Richard Henry Brunton
Encyclopedia
Richard Henry Brunton FRGS MICE
Institution of Civil Engineers
Founded on 2 January 1818, the Institution of Civil Engineers is an independent professional association, based in central London, representing civil engineering. Like its early membership, the majority of its current members are British engineers, but it also has members in more than 150...

 (26 December 1841 – 24 April 1901) was the so-called "Father of Japanese
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...

 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....

s". Brunton was born in Muchalls
Muchalls
Muchalls is a small coastal ex-fishing village in Kincardineshire, Scotland, south of Newtonhill and north of Stonehaven. Muchalls is situated slightly north of a smaller hamlet known as the Bridge of Muchalls. At the western edge of Muchalls is the historic Saint Ternan's Church...

, Kincardineshire
Kincardineshire
The County of Kincardine, also known as Kincardineshire or The Mearns was a local government county on the coast of northeast Scotland...

, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

. He was employed by the Japanese Government as a foreign advisor (o-yatoi gaikokujin
O-yatoi gaikokujin
The Foreign government advisors in Meiji Japan, known in Japanese as oyatoi gaikokujin , were those foreign advisors hired by the Japanese government for their specialized knowledge to assist in the modernization of Japan at the end of the Bakufu and during the Meiji era. The term is sometimes...

) to build lighthouses in Japan.

Early life

Brunton was born in the Coastguard House (now 11 Marine Terrace) at Muchalls
Muchalls
Muchalls is a small coastal ex-fishing village in Kincardineshire, Scotland, south of Newtonhill and north of Stonehaven. Muchalls is situated slightly north of a smaller hamlet known as the Bridge of Muchalls. At the western edge of Muchalls is the historic Saint Ternan's Church...

, Fetteresso in The Mearns
Kincardineshire
The County of Kincardine, also known as Kincardineshire or The Mearns was a local government county on the coast of northeast Scotland...

. After training as a railway engineer he joined the Stevenson brothers (David
David Stevenson (engineer)
David Stevenson FRSE FRSSA was a Scottish lighthouse designer, who designed over thirty lighthouses in and around Scotland, and helped found a great dynasty of lighthouse engineering.-Background:...

 and Thomas Stevenson
Thomas Stevenson
Thomas Stevenson PRSE MInstCE FRSSA FSAScot was a pioneering Scottish lighthouse designer and meteorologist, who designed over thirty lighthouses in and around Scotland, as well as the Stevenson screen used in meteorology...

) who were engaged by the British government to build 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....

s.

Life in Japan

Under pressure from British ambassador Sir Harry Parkes
Harry Smith Parkes
Sir Harry Smith Parkes was a 19th century British diplomat who worked mainly in China and Japan...

 to fulfil its obligations to make the waters and harbors of Japan safe for shipping, the Japanese government hired the Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...

-based firm of D. and T. Stevenson to chart coastal waters and to build lighthouses where appropriate. The project had already begun under French foreign advisor
O-yatoi gaikokujin
The Foreign government advisors in Meiji Japan, known in Japanese as oyatoi gaikokujin , were those foreign advisors hired by the Japanese government for their specialized knowledge to assist in the modernization of Japan at the end of the Bakufu and during the Meiji era. The term is sometimes...

 Léonce Verny
Léonce Verny
François Léonce Verny, was a French officer and naval engineer who directed the construction of the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal in Japan, as well as many related modern infrastructure projects from 1865 to 1876, thus helping jump-start Japan's modernization.-Early life:Léonce Verny was born in Aubenas,...

, but was not proceeding fast enough for the British.

Brunton was sent from Edinburgh in August 1868 to head the project after being recommended to the Japanese government by the Stevensons, and over seven and a half years designed and supervised the building of 26 Japanese lighthouses in the Western
Western culture
Western culture, sometimes equated with Western civilization or European civilization, refers to cultures of European origin and is used very broadly to refer to a heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional customs, religious beliefs, political systems, and specific artifacts and...

 style, along with two lightvessel
Lightvessel
A lightvessel, or lightship, is a ship which acts as a lighthouse. They are used in waters that are too deep or otherwise unsuitable for lighthouse construction...

s. (There had been Japanese lighthouses before then, but they were short and squat buildings, such as the old Shirasu lighthouse now in the grounds of Kokura castle
Kokura Castle
in Kitakyushu, Japan was built by Hosokawa Tadaoki in 1602. It was the property of the Ogasawara clan between 1632 and 1860. The castle was burnt down in 1865 in the war between the Kokura and Chōshū clans....

 in Kitakyushu.) Brunton was accompanied by his wife and two assistants.

