If you’ve been following this website for any period of time, you’re likely aware that one of the areas where I’ve focused quite a bit of my time and attention over the past few years has been on historic sites in Taiwan dating back to the fifty year period of Japanese colonial rule. More specifically, I’ve focused a lot of that research on the few remaining Martial Arts Halls that you’ll find scattered across the country. Spending all these years researching the history and architectural design of these buildings, I’ve learned quite a bit in the process, especially compared to when I first published articles about the buildings. So, even though I’ve yet to complete the project (I still have a few more left to visit), I’ve taken some time in recent months to completely rewrite some of those older articles.
In comparison to some of my earlier articles about the Martial Arts Halls, my article about the Kaohsiung Martial Arts Hall probably wasn’t as embarrassing of an attempt at an introduction to the building, but as time has passed, I’ve streamlined the way I write about these buildings, so I figured it was time to give this one a fresh look. So, just like my articles about the Daxi Martial Arts Hall, Longtan Martial Arts Hall, Changhua Martial Arts Hall and the Tainan Martial Arts Hall, I’ve gone ahead and given this one a fresh update as well, in order to better tell its story.
I’ve found that when writing articles like this, it’s always a good idea to offer readers some enticing facts as to why this specific tourist destination is one where they’ll want to devote some of their time. So before I start going into detail about the building, let me offer a few important reasons as to why the Kaohsiung Martial Arts Hall is one of the standouts among the Martial Arts Halls that remain in Taiwan today.
First, of the (almost) twenty of these buildings that remain in Taiwan today, this one is the oldest. It is also one of only two ‘Prefectural Level’ Martial Arts Halls remaining, which may not mean much to a lot of readers, but it was once of the most important Martial Arts Halls on the island, which is why you’ll get to experience an architectural design that is unlike the other halls. More importantly though, as far as I’m concerned, this one is one of the standouts simply because it is one of the few remaining Japanese-era Martial Arts Halls that has successfully been brought back to life and maintains its original function as a venue for the training and practicing of Japanese Martial Arts Disciplines.
Celebrating its centennial in 2024, the fully restored Kaohsiung Martial Arts Hall has become a popular attraction within the historic Kaohsiung Port Tourist area, and a visit to the hall is made even better when done so while classes are in session.
As I move on, I’ll start with an introduction of the history of the Martial Arts Hall, and the area of Kaohsiung that developed around it. I’ll also provide a timeline of events to offer a more concise explanation of the building’s history. Then, I’ll provide detail regarding its architectural design, and end with information about how tourists can visit the building.
As usual, before I start detailing the history of the Martial Arts Hall, if you haven’t already, I recommend stopping here and first reading my introduction to Taiwan’s Martial Arts Halls, which provides an overview of the purpose of the buildings, their history and where else you’re able to find them around the country!
Link: Martial Arts Halls of Taiwan (臺灣的武德殿)
If you’re up to date with all of that, let’s just get into it!
Kaohsiung Martial Arts Hall (高雄武德殿)
During Taiwan’s half-century long Japanese Colonial Era, the greater Kaohsiung area (by today’s standards) was home to twenty-one of these Martial Arts Halls. Sadly, the Kaohsiung Prefectural Martial Arts Hall, Qishan Martial Arts Hall (旗山武德殿), Pingtung Martial Arts Hall (屏東武德殿) and Fangliao Martial Arts Hall (枋寮武德殿) are the only ones that remain standing today.
Note: The latter two Martial Arts Halls mentioned above are located in Pingtung County (屏東縣), Taiwan’s southern-most county, which was once part of Takao Prefecture (高雄州) during the Japanese-era.
In this case, as I mentioned earlier, we’re quite fortunate as the subject of today’s article is also part of an exclusive group of only two remaining prefectural level halls, which means that it was afforded a lot more attention and funding in its construction than the other buildings in the area.
To better explain the history of the Martial Arts Hall, I have to first briefly introduce some of the important events that led up to its construction. This explanation will provide details as to why it was important that it was constructed where it was, as it was part of an area that was closely linked with the development of Kaohsiung as southern Taiwan’s most important port city during the Japanese-era and beyond.
The history of human activity in the Kaohsiung area dates back thousands of years ago to when the area was settled by the Makatao (馬卡道族) and Siraya (西拉雅族) indigenous groups, who referred to the area as ‘Takau Island’ (打狗嶼), which translates simply into ‘bamboo forest’ in their native language. Skipping ahead to the 17th Century, the ‘Takau’ area was transformed into southern Taiwan’s most important fishing village by the Dutch. However, by the end of the century, the Qing had expelled them, and annexed the few developed settlements along the western coast of the island.
