The Oldest Stone Lighthouse in Tohoku
The Kinkazan Lighthouse (金華山灯台) is a round stone lighthouse of 1876 in Kinkazan, Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property (structure) on June 28, 2017 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Agency records a stone tower 5.6 metres in diameter and 13 metres high, with an annex; registration number 04-0128.
A Lighthouse by Brunton
The Kinkazan Lighthouse is a round lighthouse at the south-eastern tip of Kinkazan Island off the Oshika Peninsula, designed by Brunton (Agency for Cultural Affairs). Miyagi Prefecture identifies him as Richard Henry Brunton, who guided lighthouse building across Japan in the early Meiji era.
The tower, 5.6 metres across at its base, is built of coursed granite, and carries a bronze lamp room 4.0 metres across and a domed steel lantern, with a semicircular annex at its foot (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Why It Was Registered
The Agency describes it as the oldest stone lighthouse in the Tohoku region and registered it as a structure that would be difficult to reproduce.
What to Look For
Look for the cylindrical tower of coursed granite and the bronze lamp room and domed steel lantern on top (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting
It is owned by the national government, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (Agency for Cultural Affairs). No official information on travel to the island or access to the lighthouse grounds was found.
Q&A
- When was the Kinkazan Lighthouse built?
- In 1876 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
- Who designed it?
- Richard Henry Brunton.
- How big is it?
- A stone tower 5.6 metres across at the base and 13 metres high.
- Why was it registered?
- It is the oldest stone lighthouse in the Tohoku region.
- When was the Kinkazan Lighthouse registered?
- On June 28, 2017 (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Basic Information
| Name | Kinkazan Lighthouse (金華山灯台) |
|---|---|
| Location | Kinkazan, Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Structure) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2017/06/28 (Heisei 29) |
| Quantity | 1 structure |
| Dimensions | Stone, 5.6 m diameter, 13 m high, with annex |
| Owner | National government (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism) |
| Public Access | No official information on travel or access |
References
- Kinkazan Lighthouse (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/101/00011618
- Registration of Kinkazan Lighthouse (Miyagi Prefecture, 2017, Japanese)
- https://www.pref.miyagi.jp/soshiki/bunkazai/touroku170310.html
Last verified: 2026.10.19