Hsinpu Ancestral Shrines (新埔宗祠)

October 28, 2017 in Temples, Hsinchu, Hakka, Travel, Photo Post

I’ve probably mentioned this about a hundred times already but for the last decade I’ve been a resident of a small city in Taoyuan named Zhongli (中壢). The city is one of those special places in Taiwan that is well-known for its preservation of Hakka culture and the availability of amazing Hakka cuisine.

Recently the local city government decided to start putting up signage around the town with the nickname the “Hakka Capital of Taiwan” which was an obvious shout-out to the people who have developed the city into the place it is today.

Like a lot of other towns and villages in the Taoyuan-Hsinchu-Miaoli area (桃竹苗), the population of Zhongli is made up predominantly of Hakka ethnic group and walking around these places you’ll likely hear a mixture of Mandarin, Hakka and Taiwanese from the locals.

While the population of the city is now a bit more diverse, the culture and history of the Hakka people remains prevalent on almost every street corner and that history is celebrated and promoted by all the people who live here.

Even though Zhongli refers to itself as the Hakka “capital” of the nation, Hsinpu village (新埔鎮) in Hsinchu would probably best be referred to as the “Hakka Mecca of Taiwan” thanks to the all-important Yimin Temple. The small village is one of the most important places in the country in terms of Hakka history, culture, cuisine and religion and has been instrumental in helping the Hakka people form their own identity over the last few centuries.

Hsinpu has experienced a revitalization over the past few years thanks to the cultural preservation efforts of the government and everywhere you go you can see the past coming back to life again - Whether you are visiting for some great food or to learn about the history of this amazing culture, Hsinpu is one of the best places to visit and has quite a few attractions for the savvy traveller.

Hsinpu Links: Yimin Temple (褒忠義民廟) | Wu Zhuo-Liu Memorial House (吳濁流故居) | Hsinpu Dried Persimmons | Hsin-Hsing Theater

Today’s post is going to focus on some of the historic Ancestral Halls that you’ll find in the downtown core of the village. These halls, which are also known as shrines (祠堂) or temples (宗祠) are closely linked to Confucian ideology and place an emphasis on filial piety. Although their main purpose is for ancestral worship, they also provide a place for family get togethers and various events throughout the year.

The most common feature of Ancestral Shrines that transcend all of the Chinese ethnic-groups are the ancestral tablets (神位) in the main shrine room. Family members will visit several times a year to honour their ancestors, take part in rituals as well as whenever a wedding or a funeral takes place.

You’ll find Ancestral Halls like this dedicated to a specifically family all over Taiwan but the reason why the halls in Hsinpu are of particular interest is because of the history of the town and that they represent most of the families who first settled the area several centuries ago.

This post will unfortunately have to be one that will be updated gradually over time because the halls are in varying states of disrepair and are currently being restored. There is also the issue that while these ancestral halls are national historic monuments, they are not always open to the public which makes them a bit difficult to take photos of.

As there are seven of these shrines in the village, I’ll provide photos for most of them but I won’t be going into too much detail about their history apart from when they were constructed and how accessible they are to the public. Most of this information isn’t available online in English so I’ll do my best to help make this stuff a bit clearer to travellers.

Chen Family Ancestral Shrine (新埔陳氏宗祠)

The Chen Family Shrine is situated directly on the Main Street of Hsinpu Village and dates back to 1868. The shrine is currently in the process of being restored but is one of the few that is accessible to the public. The shrine is looks as if it is in good shape from the outside but the wooden planks in the interior of the shrine had started to rot and were causing structural problems which forced the shrine to close for a period of time.

The building is quite beautiful with artwork on the walls, doors and the roof and a tree-covered courtyard between the shrine and the main gate.

When the restoration project is completed it will reopen and you’ll be able to stop in for a visit between Tuesday and Saturday. (Closed for family gatherings on Sundays and Mondays).