Renamed Fongshan County (鳳山縣), the development of a port in the area started soon after and from the late 17th to 19th century, the area became quite prosperous. The Qing would ultimately cede control of Taiwan in 1895 (明治28年) to the Japanese under the terms of the Treaty of Shimonoseki (馬關條約), and this is when things really started to change in the area.
In the early years of the Japanese-era, the island’s administrative districts were a bit of a mess, with about twenty somewhat unorganized prefectures (廳). In 1901, the colonial government established Ako Prefecture (阿緱廳 / あこうちょう) along the south-western coastal area of Taiwan, stretching from present day Kaohsiung to Pingtung.
Short-lived, the area became part of Tainan Prefecture (臺南廳) in 1909 (明治42年), and stayed that way until the administrative situation in Taiwan stabilized a few decades later. By the 1920s, the population of the area had grown exponentially thanks to the development of the growing city’s infrastructure, and this is when things really got interesting.
In 1920 (大正9年), the Japanese government back on the mainland instituted an administrative policy that standardized Taiwan’s geographic administrative areas with those in the rest of the country. The ‘Dōka policy’ (同化 / どーか) converted Taiwan’s original ‘prefectures’ (廳 / cho / ちょう) into the same ‘prefectures’ (州 / shu / しゅう) that were being used in Japan at the time. Reducing the original twenty prefectures to eight.
Established in 1920, Takao Prefecture (高雄州 / たかおしゅう) encompassed the area we know today as Kaohsiung City (高雄市), Kaohsiung County (高雄縣) and Pingtung County (屏東縣).
Note: Interestingly, prior to the establishment of Takao Prefecture, the word ‘Takao’ was translated as ‘打狗’, which literally means ‘to hit a dog’. The Japanese found this far too crude, so they changed the Kanji from ‘打狗’ to ‘高雄’, which maintained the same phonetic name as the original, but had a much more elegant meaning. Today, even though the area is officially ‘Kaohsiung’, the Chinese characters remain the same.
Another one of the policies that filtered from the Japanese mainland to Taiwan’s colonial government that same year was a directive that insisted that once Taiwan’s administrative divisions were standardized that Martial Arts Halls were to be constructed in each of the island’s prefectures, towns, villages and boroughs as part of the civic infrastructure projects that were taking place around the island.
Shortly after the establishment of Takao Prefecture, one of the more significant changes that took place was the renaming of the ‘Takao Kotohira Shrine’ (打狗金刀比羅宮 / たかおしことひらぐう), which was constructed on Kotobuki Mountain (壽山 / ことぶきやま), which overlooks the harbor.
In a similar situation with what happened at the Kotohira Shrine in Keelung, the shrine became known as ‘Takao Shrine’ (高雄神社／たかおじんじゃ), the official shrine of the prefecture.
Construction on the Takao Prefectural Martial Arts Hall (高雄州武德殿) in the city’s Minato District (湊町 / みなとちょう) at the foot of Kotobuki Mountain (known today as Shoushan) was completed on July 19th 1924 (大正13年) fulfilling the directive sent down by the government.
Located a short distance from Takao Shrine’s Visiting Path (參道 / さんどう), the Martial Arts Hall was constructed in a strategic location that put it close to not only the Shinto Shrine, but also the Takao Police Station (高雄警察署), the Takao Post Office (高雄郵便局), Takao Public School (高雄第一學校), Takao Port (高雄港) and the original Takao Railway Station (高雄駅), which was later converted into the Takao Port Railway Station (高雄港駅).
As is the case with all of these buildings, the Takao Martial Arts Hall had a very long official name that spoke to its position within the heirarchy of these buildings. Translated literally as the “Takao Branch of the Takao Prefectural Branch of the Taiwan Butokuden Branch of the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai” (大日本武德會臺灣分部高雄州廳高雄支部), a mouthful for sure - today, it is much shorter and easier to remember. That being said, the Martial Arts Hall does suffer from a bit of confusion with regard to its name - In English, we simply refer to it today as the Kaohsiung Martial Arts Hall (高雄武德殿 / たかおぶとくでん), but it is also sometimes referred to as the Kaohsiung Toshitake Hall (高雄振武館) or ‘Zhenwu Hall’ in Mandarin.
