Shinto Shrines in Taiwan

During the Japanese colonial era, the colonial government constructed over 200 Shinto shrines (神社) across Taiwan as part of a broader effort to extend State Shinto to the colony. The first, Kaizan Shrine (開山神社), was established in 1897 by converting a shrine dedicated to Koxinga, and a small number of shrines official and otherwise soon followed in the early years of colonial rule.

Construction accelerated sharply in the late 1930s under the Kōminka movement (皇民化運動), peaking around the celebration of the mythical 2,600th anniversary of the Japanese empire in 1940. Following Japan’s defeat in World War 2, neglect and a 1974 government edict ordering the removal of colonial relics led to the destruction of the vast majority of these sites. A handful survived with varying degrees of integrity; Taoyuan Shinto Shrine is the most well-preserved, while sites like Yuli Shinto Shrine and Linnei Shinto Shrine retain significant original stonework and structural elements. This collection documents the original locations and remaining relics of these shrines across the country.