakes of the Osorezan Mountain Range, the coastal rock formations of...

.

The Ōmazaki Lighthouse illuminates the Tsugaru Strait

Tsugaru Strait

is a channel between Honshu and Hokkaido in northern Japan connecting the Sea of Japan with the Pacific Ocean. It was named after the western part of Aomori Prefecture...

 at the entrance to Mutsu Bay

Mutsu Bay

is a bay inside Aomori Prefecture, Japan. It includes three bays; Aomori Bay, Noheji Bay and Ōminato Bay. Mutsu Bay covers about 1660 km². The culture of scallops is prosperous in the bay....

. Its light can be seen across the strait to Hokkaido

Hokkaido

, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...

.

Work began on the Ōmazaki Lighthouse in September 1920, and it was first lit on November 1, 1921. During World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, it was hit repeated by air strikes by United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 aircraft and by 1945 it was in ruins. While being rebuilt after the war, it was again severely damaged by the 1952 Tokachioki Earthquake. The second generation lighthouse was completed in July 1953. A radar beacon

Racon

A racon is a radar transponder commonly used to mark maritime navigational hazards. The word is a portmanteau of RAdar and beaCON.When a racon receives a radar pulse, it responds with a signal on the same frequency which puts an image on the radar display...

was established on April 17, 1983. Since April 1, 1993, the lighthouse has been fully automated, and is now unmanned.

It is listed as one of the “50 Lighthouses of Japan” by the Japan Lighthouse Association.

External links

Lighthouses in Japan