Brunton also established a system of lighthouse keeper
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...

s, modeled on the Northern Lighthouse Board
Northern Lighthouse Board
The Northern Lighthouse Board is the General Lighthouse Authority for Scotland and the Isle of Man. It is a non-departmental public body responsible for marine navigation aids around coastal areas.-History:...

 in Scotland.

He was consulted on other engineering projects, and significantly contributed to the waterworks and harbour design in Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...

, where he is remembered by a commemorative statue. He also helped found Japan's first school of civil engineering.

Return to Britain

After disgreeing with Japanese officials he left Japan in March, 1876, later receiving a prize for his paper "Japan Lights".

On his return he first set up in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...

 for Young's Paraffin
Paraffin
In chemistry, paraffin is a term that can be used synonymously with "alkane", indicating hydrocarbons with the general formula CnH2n+2. Paraffin wax refers to a mixture of alkanes that falls within the 20 ≤ n ≤ 40 range; they are found in the solid state at room temperature and begin to enter the...

 Oil, before moving to South London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 in 1881 making architectural plasterwork, where he remained until his death. He is buried in West Norwood Cemetery
West Norwood Cemetery
West Norwood Cemetery is a cemetery in West Norwood in London, England. It was also known as the South Metropolitan Cemetery.One of the first private landscaped cemeteries in London, it is one of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries of London, and is a site of major historical, architectural and...

, where his marble memorial there was restored by Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...

 Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of commerce
A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...

 in 1991.

List of Brunton's Japanese Lighthouses

The names of the 26 lighthouses (Brunton's "children") constructed by Brunton, in order of north to south, and the names of their present locations after mergers of towns etc.

English Japanese Location Illuminated
Nosappuzaki Lighthouse 納沙布岬灯台 Nemuro, Hokkaidō
Nemuro, Hokkaido
-Transportation:Nearby Nakashibetsu Airport serves Nemuro.-Railways:*Hokkaido Railway Company – Nemuro Main Line**Stations in the city: Nemuro, Higashi-Nemuro, Hanasaki, Nishi-Wada, Kombumori, Ochiishi, Bettoga, Hattaushi, Attoko-Sightseeing:*Cape Nosappu...

August 15, 1872
Shiriyazaki Lighthouse
Shiriyazaki Lighthouse
is a lighthouse located on the outermost extremity of Cape Shiriyazaki, the northeastern-most point of Honshu, in Higashidōri, Aomori Prefecture, Japan....

尻屋埼灯台 Higashidori, Aomori
Higashidori, Aomori
is a village located in northeastern Aomori Prefecture in the Tōhoku region of Japan. As of 2009, the village had an estimated population of 7,544 and a density of 25.6 persons per km²...

October 20, 1876
Kinkasan Lighthouse
Kinkasan Lighthouse
is a lighthouse on Kinkasan, an island on the Oshika Peninsula in Ishinomaki, Miyagi, Japan.-History:The lighthouse was designed by Richard Henry Brunton as part of the effort by the government in Japan during the Meiji period to modernize the country. In 1945, it was destroyed by air raids. It...

金華山灯台 Ishinomaki, Miyagi
Ishinomaki, Miyagi
is a city located in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.As of January 1, 2010, the city had an estimated population of 164,294 and a population density of 295.83 persons per km²...

November 1, 1876
Inubōsaki Lighthouse
Inubōsaki Lighthouse
is a lighthouse on Cape Inubō, in the city of Chōshi, Chiba Prefecture Japan. It is notable as one of the few lighthouses whose original lens was a first order Fresnel lens, the strongest type of Fresnel lens. It is a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan...