Nevertheless, as the Prefectural Level Martial Arts Hall, the Takao Martial Arts Hall was the ‘headquarters’ of a regional association that would (eventually) oversee twenty-one halls constructed within the prefecture between 1924 and 1941. Of those twenty-one halls in the prefecture, there was one prefectural branch (支部), seven town branches (支所), eight borough branches (分會), three military branches (軍隊分會) and two school branches (學校分會).
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Takao Martial Arts Hall (高雄武德殿 / たかをぶとくでん) 1924
Heito Martial Arts Hall (屏東武德殿 / へいとうぶとくでん) 1930
Hozan Martial Arts Hall (鳳山武德殿 / ほうざんぶとくでん) 1931
Toko Martial Arts Hall (東港武德殿 / とうかうぶとくでん) 1932
Kizan Martial Arts Hall (旗山武德殿 / きざんぶとくでん) 1934
Koshun Martial Arts Hall (恆春武德殿 / こうしゅんぶとくでん) 1934
Horyo Martial Arts Hall (枋寮武德殿 / ぼうりょうぶとくでん) 1937
Okayama Martial Arts Hall (岡山武德殿 / をかやまぶとくでん) 1941
As was the case with almost every Martial Arts Hall constructed in Taiwan, the Takao Martial Arts Hall was constructed in a strategic location which gave it quick access to both a police station and a public school, allowing it to offer martial arts instruction to the local police, military, civil servants, and students. Constructed in 1924 however, it’s important to note that even though it was considered a ‘prefectural-level’ building, its size was no where in comparison to the others around the island. When compared with the Tainan Prefectural Martial Arts Hall, for example, the size difference between the two is quite remarkable.
There are a few reasons for this, with the main one being that the Takao Hall was constructed just a few years before construction standards for these halls was streamlined. As mentioned earlier, the colonial government had issued a directive in the 1920s to construct these buildings all over Taiwan, but as I mentioned earlier, construction went into overdrive in the 1930s when the government instituted its forced assimilation ‘kominka’ (皇民化運動) policy. If we keep in mind that the instruction of Japanese Martial Arts was part of the overall goal of ‘Japanization’, the number of these buildings skyrocketed in the 1930s, and it was during this time that many of the ‘second generation’ (第二代) prefectural level halls were constructed.
Thus, the reason I pointed out the ‘major’ Martial Arts Halls in the prefecture earlier is because many of them were actually larger than the Takao Hall, which would have been another reason that this one was quite unique among many of the others around the island.
Strangely, there doesn’t appear to be very much documented about the events that took place at the Martial Arts Hall between the time it was constructed and the end of the Second World War, but when the Japanese were forced to surrender control of Taiwan, the instruction of martial arts came to an end at the hall. Shortly after, control of the building was transferred to Gushan Elementary School (鼓山國小), which was originally Takao Public School (高雄第一學校). For a short time, the building was used for music classes and event, but in 1957 it was converted into dormitories for the teachers working at the school. However, unlike the official housing that was set up for teachers during the Japanese-era, the interior of the building wasn’t set up to be communal space, and when the floor space was divided up into eleven different rooms, it would have been pretty cramped. In spite of the building providing inadequate housing, it remained a dormitory for the next few decades where it started to show signs of wear and tear, and eventually the teachers all left, leaving the building abandoned.
Recognizing its historic significance, the Kaohsiung City Bureau of Cultural Affairs (高雄市文化局) designated the building a protected heritage building (高雄市市定古蹟) in 1999 (民國88年), and with that designation came the responsibility of having the building restored.
After several years of research and planning, the restoration project got underway in 2003, and lasted for about a year. Once the building was restored and ready to be opened, the government was tasked with figuring out what to do with it. In a lot of cases, these historic buildings become tourist destinations or cultural heritage centers, and in other cases they are leased out to the private sector for private ownership, which is a subject that I wrote extensively about in the article linked below.
Link: The role of Public-Private Partnerships in Conserving Historic Buildings in Taiwan
In this case though, the Kaohsiuing City Government did something that was quite unexpected - They leased the building out (free of charge) to the Kaohsiung Kendo Cultural Association (高雄市劍道文化促進會), which turned out to be the first instance of a protected heritage building being leased to a non-profit organization in order for it to be reused for its original purpose. Today, the Martial Arts Hall serves an important role as a historic tourist attraction in an area of the city that attracts quite a few tourists, but more importantly, it also serves as a venue for the continued instruction of martial arts. This makes it one of the only Martial Arts Halls in Taiwan that retains its original role.
