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A small land god shrine beneath a beautiful tree in Dongshan, Yilan. It is unusual in that it deifies a Japanese forest ranger, Kobayashi Sanburo (小林三武郎), who was widely known for his efforts to help the poor in this part of Taiwan. What began as a modest post-war shrine was elevated to a full Earth God temple in 2004, leaving no on-site trace of the deity’s Japanese origin. While it has long been known as an idyllic place as of 2024 there is an apartment block being built immediately next to the shrine.
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Map
Recorded On
Links
- Wikipedia in Chinese (中文維基百科)
- Yang Ming Lecture Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (國立陽明交通大學陽明人文社會講座)
Themes
- Japanese Colonial Era Taiwan (台灣日治時代)
- Temple Culture in Taiwan (台灣的寺廟文化)
- Deified Outsiders in Taiwan (台灣成神的外來者)
Nearby Locations
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Author
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I am a web application developer, photojournalist, urban explorer, and history enthusiast passionate about the open web and documenting my experiences on this planet. This project was founded in the early 2010s and has evolved into a sort of personal Wikipedia of places that interest me (and often the photographs I’ve taken there). I’m originally from Toronto, Canada, but spend most of my time residing in Taiwan.