Taiwan Jinja

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Taiwan Jinja (Japanese: 台湾神宮 (たいわんじんぐう), Romaji: Taiwan jinguu, Traditional Chinese: 臺灣神社, Simplified Chinese: 台湾神社， Pinyin: Táiwān shénshè) was a Japanese Shinto shrine built in Taiwan during the Japanese colonial period in 1901 (Meiji 34th year) atop Jiantan Mountain (also called Yuanshan Mountain) in nearby Jiantan in Taipei City. It was destroyed in a fire in 1944.

A painting of Taiwan Jinja during the Japanese colonial rule over Taiwan. The lower portion of the painting shows Meiji Bridge and Keelung River.

A postcard issued by the Taiwan Governor showing Taiwan Jinja. The Imperial Seal is visible in the upper-right area.

This Copper bull was originally located at Taiwan Jinja but was moved to the 228 Memorial Park after the end of World War II.

Among the many Shinto shrines built by the Japanese, Taiwan Jinja was the most important, it's elevation was also the highest of the shrines.

[edit] Crown Prince Hirohito visits Taiwan

On April 12, 1923 Crown Prince Hirohito (later the Shōwa Emperor) embarked on a tour celebrating his inauguration as regent (太子行啟活動) aboard the Japanese battleship Kongo from Yokosuka accompanied by two Imperial Navy ships for Taiwan. This was the first and only occasion that the Crown Prince Hirohito visited a colony in the colonial history of Japan. He arrived at the port of Keelung on April 16 and visited the colonial government offices on the western part of Taiwan beginning with the office of the governor-general in Taihoku (Taipei) on the same day. On April 23 he left the port of Takao (Kaohsiung) for an important Japanese naval base at Magong in the Pescadores Islands. He returned to Taipei the next day and headed back to Japan two days later.

[edit] Taiwan Jinja destroyed by fires

In October 1944 before the Taiwan Jinja Matsuri ceremony was to be held at the shrine, a passenger transport plane lost control and crashed atop the mountain where the shrine was located. The fires burned down the torii gate, stone lanterns, and the governor-general police memorial stele, among other important structures.

Not so long after the end of World War II, Taiwan Hotel was built on the original site of the shrine. In 1952 the hotel was expanded to become the present Grand Hotel. Today no trace of what was one the Shinto shrine exists. The only evidence were two copper bulls at the entrance to the shrine which have been relocated to the 228 Memorial Park.