Gaoshi Shrine ( zh, t=高士神社, p=Gāoshì Shénshè), formerly known as , is a

Shinto shrine A Stuart D. B. Picken, 1994. p. xxiii is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more kami, , the deities of the Shinto religion. The Also called the . is where a shrine's patron is or are enshrined.Iwanami Japanese dic ...

located in Gaoshi, a Paiwan village in

Mudan, Pingtung Mudan Township () is a Township (Taiwan), mountain indigenous township in Pingtung County, Taiwan. The main population is the Paiwan people of the Taiwanese aborigines. History Formerly called ''Botansia'' (). Geography * Area: * Population: ...

, Taiwan. With the original shrine destroyed by typhoon in 1946, a new shrine was rebuilt in 2015, making it the first Shinto shrine constructed in Taiwan in the post–

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

era, following the end of the island's Japanese rule. The current shrine is not affiliated with the Shinto religion (or any other deity) but serves as a memorial for the Taiwanese population lost in wars such as World War II.

History

The shrine was originally built in 1939 during the

Japanese rule of Taiwan The Geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, together with the Penghu, Penghu Islands, became an annexed territory of the Empire of Japan in 1895, when the Qing dynasty ceded Taiwan Province, Fujian-Taiwan Province in the Treaty of Shimonoseki a ...

, but was destroyed in 1946 due to

typhoon A typhoon is a tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere and which produces sustained hurricane-force winds of at least . This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, accounting for a ...

damage. The village's residents wished to rebuild the shrine but could not, as reconstruction was prohibited under

martial law Martial law is the replacement of civilian government by military rule and the suspension of civilian legal processes for military powers. Martial law can continue for a specified amount of time, or indefinitely, and standard civil liberties ...

at the time. The only surviving portion of the shrine was its concrete base. In 2015, a ''

kannushi , also called , is the common term for a member of the clergy at a responsible for maintaining the shrine and leading worship of the there.* ''Kannushi'' (in Japanese), Iwanami Japanese dictionary, 6th Edition (2008), DVD version The chara ...

'' named learned of the shrine's existence through the Friends of

Lee Teng-Hui Lee Teng-hui (; pinyin: ''Lǐ Dēnghuī''; 15 January 192330 July 2020) was a Taiwanese politician and agricultural scientist who served as the fourth president of the Republic of China, president of the Taiwan, Republic of China (Taiwan) unde ...

Association (台灣李登輝之友會總會) in Japan, a cultural exchange organization based in Tokyo. Satō decided to rebuild the shrine as a token of appreciation for Taiwan's foreign aid in the

2011 Tōhoku earthquake Eleven or 11 may refer to: *11 (number) * One of the years 11 BC, AD 11, 1911, 2011 Literature * ''Eleven'' (novel), a 2006 novel by British author David Llewellyn *''Eleven'', a 1970 collection of short stories by Patricia Highsmith *''Eleven'' ...

. The shrine cost

JP¥ The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third-most traded currency in the foreign exchange market, after the United States dollar and the euro. It is also widely used as a third reserve currency after the US dollar and the euro. T ...

10,000,000 to build. An opening ceremony was held on 11–12 August 2015 to celebrate the shrine's completion. It involved a Shinto ceremony conducted by Satō, traditional Paiwan dances, and a prayer led by the local pastor, since the majority of Gaoshi's population is

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

Structure

No records of the original structure exist. The rebuilt shrine is made of

hinoki ''Chamaecyparis obtusa'' (Japanese cypress, hinoki cypress or hinoki; or , ) is a species of cypress native to central Japan in East Asia, and widely cultivated in the temperate northern hemisphere for its high-quality timber and ornamental qu ...

wood, while the roof is covered in copper. In 2016, a white ''

torii A is a traditional culture of Japan, Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine, where it symbolically marks the transition from the mundane to the sacred, and a spot where kami are welcomed and thought to ...

'', also made of hinoki, was added in front of the shrine.

References

Shinto shrines in Taiwan Monuments and memorials in Taiwan Religious buildings and structures in Pingtung County Taiwan under Japanese rule 1939 establishments in Taiwan 1946 disestablishments in Taiwan 2015 establishments in Taiwan 20th-century Shinto shrines 21st-century Shinto shrines Shinmei shrines {{Shinmei shrines

History

Structure

See also

References