The shrine is considered a county-level historic site (縣定古蹟).

Address: 新竹縣新埔鎮中正路510號 (中文介紹)

Zhang Family Ancestral Shrine (新埔張氏家廟)

The Zhang Family Ancestral Shrine is probably in the worst shape of all of the ancestral shrines in Hsinpu today. The shrine which dates back to 1868 is currently undergoing a process of large scale restoration and is inaccessible to the public.

This kind of thing however rarely stops me and I wandered on site to check out the shrine. After a few minutes of walking around the construction site the foreman called out to me and I figured I was going to get kicked out but instead got a free tour of grounds. Despite the fact that the shrine is in terrible shape, he said that it would likely reopen to the public sometime in 2018. Currently the shrine is empty and the spirit tablets have been moved elsewhere for safe-keeping.

The shrine is considered a country-level historic site (縣定古蹟)

Address: 新竹縣新埔鎮和平街347巷22號 (中文介紹)

Liu Family Ancestral Shrine (新埔劉家祠)

The Liu Family Ancestral Shrine is currently the only shrine in town that has been fully restored and is accessible to the public. The shrine is open between Tuesdays and Saturdays and has both information available in English and Chinese to visitors.

The Liu Family Ancestral Shrine dates back to 1867 and as it is the one that is most accessible to the public and in the best shape you’ll be able to enter the grounds and walk around. The things to notice with this shrine is the incredibly preserved artwork on the walls as well as the wooden craftsmanship on the roof and the trusses that hold it up.

The shrine is considered a county-level historic site (縣定古蹟)

Address: 新竹縣新埔鎮和平街230號 (中文介紹)

Pan Family Ancestral Shrine (新埔潘屋)

The Pan Family Ancestral Shrine dates back to 1861 and from the outside looks to be in relatively good shape. The shrine is not accessible to the public however and the best you can do is look at it from a distance.

The shrine is next door to the Liu Family Shrine but instead of being next to the road, it has a large front lawn between the main gate and the shrine which is actually quite rare in Taiwan.

The shrine is considered a county-level historic site (縣定古蹟)

Address: 新竹縣新埔鎮和平街170號 (中文介紹)

Chu Family Ancestral Shrine (新埔朱氏家廟)

The Chu Family Ancestral Shrine was constructed in 1846 and is currently being restored. The shrine is the smallest of the seven and looks as if there is a family living on-site. The shrine isn’t open to the public and the best you can do is check it out from the gate outside.

I’m not sure how long the restoration process will take but the metal canopy that was constructed over the shrine to protect it from the elements likely means that there is an issue with the roof and the structure itself.

Address: 新竹縣新埔鎮和平街158號 (中文介紹)

Lin Family Ancestral Shrine (新埔林氏家廟)

The Lin Family Ancestral Shrine is the newest of all of the shrines in town and also in the best shape. Dating back to 1917 the shrine is the most colourful and most beautifully decorated of the shrines.

The shrine is somewhat open to the public, but to gain entry you have to first make an appointment to be let in meaning that unless you plan ahead you won’t be able to gain access. If you visit however you can see enough of the shrine to appreciate it from the front gate.

The shrine is considered a county-level historic site (縣定古蹟)

Address: 新竹縣新埔鎮成功街136巷16號 (中文介紹)

Fan Family Ancestral Shrine (新埔范氏家廟)

The Fan Family Ancestral Shrine dates back to 1860 and is currently undergoing a process of restoration. The shrine is currently inaccessible to the public and when the restoration process is complete, it will only be accessible by family members. This shrine is the most difficult of all the shrines to get photos of which is why I don’t have anything to show at this point. I hope that I’ll be able to get something in the future though.

The shrine is considered a county-level historic site (縣定古蹟)

Address: 新竹縣新埔鎮成功街116-7號 (中文介紹)

As mentioned above, this post is just meant to be a general introduction to some of these historic buildings. I plan to update periodically with both new photos and information as the restoration processes of the various shrines are completed over the next year or two. The history of these buildings as I’ve also discovered deserve a bit more attention to detail than what I’ve been able to write in this post, so I will probably write individual articles for some of the shrines in the future.