犬吠埼燈台 Choshi, Chiba
Choshi, Chiba
is a city located on the Pacific Ocean coast of Chiba Prefecture, Japan. It is the easternmost city in the Greater Tokyo Area. The easternmost point in the Greater Tokyo Area is Cape Inubō....

November 15, 1874
Haneda Lighthouse 羽田灯台 Ōta, Tokyo
Ota, Tokyo
is one of the 23 Special wards of Tokyo, Japan.As of May 1, 2011, the ward has an estimated population of 676,458, with 348,492 households, and a population density of 11,376.69 persons per km²...

March 15, 1875 (now extinguished)
Tsurugisaki Lighthouse
Tsurugisaki Lighthouse
is a lighthouse located on Cape Tsurugi on the southeastern extremity of the city of Miura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan on the southernmost and eastern tip of Miura Peninsula...

剱埼灯台 Miura, Kanagawa
Miura, Kanagawa
is a city located in central Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the city has an estimated population of 44,238 and a population density of 1,490 persons per km²...

March 1, 1871
Mikomotoshima Lighthouse
Mikomotoshima Lighthouse
is a lighthouse located on Mikomotojima, a small uninhabited islet located south of Shimoda port, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.The Mikomotojima Lighthouse was one of eight lighthouses to be built in Meiji period Japan under the provisions of the Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Amity and Commerce of 1858,...

神子元島灯台 Shimoda, Shizuoka
Shimoda, Shizuoka
is a city and port in Shizuoka, Japan.As of 2010, the city had an estimated population of 25,054 and a population density of 242 persons per square kilometer...

January 1, 1870
Irōzaki Lighthouse
Irōzaki Lighthouse
is a lighthouse located on a hill at the outermost extremity of Cape Irōzaki south of Minamiizu Town, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan on the southernmost extremity of Izu Peninsula...

石廊埼灯台 Minamiizu, Shizuoka
Minamiizu, Shizuoka
is a town located at the southern tip of Izu Peninsula in Kamo District, Shizuoka, Japan. As of February 2009, the town has an estimated population of 9,637 and a density of 87.1 persons per km². The total area is 110.58 km².-Geography:...

October 5, 1871
Omaezaki Lighthouse
Omaezaki Lighthouse
is a lighthouse located on a hill at the outermost extremity of Cape Omaezaki south of Omaezaki port, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.A lighthouse had been built at Cape Omaezaki as early as 1635, when the Tokugawa Shogunate recognized the frequency of marine accidents on the rocks off the coast of...

御前埼灯台 Omaezaki, Shizuoka
Omaezaki, Shizuoka
is a city in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. Omaezaki is located at the tip of a peninsula on Japan's Pacific coast. As of 2010, the city had an estimated population of 34,614 and the density of 530 persons per km². The total area was 65.86 km².- Geography :...

May 1, 1874
Sugashima Lighthouse
Sugashima Lighthouse
is a lighthouse on the island of Sugashima, in Toba, Mie, Japan. It is known as one of Brunton's children as it was designed by Richard Henry Brunton and was one of the first modern lighthouses in Japan built as part of the modernization of Japan during the Meiji period.-Historical status:The...

菅島灯台 Toba, Mie
Toba, Mie
is a city in Mie, Japan.Toba is the site of the Toba Aquarium, which houses such animals as dugongs, African manatees, porpoises, and a wide-variety of aquatic life....

July 1, 1873
Anorisaki Lighthouse
Anorisaki Lighthouse
is a lighthouse on Ise-Shima in Shima, Mie, Japan.-History:This lighthouse was one of those designed by Richard Henry Brunton who was hired by the government of Japan during the Meiji period to help construct lighthouses to make Japan safe for foreign ships....

安乗埼灯台 Ago, Mie
Ago, Mie
was a town located in Shima District, Mie, Japan.On October 1, 2004 Ago was merged with the towns of Daiō, Hamajima, Isobe and Shima, all from Shima District, to form the new city of Shima and no longer exists as an independent municipality....

April 1, 1873
Tenpōzan Lighthouse 天保山灯台 Minato-ku, Osaka
Minato-ku, Osaka
is one of 24 wards of Osaka, Japan. It has an area of 7.9 km², and a population of 84,961. Minato-ku literally translated means Harbor Ward.- Landmarks :*Kaiyukan *Port of Osaka*Tempozan Harbor Village*Modern Transportation Museum...