In the drop-down below, I’ll provide a brief timeline of events with regard to the Martial Arts Hall before I move on to describing its architectural design. Click if you’d like a more concise timeline of events.
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1895 (明治28年) - The Japanese Colonial Era begins here in Taiwan and the ‘Dai Nippon Butoku Kai’ (大日本帝國大日本武德會) was formed in Japan in order to instruct ordinary citizens in the various Japanese Martial Arts disciplines.
1900 (明治33年) - The first Martial Arts Halls start to appear in Taiwan with branches in Taipei, Taichung and Tainan.
1901 (明治34年) - Ako Prefecture (阿緱廳 / あこうちょう) is established along the south western coastal area of Taiwan stretching from present day Kaohsiung to Pingtung.
1906 (明治39年) - The Taiwan Branch of the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai is officially established (大日本武德會臺灣支部), with its headquarters (大日本武德會臺灣本部) located within the Taipei Martial Arts Hall.
1920 (大正9年) - The Japanese government institutes the ‘Dōka policy’ (同化 / どーか), which standardizes Taiwan’s political divisions with the system used in the rest of the country. Among Taiwan’s eight prefectures, Takao Prefecture (高雄州 / たかおしゅう) is established. As the political divisions are standardized, a governmental directive is made to construct Martial Arts Halls in each of Taiwan’s prefectures, towns, villages and boroughs.
1920 (大正9年) - As a result of the establishment of Takao Prefecture, the Takao Kotohira Shrine (打狗金刀比羅宮 / たかおしことひらぐう), located on Kotobuki Mountain (壽山 / ことぶきやま) is renamed Takao Shrine (高雄神社／たかおじんじゃ), becoming the official shrine (一宮神社／いちのみやじんじゃ) of the prefecture.
1924 (大正13年) - Shortly after the prefecture is established, Takao is upgraded into a city (高雄市 / たかをし).
1924 (大正13年) - Construction on the Takao Prefectural Martial Arts Hall (高雄州武德殿), located in the city's Minato District (湊町 / みなとちょう) is completed on July 19th.
1936 (昭和11年) - The Colonial Government’s “Japanization” or ‘forced assimilation’ Kominka (皇民化運動) policy comes into effect in Taiwan.
1945 (昭和20年) - The Second World War comes to a conclusion and Japan is forced to surrender control of Taiwan.
1949 (民國38年) - Chiang Kai-Shek and Chinese Nationalist government retreat to Taiwan, bringing with them several million refugees displaced by the Chinese Civil War.
1957 (民國46年) - The Martial Arts Hall is converted into a dormitory for the teachers at Gushan Elementary School (鼓山國小)
1999 (民國88年) - The Martial Arts Hall is recognized as a Kaohsiung City Protected Heritage Building (高雄市市定古蹟).
2003 (民國92年) - Restoration work on the Martial Arts Hall gets underway after several years of research and planning.
2004 (民國93年) - The restoration of the Martial Arts Hall is completed in late December.
2005 (民國94年) - Management of the building is put under the operational control of the Kaohsiung Kendo Cultural Association (高雄市劍道文化促進會) becoming the first instance of a protected heritage building being leased to a non-profit organization in order to be reused for its original purpose.
2024 (民國113年) - Typhoon Krathon (颱風山陀兒) causes a tremendous amount of damage in Kaohsiung, and one of the victims is the old banyan tree in front of the Martial Arts Hall, closing the building for a short period of time.
Architectural Design
Over the past few years, I’ve spent quite a bit of time detailing the architectural design of most of Taiwan’s remaining Martial Arts Halls, and over that time I’ve learned quite a bit about them. One thing that almost every article about them fails to mention is that for very obvious propaganda purposes, the vast majority of them were constructed to be very visibly Japanese. This is especially more noticeable when you compare them to other civic buildings around the island, which were a reflection of the modernist approach to architectural design that became popular during the Meiji, Taisho and Showa eras.
That being said, when it comes to the architectural design of this specific Martial Arts hall, I'm going to be honest, if I hadn't seen photos of it before visiting, I might have walked past it and not even noticed it. The Kaohsiung Martial Arts Hall appears unlike any of the others that remain in Taiwan today, and the uniqueness of its design is a fitting reflection of the era it was constructed.
