Taiwan Grand Shrine

History

Following the death of Prince Yoshihisa in 1895, the Governor-General of Taiwan Nogi Maresuke began planning for a shrine in Yoshihisa's honor. Originally, the plan was to construct the shrine at Yuanshan Park (圓山公園, now part of Taipei Expo Park); however, Nogi's successor Kodama Gentarō and chief planner Gotō Shinpei decided to move it across the Keelung River to Jiantan Mountain (劍潭山) for the site's higher elevation. The vantage point would allow the shrine to overlook the entire city, making it symbolic for the Japanese Empire's colonial power. The construction lasted between 1900 and 1901, and the completed shrine was dedicated to Yoshihisa and the Kaitaku Sanjin. In 1915, a railway station named Miyanoshita Station was placed at the foot of Jiantan Mountain to serve the shrine. On April 12, 1923, Crown Prince Hirohito, who would become Emperor Shōwa three years later, embarked on a two-week tour of Taiwan. In preparation for his visit to the shrine, Chokushi Road was created leading up to the shrine from the city, with the Meiji Bridge crossing the Keelung River.

The shrine was elevated in rank to Grand Shrine (jingū) in 1944 (Shōwa 19) when Amaterasu was enshrined, making it the highest-ranking shrine in Taiwan. The opening ceremony of the new shrine was planned to be on October 28. However, on October 23, 1944, a cargo plane lost control and crashed atop the mountain where the Taiwan Grand Shrine was located, heavily damaging roughly half of the shrine. The shrine was never fully repaired due to Japan's surrender after World War II, and much of the shrine's materials were taken for construction projects elsewhere. In its place, the Grand Hotel was constructed in 1952, where it remains as a prominent landmark of the city.

Gallery

File:Taiwan Grand Shrine.jpg|A postcard issued by the Governor-General of Taiwan of Taiwan Grand Shrine. The Imperial Seal is visible in the upper-right section. File:Taiwan_(Japanese_Colony)1932_bank_note-10_yen(front).jpg|Taiwan banknotes (10 yen banknotes) during the Japanese colonial era with the Taiwan Grand Shrine printed File:1923年日本皇太子裕仁訪拜臺灣神社_Japanese_Crown_Prince_Hirohito_on_the_way_to_Taiwan_Grand_Shrine.jpg|Crown Prince Hirohito visits the Taiwan Grand Shrine (April 17, 1923) File:Prince Fushimi Hiroyoshi leaving after a worship at the Taiwan Grand Shrine.jpg|Prince Fushimi Hiroyoshi leaving the Taiwan Grand Shrine (May 13, 1929) File:Copper cattle of Taiwan Jinja.JPG|This copper bull was originally located at Taiwan Grand Shrine but was moved to in front of National Taiwan Museum after the end of World War II.

References

References

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3. "臺灣神社誌".
4. (February 21, 2020). "我們住在「中國的地圖」裡？台北路名藏著滿滿的台灣過往". 天下文化.
5. "淺談臺灣今昔地圖與歷史航照在中學地理資訊教育的意義". [[National Taiwan University]].