October 1, 1872 (now extinguished)
Wadamisaki Lighthouse 和田岬灯台 Suma-ku, Kobe
Suma-ku, Kobe
is one of 9 wards of Kobe City in Japan. It has an area of 30.0 km², and a population of 168,400 .There is a white sandy beach in this ward, which attracts tourists to the Kansai region for sun bathing and popular events during the summer season. The same beach has appeared in the classic...

October 1, 1872 (now extinguished)
Esaki Lighthouse
Esaki Lighthouse
is a lighthouse in Awaji, Hyōgo Japan. A portion of the lighthouse is Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan.-History:Esaki Lighthouse was one of the first lighthouses built in the Meiji period and was built for the sake of foreign ships travelling to Japan...

江埼燈台 Awaji, Hyōgo
Awaji, Hyogo
is a city located on Awaji Island in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan.Awaji City was founded on 1 April 2005 from the merger of the former town of Awaji with the towns of Tsuna, Higashiura, Hokudan, Ichinomiya, all in Tsuna District....

April 27, 1871
Kashinozaki Lighthouse
Kashinozaki Lighthouse
is a lighthouse on the island of Kii Ōshima, which is administered by Kushimoto, Wakayama, Japan.-History:It was one of the lighthouses designed by Richard Henry Brunton, who was hired by the government of Japan in the Meiji period to help construct lighthouses in Japan to make it safe for foreign...

樫野埼灯台 Kushimoto, Wakayama
Kushimoto, Wakayama
-Demographics:The population of Kushimoto is 20,618, consisting of 9,561 men and 11,057 women. There are a total of 9,397 families.-Junior high schools:*Kushimoto Junior High School*Kushimoto-Nishi Junior High School*Nishi-Mukai Junior High School...

July 8, 1870
Shionomisaki Lighthouse
Shionomisaki Lighthouse
is a lighthouse on Cape Shiono in Kushimoto, Wakayama, Japan.-History:The lighthouse was designed by Richard Henry Brunton, who was hired by the government of Japan during the Meiji period to help construct lighthouses to make Japan safe for foreign ships. It was first lit on ....

潮岬灯台 Kushimoto, Wakayama
Kushimoto, Wakayama
-Demographics:The population of Kushimoto is 20,618, consisting of 9,561 men and 11,057 women. There are a total of 9,397 families.-Junior high schools:*Kushimoto Junior High School*Kushimoto-Nishi Junior High School*Nishi-Mukai Junior High School...

September 15, 1873
Tomogashima Lighthouse
Tomogashima Lighthouse
is a lighthouse on the island of Tomogashima in Wakayama, Wakayama, Japan.-History:The lighthouse was first lit on . It was one of the lighthouses designed by Richard Henry Brunton, who was hired by the government of Japan at the start of the Meiji period to help construct lighthouses in Japan to...

友ヶ島灯台 Wakayama, Wakayama
Wakayama, Wakayama
is the capital city of Wakayama Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan.-Background:Wakayama occupies 4% of the land area and has 40% of Wakayama prefecture's population. The city was founded on April 1, 1889....

August 1, 1872
Mutsurejima Lighthouse
Mutsurejima Lighthouse
is a lighthouse on the island of Mutsurejima, which is administered by Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi, Japan .-History:The lighthouse was first lit in , and was designed by Richard Henry Brunton, who was hired by the government of Japan at the beginning of the Meiji period to help construct lighthouses to...

六連島灯台 Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi
Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi
is a city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. It is at the southwestern tip of Honshū, facing the Tsushima Strait and also Kitakyushu across the Kanmon Straits....

January 1, 1872
Tsunoshima Lighthouse
Tsunoshima Lighthouse
is a lighthouse in Japan. It is notable as being one of only six lighthouses in Japan which had a first order Fresnel lens, the most powerful type of Fresnel lens.-History:The lighthouse was first lit on , in the Meiji period of Japan...

角島灯台 Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi
Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi
is a city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. It is at the southwestern tip of Honshū, facing the Tsushima Strait and also Kitakyushu across the Kanmon Straits....