The oldest of all of the Martial Arts Halls that remain in Taiwan today, the architects that designed this one were given considerably more artistic freedom than those that would come later, especially in the 1930s, when nationalism was forced upon the people of Taiwan. So, to explain why the Kaohsiung Martial Arts Hall was designed differently we have to talk a little bit about the history of the Port of Kaohsiung (高雄港).
As mentioned earlier, the port and its development dates back to the 1620s when it was nothing more than a natural lagoon on the south-western coast of the island. The port developed gradually through the Dutch era, the short-lived Kingdom of Tungning period and Qing control before being completely transformed during the Japanese Colonial Era.
During Japan’s half century of colonial control of Taiwan, the government carried out a number of expansive development projects to modernize the port, the harbor and the infrastructure around it, which offered the ability to support major import/export industries from the south of Taiwan.
The development of the port, with the addition of the nearby Takao Railway Station (高雄港車站) meant that the economy of the area flourished with international import/export trade, and the economic prosperity experienced by the people living in the port area created opportunities on a level that had yet to be experienced in the south of Taiwan. Thus, in a situation similar to other prosperous communities around the island, people started making use of their newfound purchasing power to construct homes and businesses with modern construction techniques, and more importantly, a fusion of the European "baroque" (巴洛克) artistic style of architectural design, which was incredibly popular with Japanese architects of the era.
Note: Today, some of the best spots to enjoy this style of architectural design is on the various tourist ‘old streets’ (老街) that you’ll find across the island, including places like Daxi Old Street (大溪老街), Sanxia Old Street (三峽老街), and Hukou Old Street (湖口老街), among others, each of which were economic powerhouses during that period of time.
Suffice to say, many of the buildings constructed in the port area, especially in the Minato District (湊町 / みなとちょう), which included some of the government’s most important civic buildings, made use of this fusion of western and eastern architectural design. So, in the early 1920s, when Takao was formally upgraded into a city, it only made sense that the local Martial Arts Hall followed suit, given that the focus at the time was geared more towards showing off the prosperity of Taiwan under Japanese control.
Generally speaking, Taiwan’s Martial Arts Halls were constructed in the four following styles, which I’ve translated quite literally:
Mixed Japanese and Western Architecture with a combination of brick and wood (承重磚牆和洋混合風格).
Mixed Japanese and Western Architecture with beams and columns (仿柱樑框架牆身之和洋混合風格).
Traditional Japanese Temple-style Architecture constructed entirely of wood (傳統日本寺院建築式樣).
Traditional Japanese house-style architecture for small scale halls (傳統日式家屋建築類型).
In this case, the Kaohsiung Martial Arts Hall was designed using the ‘Mixed Japanese and Western Architectural style that combined brick and wood,’ which probably doesn’t really explain very much to the average reader. Essentially, what this means is that the building was built using modern construction techniques, making use of a combination of reinforced concrete, bricks and wood. This specific style of design was something that became a lot more common in the late stages of the colonial era, especially during the Showa era, but in 1924, it would have been considered extragavant, making the construction of this hall a major project for the newly established prefectural administration.
Before I talk about the unique aspects of the Martial Arts Hall, let me first start out with some of the areas where it shares similarities with the others. First of all, the Kaohsiung Martial Arts Hall made use of the ubiquitous irimoya-zukuri (入母屋造 / いりもやづくり) style of architectural design.
Regarded as one of the building’s most noticeable ‘Japanese’ design elements, the ‘irimoya’ style is more or less what you’d think of when you see a Japanese temple or shrine with a base that is overshadowed by a massive hip-and-gable roof.
Link: East Asian Hip-and-Gable Roof (Wiki)
In this style of design, the most important thing to remember is that the ‘moya’ (母屋 / もや), literally translated as “mother house,” is (almost always) going to be considerably smaller than the roof above it. One of the genius aspects of this style of design is that the weight of the building’s massive roof is traditionally stabilized by a network of pillars and trusses within the interior that assist in evenly distributing its weight. However, taking into consideration that this particular building made use of the ‘east-west fusion’ mentioned earlier, it was equipped with a reinforced concrete base, and a western-style truss system within the interior that negated the necessity for pillars. This modern approach to the irimoya style not only stabilized the roof, but allowed for a completely wide-open interior.