Gallery / Flickr (High Res Shots)

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Huguo Rinzai Temple (臨濟護國禪寺)

July 22, 2017 in Temples, Photo Post, Travel, Japanese Colonial Era, Taipei

People often ask me how I'm able to find so many 'interesting' places to take photos of and write about. When I think about it, its a bit of a strange question. Sure, some of the places I visit are a bit ‘different’ than most other expats but I've never really considered them all that obscure.

After over a decade of living in Taiwan I feel like I’ve pretty much exhausted all of the ‘typical’ well-known tourist attractions meaning that as a long-term traveller, I have to be a bit more adventurous and try harder than the average tourist.

To that effect, I suppose that there are quite a few places that I visit and blog about aren't likely to be introduced in Lonely Planet or any other English guide books. In truth, everyone knows about places like the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall or Longshan Temple. There’s not much new to discover or to talk about when it comes to tourist spots like these while the lesser known spots keep me on my toes and means that I get to learn more and more about Taiwan and its history.

As the nation opens up more and more to global tourism and becomes an important destination for the worlds travellers, its probably more important than ever that there are English resources available for travellers - especially those who come looking for something off the beaten path. One of the problems with this however is that travel resources and information regarding tourist spots outside of Taipei are rarely very helpful.

I guess that is why I try hard to introduce Taiwan as best as I can through the photos that I take and the research and translations that I do about the places I visit. I hope that I’m able to help make this beautiful country a little more accessible to the outside world.

Sun shining on the beautifully restored roof

Surprisingly, the spot I'm writing about today is one that I've passed by probably over a thousand times while riding Taipei's MRT and yet had always avoided. While I have a bit of a reputation for always wandering around Taiwan’s temples, from time to time there are some that even I try to avoid - and often for good reason!

Most of Taiwan's temples are easily accessible to the public and when you visit, no one will bother you with religious stuff or push anything on you. There are however quite a few temples belonging to certain organizations that would prefer visitors spend more time converting or donating than exploring. (See: Nature Loving Wonderland) I had always mistakenly thought that this was one of those places and I avoided going in to save myself the hassle.

I finally found a reason to visit however as I found out that there was a Japanese Colonial Era Buddhist Temple sitting right in the middle of this odd-looking temple complex. A Japanese temple of this size that is still left standing is something almost unheard of these days in Taiwan and is not the kind of thing I’m going to pass up, so I visited as soon as I could.

That being said, I did get harassed for a few minutes while inside, but it was more of an effort by someone to learn English rather than push any religious ideology!

The Linji Huguo Zen Buddhist Temple (臨濟護國禪寺) is one of the oldest and most well-preserved buildings of its kind remaining in Taipei from the Japanese Colonial Era and is a beautiful place to visit - So much so that I regret not having visited much sooner!

Yet another example of learning not to judge!

History

The Japanese Colonial Era began on April 17th 1895 when representatives from the Qing Dynasty signed the Treaty of Shimonoseki (下関条約) which signaled the end of the first Sino-Japanese War and forced China to cede both territory and copious amounts of cash to the Japanese Empire.

The colonial period which ended up lasting for a half century had its fair share of resistance from the local people and the colonial powers were certainly guilty of a great many atrocities, however the general feeling today is that people of this country share a strong bond with the Japanese and enjoy a friendship that is based off of mutual understanding and respect for each other.

When the Colonial Era started, the Japanese wasted no time starting to develop the island with modern infrastructure and also the means to create a thriving economy. As Taiwan was part of the Japanese empire, the Japanese made sure to construct buildings of Japanese cultural influence while at the same time building schools, banks, roads, etc.

