A historic Sōtō Zen temple established in central Taichung in 1903. The original structure was minimal but the site was progressively expanded over subsequent decades. It is also noted for having a Shinto shrine (豐川吒枳尼真天堂) established in 1916 within the compound, dedicated to an icon of Toyokawa Dakiniten invited from the Toyokawa Inari Temple (豐川稻荷) in Japan. In the post-war period it was repurposed for use by various government ministries and also served as a barracks for a time. It was mostly demolished around 1980 but in 2025 an as-yet unidentified ancillary structure bearing the imprint of a kara-hafu (唐破風) was discovered on the site and popularized via a history enthusiast Facebook group (老台中的懷舊記憶). Despite vocal demands to preserve this relic it was ultimately demolished in 2026.
Warning: this location is abandoned, hazardous, or otherwise neglected and may be unsafe and even dangerous! Exercise appropriate precautions when visiting.
警告：此處已廢棄或長期無人管理，可能存在潛在危險。造訪時請務必提高警覺，並做好相關安全防護措施。
Map
Recorded On
Links
- Wikipedia in Chinese (中文維基百科)
- Facebook: Taichu Renaissance Association (台中文史復興組合)
- Facebook: Hidden Story (島嶼索隱)
Sources
- Taiwan Shinto Shrines App, Kuona Lab. 《台灣神社遺構地圖》
Themes
- Japanese Colonial Era Taiwan (台灣日治時代)
- Temple Culture in Taiwan (台灣的寺廟文化)
- Shinto Shrines in Taiwan (台灣神社)
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.