1923 Crown Prince Tour

Crown Prince Hirohito (裕仁), then regent for his ailing father, toured Taiwan in 1923 from April 16th to 27th at the invitation of Den Kenjirō (田健治郎), the first civilian governor-general. The visit was meant to display the colony’s development under Den’s policy of governing Taiwan as an extension of the home islands (內地延長主義). Landing at Keelung from the battleship Kongō, the prince travelled by royal train through Hsinchu, Taichung, and Tainan to Kaohsiung and Pingtung, sailed to the naval port at Magong, and spent his final days in Taipei, with an excursion to Caoshan (草山) and Beitou. Most stops were government offices, schools, garrisons, and industrial works. Guesthouses, memorial halls, and monuments were built across the island to mark the tour, some for stops he never made.