Some of the buildings that were constructed included the various Martial Arts Halls, Shinto Shrines and Buddhist temples which were meant to help endear and convert the people of Taiwan into loyal citizens of the Japanese empire.

In 1900, then Japanese Governor of Taiwan Kodama Gentaro (兒玉源太郎) requested monks from the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism to come to Taiwan, build a temple and promote Zen Buddhism in Taiwan on land nearby the newly constructed Taiwan Grand Shrine (台灣神社).

Rinzai (臨濟宗) is a sect of Zen Buddhism which is descended from the Chinese Lingji school founded during the Tang Dynasty by Linji Yixuan (臨濟義玄). Rinzai Buddhism simply put emphasizes the usage of kōans (公案) which are best described as paradoxical anecdotes or riddles that have no solutions and are meant to demonstrate the inadequacy of logical reasoning and promote enlightenment. Practitioners of Rinzai believe that through the usage of these riddles that the path to enlightenment (the ultimate goal for Buddhists) could be accelerated.

As one of Japan's various sects of Buddhism, Rinzai had flourished since its introduction in 1199 but came close to extinction when the Meiji Restoration (明治維新) started in 1868. The reforms brought on by the government focused their attention on several aspects of Japanese society that were deemed to be ‘feudalistic’ or ‘foreign’ as well as bringing an end to the Tokugawa Shogunate, the daimyo and the samurai class which were considered a burden on the state despite their cultural importance.

Orchids overlooking the century year old temple.

Buddhism, which was the most widely practiced religion at the time was also targeted and replaced by Shintoism as the state religion in an attempt to cultivate Japanese nationalism, the notion of Japanese cultural superiority and the idea that the emperor was divine.

Buddhism was perceived by the Meiji as a religion of foreign origin and therefore inferior to the culturally superior state Shinto religion. Making matters worse was the fact that Rinzai was once closely linked with the former feudalistic social system and for centuries enjoyed the perks of being under the patronage of the Samurai class. This meant that in order to survive, Zen Buddhism had to quickly change and adapt to the new social order or face destruction.

The changes that were made by the various schools of Buddhism altered the core approaches and interpretations of the Buddha’s teachings to coincide with an unquestioning support for the Japanese government, its policies and the divinity of the Emperor. The new uneasy alignment with the Japanese government allowed for Japanese Buddhism to survive, but also forced it to abandon some of its key principles and practices and help promote militarism.

Buddhism’s conformation to state ideology however was not something so easily accepted by the government and during the period of the Meiji Restoration over 4,500 Buddhist temples were either closed or destroyed and monks were either drafted into the Imperial army or forced to return to ordinary life depending on their age.

While Buddhism faced difficulties during the Meiji Restoration in Japan, Taiwan was a bit of a different story where monks were sent with military regiments in order to provide spiritual service to the army which in the early days of the colonial era had to quell several rebellions.

Coincidentally the monks who came to Taiwan in the early days of the colonial era made similar attempts to convert the population that Christian missionaries did. The Japanese government supported these efforts for a while but ultimately stopped funding the monks as there was a larger push to promote Shintoism in Taiwan.

Governor General Kodama Gentaro who was himself affiliated with the Rinzai sect invited his university classmate Iori Genshu (梅山玄秀), a well-known Rinzai monk from Osaka to come to Taiwan and become the abbot of the temple which was to be constructed.

Construction on the temple took over a decade and was completed in 1911 (明治44年) with the original name Chin'nanzan Gokoku-ji Temple (鎮南護山國禪寺) which ultimately means that the temple was meant to help Protect the Southern Lands of the Japanese Empire.

Design

Beautiful Japanese architecture constructed with Taiwanese cypress.

In the decades since the end of the Japanese Colonial Era the temple complex has been expanded upon and buildings have been built up that surround it and block it from the outside. Part of the reason why I never really knew that this temple existed in such a popular and busy tourist location is that it was pretty much hidden from plain sight by a temple design that seriously looks like it was crafted in the 80s.

