Photo by Japan Coast Guard
This lighthouse is Tsurumisaki Lighthouse in Oita Prefecture.
There are unforgettable memories for me.
The tip of Tsurumizaki, Oita Prefecture. Tsurumizaki Lighthouse was built here. The designated starting point (the first lighting of the lighthouse is called this) was March 25, 1970. At the time, I was working at an electrical construction company in Kitakyushu City.
This company had a track record of constructing lighthouses in various places, but newly built lighthouses like this Tsurumizaki Lighthouse were rare. Mr. I, a senior from my company who was in charge of the electrical work, and I worked on site, and after most of the work was completed, I remained alone at the local guest house in Kajiyose to install the lighting equipment. The only thing left behind was the following. The plan was to complete the installation of the light fixtures on March 24, the day before the first visit.
However, when I woke up on the morning of March 24th, it was pouring rain outside. The lighthouse is 140 meters above sea level, and the road along the way is made of red clay that was recently carved out by the Self-Defense Forces with a bulldozer, and is steeply sloping and barely wide enough for one car to pass. Anyway, I got ready and started climbing with the truck.
After all, the road was made of soft red clay, and heavy rain caused my tires to slip, making it impossible to climb even a little. I cut branches from nearby trees and put them on tires to prevent them from slipping, and little by little I was able to climb up. It took us more than two hours by truck to finally reach the lighthouse, a journey that would normally take about 30 minutes on foot.
Next we have to raise the floodlight to the top floor of the lighthouse (this lighthouse has 4 floors). The lighthouse has a square opening that runs through each floor to reach the top floor using a ladder, and the only way for me to get the floodlight up to the top floor is to pull it up with a rope. The weight of the floodlight is approximately 60kg. It's not too heavy to lift if you have good footing. However, it was not easy to pull it up vertically with a rope. As soon as I pulled it up halfway, my arms started to feel dull.
I managed to take a short break by tying the end of the rope to the ladder hardware. It took until around 4pm to finally get the light fixtures in place, adjust them so that they were level, and be ready to turn them on tomorrow. When I went outside the lighthouse, the rain had stopped and there was a thick fog. I can't see even 10 meters ahead. I couldn't camp here, so I started the engine of the truck and started down the road.
However, the road was not visible due to the thick fog. The right side of the road is an abyss of cliffs, and the left side is only slightly visible, but I almost close my eyes as I slowly descend. When I returned to the inn, it was already dark.
The next day was a sunny day that made yesterday's rain seem like a lie. I remember it was a person called Mr. T, an engineer from a light equipment manufacturer, and I climbed up the lighthouse again, tested the lights, and then headed back down the mountain.
A grand celebration sponsored by the local community was held at the community center at the foot of the mountain.
Coincidentally, this day marked our 10th wedding anniversary.
Profile of Takashi Mitsutake
Born in 1947 in Sasebo City, Nagasaki Prefecture
Electric engineer
Kumihimo designer
Representative director of animal protection NPO