is a cape

Cape

Cape can be used to describe any sleeveless outer garment, such as a poncho, but usually it is a long garment that covers only the back half of the wearer, fastening around the neck. They were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon, and have had periodic...

 on the Pacific Ocean

Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...

, in the city of Chōshi

Isumi, Chiba

is a city in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. As of March 1, 2010, the city has a population of 41,014 in an area of 157.50 km².Tōkyō Station is reached from Isumi by express train in 1 hour and 10 minutes via Ōhara Station on the JR East Sotobō Line.-Geography:...

, Chiba Prefecture

Chiba Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region and the Greater Tokyo Area. Its capital is Chiba City.- History :Chiba Prefecture was established on June 15, 1873 with the merger of Kisarazu Prefecture and Inba Prefecture...

, 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...

. The cape is located at the very southern point of Kujūkuri Beach

Kujukuri Beach

is a sandy beach located on the east coast of the Bōsō Peninsula in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. Lying within 60 km of Tokyo and being the second longest beach in Japan, it is a popular swimming and surfing destination for inhabitants of Greater Tokyo....

 on the island of Honshu

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...

.

Geography

Cape Taitō is also known Taitō-misaki (太東岬) in Japanese. Cape Gyōbumi

Cape Gyōbumi

is a cape on the Pacific Ocean, in the Iioka district of the city of Asahi, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. The cape is located at the very northern point of Kujūkuri Beach on the island of Honshu, and is protected as part of the Suigō-Tsukuba Quasi-National Park....

, Asahi, Chiba

Asahi, Chiba

is a city located in northern Chiba, Japan. As of February 2011, the city had an estimated population of 69,000 and a population density of 531 persons per km². The total area was 129.91 km².-Geography:...

, is visible to the north; the mouth of the Isumi River

Isumi River

The is a river in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. It is in length and has a drainage area of . Under the Rivers Act of 1906 the Isumi is designated as a Class 2 River. Additionally, the government has designated the Isumi River a national-level .-Geography:...

 and the streets of the city of Isumi

Isumi, Chiba

is a city in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. As of March 1, 2010, the city has a population of 41,014 in an area of 157.50 km².Tōkyō Station is reached from Isumi by express train in 1 hour and 10 minutes via Ōhara Station on the JR East Sotobō Line.-Geography:...

 are visible to the south. Much of the cape is open as a public park area. It is part of Minami Bōsō Quasi-National Park

Minami Bōsō Quasi-National Park

is a quasi-national park in the Kantō region of Honshū in Japan. It is rated a protected landscape according to the IUCN. The park includes numerous widely separated portions of the coastal areas of southern Bōsō Peninsula, ranging from Cape Futtsu on Tokyo Bay to the west, to Cape Inubō facing...

.

History

Cape Taitō was significantly larger in the Edo period

Edo period

The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....

, but has shrunk due to marine erosion and the effects of the 1703 Genroku earthquake

1703 Genroku earthquake

The occurred at 02:00 local time on December 31 . The epicenter was near Edo, the forerunner of present-day Tokyo, in the southern part of the Kantō Region, Japan. It shook Edo and an estimated 2,300 people were killed by the shaking and subsequent fires...

. Significant military facilities were built on the cape 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...

 when it served as a military fortification

Fortification

Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...

. The installation was abandoned after the war, and disappeared into the Pacific Ocean due to marine erosion.

Cape Taitō Lighthouse

The cape is home to the Cape Taitō Lighthouse, which is 60 meters high, and sits 100 meters inland. The original Cape Taitō Lighthouse was built in 1950 and lit in 1952. The current structure was built in 1972 to replace the original lighthouse, which was abandoned due to fear of marine erosion. The lighthouse is visible from approximately 41 km out to sea.

Transportation

The cape is located 4 km from the JR East

East Japan Railway Company

is the largest passenger railway company in the world and one of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo....

 Taitō Station

Taitō Station

is a railway station operated by JR East's Sotobō Line located in Isumi, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. It is 49.3 kilometers from the terminus of the Sotobō Line at Chiba Station.-History:...

, and is approximately 45 minutes by foot from the station.