Spectral Codex
金瓜石社

Jinguashi Shinto Shrine

Locations
Stone lanterns on the steps to the Ōgon Shrine 黄金神社
Date Captured
Camera
NIKON D3100
Lens
AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II
Aperture
ƒ / 6.3
Shutter Speed
1/160 sec
Focal Length
24.0 mm
ISO
200
Exposure Value
12.6 EV
Original Size
1920 × 1280
Stone lanterns on the pathway to the shrine.

The Ōgon Shrine (黄金神社), also known as the Gold Temple, is a former Shinto shrine in the mountains above Jīnguāshí (金瓜石), an old gold mining town in Ruifang, Taiwan. Originally established in 1898 by the Tanaka Mining Company (田中組) and also known as San-jinja (山神社), it was the third such shrine built in Taiwan with a complete ritual space, after the Kaizan Shrine in Tainan and the Taichung Inari Shrine, both consecrated the previous year.

Entrance to the Ōgon Shrine 黄金神社
Date Captured
Camera
NIKON D3100
Lens
AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II
Aperture
ƒ / 5
Shutter Speed
1/100 sec
Focal Length
22.0 mm
ISO
200
Exposure Value
11.3 EV
Original Size
1920 × 1280
More lanterns at the entrance and a torii beyond.

The current structure dates to a 1933 rebuild by the Nippon Mining Company while Taiwan was under Japanese rule. It was mostly destroyed in the post-war era by vandals, though it remains in better shape than many former Shinto shrines in Taiwan. The government of the ROC went to great lengths to expunge the island of Japanese influences in the mid-1970s. Fragments of the original 1898 myōjin-style torii were unearthed during restoration work in 2021 and are now on display at the nearby Gold Museum (黃金博物園區).

The ruins of the Ōgon Shrine 黄金神社
Date Captured
Camera
NIKON D3100
Lens
AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II
Aperture
ƒ / 8
Shutter Speed
1/250 sec
Focal Length
31.0 mm
ISO
200
Exposure Value
14.0 EV
Original Size
1920 × 1280
The ruins of the Ōgon Shrine.
Stone O
Date Captured
Camera
NIKON D3100
Lens
AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II
Aperture
ƒ / 3.5
Shutter Speed
1/30 sec
Focal Length
22.0 mm
ISO
400
Exposure Value
8.5 EV
Original Size
1920 × 1280
A stone chiseled “O”.
Date Captured
Camera
NIKON D3100
Lens
AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II
Aperture
ƒ / 6.3
Shutter Speed
1/160 sec
Focal Length
35.0 mm
ISO
200
Exposure Value
12.6 EV
Original Size
1920 × 1280
Leave a coin for good luck.
Ōgon Shrine foundation
Date Captured
Camera
NIKON D3100
Lens
AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II
Aperture
ƒ / 7.1
Shutter Speed
1/200 sec
Focal Length
18.0 mm
ISO
200
Exposure Value
13.3 EV
Original Size
1920 × 1280
A solid foundation at the back of the shrine.
The remains of the Ōgon Shrine
Date Captured
Camera
NIKON D3100
Lens
AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II
Aperture
ƒ / 5.6
Shutter Speed
1/125 sec
Focal Length
18.0 mm
ISO
100
Exposure Value
11.9 EV
Original Size
1920 × 1280
What remains of the Ogon Shrine.
Date Captured
Camera
NIKON D3100
Lens
AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II
Aperture
ƒ / 7.1
Shutter Speed
1/200 sec
Focal Length
18.0 mm
ISO
100
Exposure Value
13.3 EV
Original Size
1920 × 1280
Jinguashi from the Ōgon Shrine.

Map

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Heritage Designation

  • Municipal Monument (直轄市定古蹟)

Links

Sources

Themes

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Author

Profile photo of Alexander Synaptic, founder of Spectral Codex
Alexander Synaptic
Curator, Spectral Codex

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.