The original complex consisted of a Main Hall, a Gate and some administrative buildings but today it has expanded considerably with two large halls, an administrative office, a large dormitory for the monks or guests of the temple and an area on the small mountain behind it where there are graves and statues of the Buddha.

I’m not going to touch on all of the new additions but the Main Hall, the Gate and the grave site of former temple abbot Iori Genshu are all important to mention.

Main Building (大雄寶殿)

The Main Building of the temple complex is the main attraction for visitors coming to the temple. It is the oldest remaining wooden structure built in Taiwan during the Japanese Colonial Era and also one of the largest. Built entirely of Taiwanese Cypress, a kind of wood that the Japanese lovingly refer to as hinoki (檜木), the temple is not only beautifully constructed with this wood but also extremely aromatic, especially if the past few days had some rain.

The building known as the Hall of Great Strength (大雄寶殿) houses the main shrine which is dedicated to Shakyamuni Buddha (釋迦) and is a common name for a main hall of the Buddhist temple which contains an image of the Buddha.

The temple is designed with architecture that was typical of the Edo Period (江戶時代) which was the period of rule where the Tokugawa Shogunate (德川幕府) controlled Japan between 1603 and 1868 ending with the restoration of the Meiji Emperor.

The main hall is elevated off of the ground and has the easily identified four sided ‘hip and gable roof’ (懸魚) that resembles a mountain and has “owl’s tails” (鴟尾). The special thing to notice about the temple though is that on each of the owls tails you will find something known as an Onigawara (鬼瓦) as well as the word “Town” or “Guard” (鎮) on each of the end tiles (瓦片).

An Onigawara, otherwise known as an ogre tile is a type of roof ornament that depicts a Japanese ogre or what we might refer to as a “demon” in English. The tricky thing about referring to these “oni” (鬼) as demons is that they aren’t specifically evil in the English sense of the world although they are meant to be fearsome and have the ability to scare away evil spirits which might attempt to visit the temple. Practically speaking, the Onigawara tiles were meant to assist in protecting the roof from weathering and also the weather.

For more about Onigawara, Japanese imagery and another Japanese-Era building in Taiwan, check out my friend Alexander’s blog about the Fenyuan Town Hall in central Taiwan.

Link: Fenyuan Town Hall (芬園庄役場) (Synapticism)

The end tiles on the roof each end with a circle and have the Chinese character “鎮” on them which refers both protection and the original name of the temple.

When it comes to the roof, you have to pay a bit of attention to the details that went into its construction and make sure not to miss the wonderful designs that are distinctly Japanese and are not something that you’ll commonly see in Taiwan these days.

The inside of the main hall is currently off-limits to visitors as the hall is going through an on-going renovation project. You are able to view the inside from the main entrance but they have blocked it off for outside guests. The interior of the temple is made completely of wood which shines in the afternoon sun.

The main shrine room of the Great Hall - Off limits to visitors at this point.

As mentioned above, the temple is dedicated to Shakyamuni Buddha (釋迦牟尼) but there are also shrines dedicated to Guanyin (觀世音菩薩) and Ksitigarbha (地藏菩薩). Above each of the Buddha’s are plaques that read “Compassionate and Kind” (慈悲為懷), “Transcending Time” (現壽者相) and “Commandments and Longevity” (戒壽並尊) respectively.

The temple has been going through a long period of renovation over the past few years and while the outside has ultimately been completed, the interior still has quite a bit of work to do before its completed. The original renovation commenced in 2007 and ended in 2010 with the temple raising over $85 million NT (3 million US) for the project. Fresh cypress was shipped in from the forests of Yilan on Taiwan’s east coast while the roofing tiles were specially ordered from Japan to help with the temple’s authenticity.

