Mutsurejima Island Lighthouse

Mutsurejima Lighthouse was built in 1871 at the western mouth of the Kanmon Strait and is one of Japan's earliest stone-base lighthouses. It was designed by Richard Brunton, an engineer from Britain known as the father of Japanese lighthouses, during his work for the Meiji government. The lighthouse's existence traces directly to a military confrontation: in 1863, Choshu domain forces fired on foreign ships passing through the strait, prompting a joint British, French, Dutch, and American force to shell Shimonoseki in 1864. In the peace settlement, Western powers demanded more open ports, and several lighthouses including this one were built to provide safe passage through the vital shipping lane.