Taoyuan's unique Shinto relic

A torii gate, part of a Shinto shrine, can be seen on the roof of what used to be the Hayashi Department Store (林百貨店) in downtown Tainan (台南). But a far more interesting relic of Shintoism exists in North Taiwan – Taoyuan Martyrs Shrine (桃園忠烈祠).

The Taoyuan Jinja, as the martyrs shrine was known during the colonial period, was inaugurated on September 23, 1938. Among those worshipped here were Amaterasu, the mythical ancestress of Japan's royal family, and Prince Kitashirakawa Yoshihisa, the imperial relative who died of malaria while commanding Japanese military units during the 1895 takeover of Taiwan.

Made largely of cypress, the structure is classically Japanese in that it reflects the massive influence on Japan of China's Tang dynasty. It stands on the slopes of a forest-covered hill that's alive with birds and butterflies. Unless the weather is very bad indeed, you can look down over Taoyuan – not, unfortunately, Asia's attractive city.

The shrine's simplicity, and the contrast it presents to other places of worship in Taiwan, are central to its appeal. Unpainted, unvarnished wood is very seldom seen in Taoist and folk temples; the Taoyuan Martyrs Shrine is almost entirely natural timber. The most vibrant colors are those on the four-character calligraphy tablets donated by county chiefs past and present, among them Annette Lu (呂秀蓮), who later served as vice president.

The main shrine is off-limits to visitors but it's possible to peer inside from the steps. I couldn't read the names on the memorial tablets, but there were at least a dozen of them. Among them are Koxinga (鄭成功) – who needs no introduction – Liu Yung-fu (劉永福) and Chiu Feng-chia (丘逢甲).

Both Liu and Chiu fought the Japanese as they seized Taiwan in 1895. Liu served as the second and final president of the short-lived Republic of Taiwan; Chiu went on to work for the KMT in mainland China.

More than 200 others are memorialized in the ceremonial hall.

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