Old Gate / Bell Tower (舊鐘樓山門)

The old gate to the temple seems as if it is still under renovation and although it is for the most part completed it is mostly just for decoration. Today it is the resting place for hundreds of pigeons who hang out all day. The door to the gate is closed and people are unable to pass through it anymore but its fine because there is an alternate entrance to the temple beside it. The gate is designed in the same way as the Main Hall with the same roof and the same wood.

Historic Japanese-era photo of the bell tower.

The sad thing about the gate though is that there is a giant stone slab next to it that had the original name of the temple as well as the date it was opened. The problem is that while most of the characters are still there to help identify the temple, the time period has been vandalized which is something I complained about in my blog about the former Taichung Shinto Shrine. The gate would have said something like “明治44年” on the side, but considering political sensitivities after the end of the Second World War, it was likely demolished like quite a few other buildings of Japanese cultural significance.

Getting there

Getting to the temple is extremely easy - All you have to do is hop on Taipei's MRT system's Red Line and take the train to Yuanshan MRT station (圓山捷運站). In addition to this beautiful historic temple the Yuanshan MRT station is an area of the city where travellers could easily spend an entire day checking out the beautiful Flora Expo Park (花博公園), the historic Lin An-Tai Mansion, Taipei's Confucius Temple (台北孔廟) and of course Bao-An Temple (保安宮) all of which are in walking distance from the station.

It isn't likely that you'll find this temple in English guide books, but as it has recently been recognized as one of the top religious tourist destinations in Taiwan, I suspect that will eventually change. This beautiful century-old Zen temple doesn't require a lot of time to visit but is a great place to visit to experience a living piece of Taiwan's history.

Gallery / Flickr (High Res Photos)

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July 01, 2017 in Temples, Taipei, Photo Post, Japanese Colonial Era

For the past few months I have been spent a considerable amount of time researching the Japanese Colonial Era in Taiwan and running up and down the country searching for buildings of historical importance that were constructed during that period.

The colonial era lasted only five decades but in the short time that the Japanese controlled Taiwan, they helped to modernize the islands infrastructure and education and helped foster the importance of democratic governance all of which has had a lasting effect on the people of this tiny island nation.

It has been more than seven decades since the colonial era ended and while there are still quite a few well preserved examples of Japanese architecture left in Taiwan, most of the remaining buildings are in a state of decay and are in desperate need of not only recognition for their historical significance but some much needed maintenance and renewal.

So far I've posted several blogs about two of the remaining Shinto Shrines (Taoyuan and Tungxiao) while also posting about several Butokuden (武德殿) or "Martial Arts Halls" (Daxi, Longtan, Changhua, Erlin, Tainan, Qishan, Kaohsiung) as well as the soon-to-be restored Japanese Police Dormitories in Zhongli and the Timber Industry Dormitories in Jhudong.

During the colonial era it was quite common to find Shinto Shrines, Martial Arts Halls and Police and Teacher dormitories throughout all of the cities and towns in Taiwan. Today some of these buildings still exist but in most cases have been either abandoned or destroyed.

In recent years however the government at the local and national level has started to take the historical preservation of these buildings seriously and restoration projects have started to take place around the country in an attempt to help educate the people of the country about Taiwan's history.

Today I won't be posting about a "building" but one of the smaller shrines that is still in existence and is in a surprising place that due to its relative obscurity remains in excellent condition.

First though, lets talk a little bit about Shintoism in Taiwan -

Shinto Shrines in Taiwan

The Japanese Colonial Period in Taiwan lasted for a mere five decades (1895-1945) but in that short time over 200 shrines were constructed around the island with 66 of them being officially sanctioned by the Japanese Empire. The majority of the shrines were constructed in the mid-to-late 1930s when the government's Kōminka policy (皇民化運動) came into effect.

The Kōminka policy was an attempt by the colonial government to culturally assimilate the Taiwanese people by fully integrating and converting them into citizens of the Japanese empire.