Another area where the concrete base and reinforced concrete walls assisted with the decorative and functional elements of the building’s design is with regard to the large rectangular windows that the designers were able to add to all four sides of the building. The windows allow for a considerable amount of natural light and fresh air into the interior space during the day. In addition to the windows, the building features entrances at the front and on both the eastern and western sides, offering convenient access to the building, and natural air to flow through it on hot days, which in Kaohsiung are the norm.
While the base and the trusses are an important aspect of the irimoya design, the most important aspect of this architectural style is the building’s hip-and-gable roof (歇山頂). A stark contrast from the majority of Taiwan’s other Martial Arts Halls, the roof of this building is considerably subdued in its decorative design, but it does blend in quite well with the design of the rest of the building. As is the case with most of the other halls in Taiwan, the roof was designed with a combination of the two-sided kirizuma (切妻造) and the four-sided yosemune (寄棟造) styles, which go together to create the curvy design of a typical Japanese hip-and-gable roof.
In this case, the slope of the two-sided kirizuma side of the roof that covers the front and rear of the building is the area where the roof comes across as the most subdued in its design, comparable only with the relatively smaller Hsinhua Martial Arts Hall in Tainan.
Even though the roof isn’t as elaborate as Taiwan’s other Martial Arts Halls in its decorative elements, it originally featured a triangular ‘Chidori Hafu’ (千鳥破風 / ちどりはふ) dormer gable on the front side of the roof. Decorative in nature, the gable, which was located in the direct centre of the building also played a functional role in that it allowed for even more natural light into the interior of the main hall, and its design went hand-in-hand with the porch, which I’ll speak to soon.
Finishing up with the roof of the building, even though it’s not as spectacular in its shape or decorative elements in comparison to some of the other halls, it does feature a number of important elements that are somewhat difficult to describe, so I’ll make use of a diagram that I hope will better assist in your understanding of the roof’s design.
Hiragawara (平瓦 /ひらがわら) - A type of arc-shaped clay roofing tile.
Munagawara (棟瓦 /むながわらあ) - Ridge tiles used to cover the apex of the roof.
Onigawara (鬼瓦/おにがわら) - Decorative roof tiles found at the ends of a main ridge. In the case of this Martial Arts Hall, the decorations differ from what you’d typically find on a Japanese-style roof, which is something I’ll speak to below.
Nokigawara (軒瓦/のきがわら) - The roof tiles placed along the eaves lines.
Noshigawara (熨斗瓦/のしがわら) - Thick rectangular tiles located under ridge tiles.
Sodegawara (袖瓦/そでがわら) - Cylindrical sleeve tiles
Tsuma (妻/つま) - The triangular-shaped parts of the gable on the roof under the ridge.
Hafu (破風板/ はふいた) - Bargeboards that lay flat against the ridge ends to finish the gable.
One thing that I should point out is that this Martial Arts Hall is the only buildings like this in the south that I’ve encountered that doesn’t feature the characters "武" (bu) or "武德" (Budō) on the onigawara end tiles. Similarly, it doesn’t feature the typical wooden ‘gegyo’ (懸魚 / げぎょ) boards on the two ends of the building. Known as ‘hanging fish’, they’re used as a charm against fire, similar to the porcelain dragons that are common on the roofs of Taiwanese temples. The reason for these two exclusions, in addition to the disappearance of the dormer gable mentioned above is very simple - the renovation project in 2004 constructed an entirely new roof for the building, and they took a bit of liberty with its design.
Working in tandem with the design of the roof, the Kaohsiung Martial Arts Hall is one of the few remaining halls that features a traditional Karahafu Porch (唐破風 / からはふ). Essentially just an elaborately designed covered porch located at the front entrance of the building, the porch is one of the defining features of this particular hall in that it is one of the most elaborate of this particular design remaining in Taiwan these days.
The ‘hafu-style door’ is a popular addition within traditional Japanese architectural design, dating back to the Heian Period (平安時代) from 794-1185, but it’s important to note that these porches are most commonly associated with castles, temples, and shrines. It’s inclusion here gives the Martial Arts Hall considerable more prestige in its decorative design and works with the roof to make the building even more beautiful.
The covered roof section of the porch in this case was designed in the nokikarahafu (軒唐破風 / のきからはふ) style, which means that it flows downward from the top-center with convex-curves on each side.