March 1, 1876
Tsurishima Lighthouse 釣島灯台 Matsuyama, Ehime
Matsuyama, Ehime
is the capital city of Ehime Prefecture on the Shikoku island of Japan. It is located on the northeastern portion of the Dōgo Plain. Its name means "pine mountain." The city was founded on December 15, 1889....

June 15, 1873
Nabeshima Lighthouse 鍋島灯台 Sakaide, Kagawa
Sakaide, Kagawa
is a city located in Kagawa, Japan.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 56,365 and the density of 610 persons per km². The total area is 92.46 km²....

December 15, 1872 (now extinguished)
Hesaki Lighthouse
Hesaki Lighthouse
is a lighthouse on the Kiku Peninsual in Moji-ku, Kitakyūshū in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan....

部埼灯台 Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka
Kitakyushu, Fukuoka
is a city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Kyūshū, Japan. It is midway between Tokyo and Shanghai.- Demographics :Kitakyūshū has a population of just under one million...

March 1, 1872
Shirasu Lighthouse
Shirasu Lighthouse
is a lighthouse on the island of Ainoshima, which is administered by Kokurakita-ku, Kitakyūshū, Japan....

白州灯台 Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka
Kitakyushu, Fukuoka
is a city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Kyūshū, Japan. It is midway between Tokyo and Shanghai.- Demographics :Kitakyūshū has a population of just under one million...

September 1, 1873
Eboshijima Lighthouse
Eboshijima Lighthouse
is an unmanned lighthouse in Eboshijima, a tiny island administered by Itoshima, Fukuoka, Japan. The island is in Karatsu Bay.-History:This lighthouse was one of those designed by Richard Henry Brunton, who was hired by the government of Japan in the Meiji period to help construct lighthouses to...

烏帽子島灯台 Shima, Fukuoka
Shima, Fukuoka
was a town located in former Itoshima District, Fukuoka, Japan.As of November 2009, the town had an estimated population of 17,432 and a density of 319.56 persons per km². The total area was 54.54 km²....

August 1, 1875
Iojimazaki Lighthouse
Iojimazaki Lighthouse
is a lighthouse in Iōjima, Nagasaki, Japan.-History:Iojimazaki Lighthouse was one of those designed by Richard Henry Brunton, who was hired by the government of Japan at the start of the Meiji period to help construct lighthouses to make it safe for foreign ships to come to Japan....

伊王島灯台 Nagasaki, Nagasaki September 14, 1871
Satamizaki Lighthouse 佐多岬灯台 Minamiosumi, Kagoshima
Minamiosumi, Kagoshima
is a town located in Kimotsuki District, Kagoshima, Japan. The town occupies the southern part of the Ōsumi Peninsula and its name literally means "the southern part of Ōsumi."...

November 20, 1871

Memoir

Brunton wrote a memoir of his time in Japan, titled Pioneer Engineering in Japan: A Record of Work in helping to Re-Lay the Foundations of Japanese Empire (1868-1876). However, it was not published until the 1990s, when it was printed by separate publishers under two different names: Building Japan 1868-1876 and Schoolmaster to an Empire: Richard Henry Brunton in Meiji Japan, 1868-1876. (See below.)

The former, containing the text (with some modified spellings) as edited by William Elliot Griffis
William Elliot Griffis
William Elliot Griffis was an American orientalist, Congregational minister, lecturer, and prolific author....

 at the turn of the twentieth century, contains plates with photos and illustrations. The latter however, purports to be based on a manuscript predating the heavy editing of Griffis, while retaining updated versions of Griffis's footnotes.
  • Building Japan 1868-1876 by Richard Henry Brunton with an introduction by Hugh Cortazzi
    Hugh Cortazzi
    Sir Arthur Henry Hugh Cortazzi, GCMG is a British diplomat. Best known as Hugh Cortazzi, he is also a distinguished international businessman, academic, author and prominent Japanologist...

    , Japan Library Limited, 1991, ISBN 1-873410-05-0

  • Schoolmaster to an Empire by R. Henry Brunton, edited by Edward R. Beauchamp, Greenwood Press, 1991, ISBN 0-313-27795-8

External links

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