The Sugashima Lighthouse was designed and constructed by British engineer Richard Henry Brunton.

It was first lit on July 1, 1873, in a ceremony attended by Saigō Takamori and other dignitaries of the Meiji government.

Built of domestically produced white bricks, the Sugashima Lighthouse is styled in the manner of a European castle round tower, complete with crenellations.

It replaced a more primitive light established by the Tokugawa shogunate on the island in 1673 in response to numerous shipwrecks in the area.

In 1964, the former official abode of the lighthouse keeper was relocated to serve as an exhibit at Meiji Mura, a historical museum in Inuyama, Aichi and was registered as an Important Cultural Property of Japan in 1968.