Ogon Shrine 黄金神社

Stone lanterns on the steps to the Ōgon Shrine 黄金神社
Stone lanterns on the pathway to the shrine.

The Ōgon Shrine 黄金神社 (also known as the Gold Temple) is an abandoned Shinto shrine in the mountains above Jīnguāshí 金瓜石, an old gold mining town in Ruifang, Taiwan. Built in 1933 by the Nippon Mining Company while Taiwan was under Japanese rule, it was mostly destroyed in the post-war era by vandals. Even so, it’s in better shape than almost every other Shinto shrine in Taiwan apart from the Taoyuan Martyrs’ Shrine 桃園忠烈祠 and Kagi Shrine 嘉義神社 in Chiayi City. The incoming KMT government went to great lengths to expunge the island of Japanese influences.

Entrance to the Ōgon Shrine 黄金神社
More lanterns at the entrance and a torii beyond.
The ruins of the Ōgon Shrine 黄金神社
The ruins of the Ōgon Shrine.
Stone O
A stone chiseled “O”.
Leave a coin for good luck
Leave a coin for good luck.
Ōgon Shrine foundation
A solid foundation at the back of the shrine.
The remains of the Ōgon Shrine
What remains of the Ogon Shrine.
Jinguashi from the Ōgon Shrine
Jinguashi from the Ōgon Shrine.

Write a Comment

Markdown and basic HTML are both allowed in the comments.
Your email address will not be published; required fields are marked