This meant that the people of Taiwan would be denied their cultural heritage and traditions which would be replaced with the usage of Japanese language, names, clothes, cuisine in all aspects of their daily life in addition to the adoption of State Shintoism as the religion of the land.

Shintoism (神道) was the state religion of Japan at the time and due to its close relationship with the Imperial family, it was beneficial for the government to promote the religion in Japan for the purpose of state-building and in Taiwan to facilitate the cultural assimilation of the people of the country.

Like in Japan, the shrines that were built in Taiwan varied in rank according to their importance, size and location and were separated into different categories which included Imperial Shrines, National Shrines, Municipal Districts, Prefectures, Towns, Villages and those without rank.

Interestingly one of the most common figures in Taiwan's Shinto Shrines of the day was that of Prince Kitashirakawa Yoshihisa (北白川宮能久親王) who served in the Imperial Army and came to Taiwan in 1895 to help subjugate an anti-Japanese resistance. Unfortunately for the prince, he died from Malaria a short time after arriving on the beautiful isle. .

As one of the first members of the royal family to die outside of Japan in almost 900 years, he was quickly deified within state religion and became a patron deity (鎮護の神) of Taiwan who would be end up being worshipped in almost every shrine in the country.

In conjunction with Prince Yoshihisa, the most common Shinto deities worshipped in Taiwan included the Three Kami Deities of Cultivation (開拓三神), Amaterasu (天照大神) and Emperor Meiji (明治天皇) while many of the smaller shrines would have focused more specifically on some of the major and minor kami in the religion.

Unfortunately of the over 200 shrines that were constructed during the Colonial Period, most of them were either abandoned, destroyed or repurposed by the Chinese Nationalists when they took control of Taiwan at the end of the Second World War, leaving an important part of Taiwan's historical heritage erased from history.

Yuanshan Shinto Shrine (圓山水神社)

The current population of Taipei is currently around 2.7 million - During the Japanese Colonial Period however it was a mere fraction of that with no more than 200,000. The city, which was known as Taihoku at the time was still the largest city in Taiwan during that time and was the place where the Japanese would make its capital. This meant that a considerable amount of effort would be spent to help develop the city and modernize its infrastructure.

One of the most important development projects undertaken by the colonial government was to provide the people of Taiwan with full access to running water. The Qing who previously controlled Taiwan had developed systems of canals throughout the city but had little interest in developing the island nor modernizing the public water system so when the Japanese arrived there was a considerable amount of work to be done to provide modern services.

Construction began on an expansive network in 1907 (明治40年) that would consist of wells, reservoirs and some of the already existing waterways to transport water around the city. As Taipei continued to expand however the government had to continue expanding the system to provide for the new residents of the city.

In 1928 the government commenced construction on the Green Mountain Waterway (草山水道) which would extract water from Yangmingshan (陽明山) at an elevation of 600 meters and would transport it to a reservoir at a lower elevation and then on to the network of pipes and waterways that were already constructed.

The site of the former Yuanshan Reservoir

When the project was completed four years later the Yuanshan reservoir (圓山貯水池) added an extra 28,800 tonnes of water a day to the already functioning system and greatly improved the water situation in the city.

Unfortunately during construction one of the Japanese engineers who worked on the project had an accident and died as a result. When the project was eventually completed, the staff who took care of the facility raised funds to establish a shrine dedicated to the Shinto Water God (水神). The purpose of the shrine would be to pray for the smooth operation of the reservoir as well as sooth the departed soul of their deceased co-worker.

The Yuanshan Shinto Shrine was thus established in 1938 (昭和13年) as a small place of worship to not only venerate the Water God but also remember their lost comrade. According to Japanese custom, the shrine was built off to the side of the reservoir area in a quiet patch of land where there is a dense forest.

The simple shrine is something you'd typically see in a forest or on a mountain in Japan but is a rare sight in Taiwan these days making it almost unique due to the fact that most of the shrines of this kind have been destroyed over the past seven decades.

