Mizunokojima Lighthouse
Encyclopedia
is an active lighthouse
located in Japan
's Bungo Channel
.
, in the middle of the Bungo Channel
. The light itself is 56 metres (183.7 ft) above sea level, while the building is 36 metres (118.1 ft) off the ground; the height of the island makes up the difference. It is one of Japan's tallest lighthouses. The tower is painted in alternating black and white horizontal stripes. The light flashes once every ten seconds and emits 1,200,000 candela
. The white two-story keeper's
house is located directly next to the light.
due to Allied strafing and bombs, but service was restored with acetylene
gas lamps by 17 May 1946. On 15 November 1950, the normal light was finally repaired. The lighthouse was manned until 1986, when it transitioned to automatic control. Solar and wave power generators were installed in 2002.
Several typhoons have hit the lighthouse in its years of operation, and the resulting high waves have caused damage. Keepers' records show that waves taller than the roof of the lighthouse hit on 22 September 1922. Another typhoon on 1 October 1941 created waves that reached up to the seventh floor of the lighthouse, rendering equipment like meteorological instruments, radio equipment, generators, and batteries unusable, and the storm destroyed the adjoining pier.
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 in 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...
's Bungo Channel
Bungo Channel
The is a strait separating the Japanese islands of Kyūshū and Shikoku. It connects the Pacific Ocean and Seto Inland Sea. The narrowest part of this channel is the Hōyo Strait....
.
Specifications
The structure is located on Mizunokojima, a small rocky island roughly 25 kilometres (15.5 mi) east-northeast from the city of SaikiSaiki, Oita
is a city located in Ōita Prefecture, Japan.As of 2003, the former city had an estimated population of 49,183 and the density of 249.19 persons per km²...
, in the middle of the Bungo Channel
Bungo Channel
The is a strait separating the Japanese islands of Kyūshū and Shikoku. It connects the Pacific Ocean and Seto Inland Sea. The narrowest part of this channel is the Hōyo Strait....
. The light itself is 56 metres (183.7 ft) above sea level, while the building is 36 metres (118.1 ft) off the ground; the height of the island makes up the difference. It is one of Japan's tallest lighthouses. The tower is painted in alternating black and white horizontal stripes. The light flashes once every ten seconds and emits 1,200,000 candela
Candela
The candela is the SI base unit of luminous intensity; that is, power emitted by a light source in a particular direction, weighted by the luminosity function . A common candle emits light with a luminous intensity of roughly one candela...
. The white two-story keeper's
Lighthouse keeper
A lighthouse keeper is the person responsible for tending and caring for a lighthouse, particularly the light and lens in the days when oil lamps and clockwork mechanisms were used. Keepers were needed to trim the wicks, replenish fuel, wind clockworks and perform maintenance tasks such as cleaning...
house is located directly next to the light.
History
The Mizunokojima Lighthouse began operating on 20 March 1904, after a torturous four-year construction marked by difficulties brought on by the remoteness of the location. The location had to be abandoned on 4 May 1945 during World War IIWorld 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...
due to Allied strafing and bombs, but service was restored with acetylene
Acetylene
Acetylene is the chemical compound with the formula C2H2. It is a hydrocarbon and the simplest alkyne. This colorless gas is widely used as a fuel and a chemical building block. It is unstable in pure form and thus is usually handled as a solution.As an alkyne, acetylene is unsaturated because...
gas lamps by 17 May 1946. On 15 November 1950, the normal light was finally repaired. The lighthouse was manned until 1986, when it transitioned to automatic control. Solar and wave power generators were installed in 2002.
Several typhoons have hit the lighthouse in its years of operation, and the resulting high waves have caused damage. Keepers' records show that waves taller than the roof of the lighthouse hit on 22 September 1922. Another typhoon on 1 October 1941 created waves that reached up to the seventh floor of the lighthouse, rendering equipment like meteorological instruments, radio equipment, generators, and batteries unusable, and the storm destroyed the adjoining pier.