was a Shinto shrine located in the former Takao City (now Kaohsiung

Kaohsiung

Kaohsiung is a city located in southwestern Taiwan, facing the Taiwan Strait on the west. Kaohsiung, officially named Kaohsiung City, is divided into thirty-eight districts. The city is one of five special municipalities of the Republic of China...

), Takao Prefecture

Takao Prefecture

was one of the administrative divisions of Taiwan during the Japanese rule. The prefecture consisted of modern day Kaohsiung City and Pingtung County.-Population:1941 census.*Total population: 930,383**Japanese 59,633**Taiwanese 863,313...

, Taiwan

Taiwan

Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...

 during the Japanese rule period

Taiwan under Japanese rule

Between 1895 and 1945, Taiwan was a dependency of the Empire of Japan. The expansion into Taiwan was a part of Imperial Japan's general policy of southward expansion during the late 19th century....

. The shrine enshrined Prince Yoshihisa, Ōmononushi no Mikoto (大物主命), and Emperor Sutoku

Emperor Sutoku

was the 75th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Sutoku's reign spanned the years from 1123 through 1142.-Genealogy:Before his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, his personal name was Akihito ....

.

History

The shrine was originally built at the foot of Kotobuki Hill as in 1912. It was renamed Takao Shrine in 1920 and moved to the hillside in 1928. In 1932, the shrine received the kensha (県社) rank.

After 1945, the government of Republic of China

Republic of China

The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...

 transformed the Shinto shrine into the Martyrs' Shrine of Kaohisung (高雄市忠烈祠 Gāoxióng shì zhōngliècí). Most of the Japanese structures

Japanese architecture

' originated in prehistoric times with simple pit-houses and stores that were adapted to a hunter-gatherer population. Influence from Han Dynasty China via Korea saw the introduction of more complex grain stores and ceremonial burial chambers....

were demolished in the 1970s and rebuilt as a Chinese temple.