Below I'll explain a few of the different aspects of the shrine:

Purification Fountain (手水舍)

An important aspect of Shintoism is something known as the "sacred-profane dichotomy". In order to ready yourself for entrance into the sacred realm you would have to do so with a purified body and mind. The purpose of the fountain was for visitors to the shrine to first wash their hands, faces and mouths before they approached the shrine.

Stone Lions (石獅)

There are two stone lions that stand guard in front of the Main Shrine - The lions are differentiated by gender with the male lion (公狛犬) on the right with its mouth open and the female lion (母狛犬) on the left with its mouth closed. The stone lions at the shrine are over 70 years old and were donated by some Japanese businessmen of the time.

Stone Lanterns (石燈籠）

The stone lanterns that you meet on your way to a Shinto shrine are referred to as the "lanterns of sacrifice" and would have been lit at night by people who visited the temple to worship.

At most Shinto shrines there are usually several lanterns but considering that this shrine is a small one and a simple one at that, there are only a few lanterns at the entrance of the "Sandō" or the Visiting Path (參道).

Main Shrine (神殿)

The Main Shrine is (currently) a Chinese-style pavilion with red columns that hold up a green tiled roof. The original shrine was a small wooden structure that was either left to the elements or destroyed after the war.

On the platform of the pavilion is a small wooden house that houses the water god but from what I've seen while doing research is that the current "Water God" worshipped at this shrine today is not the original Japanese Shinto Water God but the Taoist Water God (水仙尊王) which was replaced sometime after the end of the colonial era.

For several decades after the Japanese Colonial Era ended the shrine was left on its own and wasn't taken care of which meant that left to the elements it was basically absorbed by nature. In 1990 however workers at the Taiwan Water Corporation took it upon themselves to clean the site up and dedicate resources to its maintenance. Today the grounds of the shrine are well-managed with the grass and bushes taken care of giving the shrine the respect it deserves.

I have seen suggestions that this is the 'most complete' and the 'most authentic' Shinto Shrine left standing today in Taiwan, but I find it hard to agree with such statements due to the fact that the main Shrine was rebuilt in Chinese style with a Taoist God taking up residence. However the design of the rest of the shrine is very faithful to what you'd see in Japan.

I'll leave the argument about the authenticity of the shrine up to you though.

While I don't really plan to go into much detail about the abandoned reservoir that sits next to the shrine, I should mention that next to the shrine is the original Yuanshan reservoir (which has since been shut down and covered up.) You are free to walk up onto where the reservoir was or check out some of the abandoned buildings. There are a number of historical objects of note and the area deserves a bit of exploration. If you are checking out the shrine, make sure to spend a few minutes checking out the abandoned buildings as well - be careful of spiders, snakes and lizards though.

Getting there

This shrine is actually extremely accessible and doesn't require a whole lot of time to check out despite being almost unknown to the general public and tourists. The shrine is a short walk from Taipei's popular Jiantan MRT station (劍潭捷運站) which is most well-known as the stop people use to get to the Shilin Nightmarket (士林夜市).

When you arrive at Jiantan MRT station, take Exit 3 and cross Zhongshan North Road (中山北路). The trailhead for the short hike is nearby and is quite easy to find as they have recently added markings which indicate that the shrine is close by.

Don't be afraid when I call it a "hike". The walk up the hill takes less than five minutes.

Once you arrive at the top of the hill you will come face to face with the former reservoir area and just have to take the stone path to your right to get to the shrine.

The Yuanshan Shinto Shrine is a bit of an obscure spot and doesn't get a lot of attention from either tourists or locals. I'm not sure too many people actually even know that the shrine exists and it isn't really promoted in tourism books or by the city government.

If you are in the area or have arrived a bit early to go to the Shilin Night Market, why not take a quick walk up the hill and check out this simple piece of Taiwanese history? There's not a lot to see but it is most certainly worth your time to check it out