The roof of the porch shares the same design with the porch at the Tainan Prefectural Martial Arts Hall, but one of the things that makes this one stand out at the reinforced concrete pillars that help to keep it stabilized. The design of the pillars is actually a great segue into where I’m going next with regard to the ‘unique’ aspects of this building’s design.
Part of the building’s western fusion design, the columns that hold up the roof of the porch were designed as an imitation of the Tuscan Order (托次坎柱式), a classical Roman style of architecture. For most westerners, these columns probably aren’t all that special, but when the building was constructed, this was a considered a progressive addition to the architectural design of the building.
Another one of the western inspired additions that differentiates this building from the others is that it features stone murals on the exterior walls of the building that blend together beautifully with the reinforced concrete and the brick used in its construction. The murals depict arrows representing the Japanese Martial Art Kyūdō (弓道), one of the three disciplines of martial arts that was practiced at the hall during the colonial era.
While not exactly part of the architectural design of the Martial Arts Hall, one of the more prominent features of the building (these days at least) is the giant banyan tree (榕樹) which is located directly in front of the karahafu porch. The interesting thing about the tree is that during the Japanese-era, it wasn’t specifically planted there for the hall. It was just planted along the road with a number of other trees. The thing about banyan trees though is that they grow like weeds, and today, it is massive, easily eclipsing the size of the building. To accommodate the tree’s growth, when the building was being restored, a special platform had to be constructed in front of the building to help ensure both the longevity of the building, and the tree itself, which is close to a century old.
Note: Sadly, the tree, which stood in front of the Martial Arts Hall for nearly a century was felled by the powerful Typhoon Krathon (颱風山陀兒), which caused considerable damage in Kaohsiung. Repairs are underway at the hall, but the tree has been completely removed. The only good news is that it fell in a direction that didn’t cause any damage to the building.
There used to be a ‘shimenawa’ (標縄 / しめなわ) or a ’sacred rope’ wrapped around the tree, a tradition from Japan that celebrates the importance of old trees like this.
Fun Fact: Most of the ‘sacred ropes’ that are used at shrines and other places or worship around Japan today are produced here in Taiwan, one of the long-lasting cultural exchanges between the people of both nations.
Moving onto the interior, like all Martial Arts Halls, the interior of the building consists of a single room with a beautiful hardwood floor that shines in the hot Kaohsiung sun. It is estimated that the floor space within the interior is large enough to fit at least one-hundred people for training sessions, and would have been split in half allowing for more than one class to take place at the same time. As is the case with all of the Martial Arts Halls, the floor space would have been split in half, with one side reserved for Judo (柔道) and the other for Kendo (劍道).
Both sides of the hardwood floor would have originally featured the typical spring floor (彈簧地板) that you’d find in other Martial Arts Halls, but the springs have since been removed. If you aren’t familiar, these spring floors are one of the essential design features for buildings like this as the springs that were installed beneath the floor allowed the floor to better absorb the shock of people constantly being thrown around, but more importantly for preventing injuries.
In addition to the long rectangular windows, which allowed a considerable amount of natural air in the building, there were also five entrances that could have been opened up as well. With a main door at the front, one on the eastern and western sides as well as two set against the rear of the building, it would have been pretty easy to come and go.
Although the interior of the building features very little in the way of decorations, one of the few things that anyone who visits will notice is the shrine space (神龕) that is located against the rear wall directly opposite the main doors. Not religious in nature, the space would have featured trophies, banners, or ceremonial kendo swords that were significant to the hall. Today the space remains decorated in a similar way as it would have been during the Japanese era, featuring a scroll with the words ‘Martial Arts Hall’ in calligraphy.
The thing about these restorations is that they are often hit and miss - The interior of the building remains true to the original intention of the building, despite not having the springs installed in the floor. The exterior however has some noticeable differences with regard to the roof. In most cases the people in charge of these restoration projects do a considerable amount of research before anything happens, but in this case, the roof is unfortunately missing a few important elements that makes it quite different from the original building that was constructed a century ago. Nevertheless, the Kaohsiung Martial Arts Hall remains quite beautiful no matter what you think about these things. Sure, there’s room to improve, but let’s just be happy that this historically significant building continues to exist and act as a space for the practice and study of martial arts.
Getting There
Address: #36 Dengshan Road, Gushan District, Kaoshiung.
高雄市鼓山區登山街36號
GPS: 22.624460, 120.272380
The Martial Arts Hall is a short walk from the Sizihwan MRT station (西子灣捷運站), and is in a historic area of the city with a lot to see, do and eat. So, if you’re planning to spend some time checking out the historic harbor front, which includes the Takao Railway Museum (舊打狗驛故事館) , the Pier 2 Arts Center (駁二藝術特區), the recently constructed Great Harbor Bridge (高雄港大港橋), the former British consulate (打狗英國領事館), the Martyrs Shrine (高雄忠烈祠), among other destinations, a stop by the Martial Arts hall is a recommended excursion. You won't need a lot of time to see it, but you'll likely enjoy this living piece of Kaohsiung's and Taiwan’s history.
Car / Scooter
The Martial Arts Hall is located within walking distance from the MRT Station, but if you’re driving a car, scooter, or riding a bike, you’ll want to copy the address or GPS coordinates provided above to map out your route to the building. The roads in the neighborhood where the hall is located are quite narrow, and road-side parking may be somewhat difficult for cars, so you may have to park in one of the paid parking lots by the school. Scooters on the other hand shouldn’t have too much trouble finding a spot nearby.
Public Transport
Probably the easiest and most convenient method of getting to the Martial Arts Hall, or any of the other popular tourist destinations in the area, is to make use of Kaohsiung’s convenient public transportation network. Travelers have the option of taking one of the city’s public buses or the subway, both of which have stops nearby.
As mentioned above, the closest subway station is Sizihwan Station, where you’ll take Exit 1 and walk along Linhai 2nd Road (臨海二路) in the opposite direction of the Railway Museum. From there you’ll walk about two blocks until you reach Gupo Street (故破街), which runs adjacent to Gushan Elementary School. When you reach the end of the street, make a left turn and you’ll see the Martial Arts Hall on the other side.
If you prefer to take a bus, you can take any of the following routes, which conveniently set off from just outside the subway station: #99, #O1A, #O1B, #O1C, #R52. If you find yourself taking any of these routes, you’ll want to get off at the Gushan Elementary School stop (鼓山國小站), and then follow the walking directions above.
If you’re traveling around the city for any length of time, I recommend making use of the Kaohsiung City Real-Time Bus Arrival Information System, or downloading the iBus app to your phone, so that you can map out your route and see the real-time information for the buses.
The Kaohsiung Martial Arts Hall is open six a days a week, and guided tours of the building are held several times a day on weekends.
Hours: Tuesday - Friday (10:00-6:00), Saturday - Sunday (10:00-7:00)
Guided Tours: 10:30, 11:30, 14:30, 15:30
If you’re planning a visit during the week, you can make a call a week in advance to arrange for a guided tour as well.
Phone: 07-5317382
Located in a historic area of Kaohsiung, you’ll find quite a few remnants of the Japanese-era nestled in the space between the mountain and the ocean. The port of Kaohsiung was an extremely important one for the Japanese, which is why you’re able to find so many historic buildings from that era of Taiwan’s history still standing in the area. The rebirth of the Martial Arts Hall, from an abandoned and dilapidated state, has been a major success story that speaks to the revival of Kaohsiung, which has a rich and storied history. Having this beautiful building restored, and used not only as a tourist attraction, but a venue for the study of martial arts allows the building to maintain its original purpose, which is something that many of the other remaining buildings of its kind around the country aren’t able to boast.
If you find yourself in the area looking for some interesting attractions while visiting Pier 2, or the Railway Museum, I highly recommend taking the time to walk over to check out the Martial Arts Hall, and the quaint little neighborhood where it’s located.
References
Kaohsiung Wude Hall | 高雄市武德殿 中文 | 高雄市武徳殿 日文 (Wiki)
高雄州 | Takao Prefecture (Wiki)
臺灣日治時期行政區劃 (Wiki)
The Wude Martial Arts Center (Kaohsiung Travel)
高雄武德殿 (國家文化資產網)
高雄市市定古蹟武德殿因應計畫 (高雄市政府)
高雄市武德殿修復計畫及再利用經營管理調查研究 (高雄市政府)
臺灣的武德殿 (Wiki)
武德會與武德殿 (陳信安)
失而复得的大唐建筑-台湾武德殿 (Willie Chen)
台灣武德殿發展之研究 (黃馨慧)
武德殿研究成果報告 (高雄市政府文化局)
A Study of Spatial Hierarchy of Martial Arts Halls in Taiwan (Yu-Chen Sharon Sung, Liang-Yin Chen)
Gallery / Flickr (High Res Shots)
