loading . . . Kicho Shrine (崎頂社) View fullsize
Nestled within a remote industrial community on a mountain dividing the coastal northern Miaoli village of **Qiding** (崎頂), and the much larger town of **Chunan** (竹南), you’ll find the remnants of a ninety year old Shinto Shrine, a relic of Taiwan’s colonial heritage that few people realize exists.
Affectionately known by locals as the ‘**Sunrise Shrine** ’ (日出神社), due to its location overlooking Taiwan’s western coast, most would be surprised to learn that such a place still exists in the country, but that might also be one of the reasons why the shrine has been able to escape a fate similar to so many of its contemporaries.
As part of my personal work to document Taiwan’s Shinto Shrines, this is one of the locations that has been on my list of places to visit for quite some time, and even though much of the original shrine has already been lost, what little that does remain actually offers an important example that helps us better understand how shrines like this in Taiwan would have originally appeared.
During the half century period of Japan’s colonial rule over Taiwan, around five-hundred shrines were constructed across the island, an astonishing number to say the least. However, when it comes to this subject, what tends to confuse a lot of people is that official estimates most often claim that there were only about two-hundred. There are several issues with these estimates, and with the hundreds of hours I spent researching this topic, I’d suggest that the number of shrines might actually actually be well over five-hundred.
Clearly, the number that gets thrown around most of the time isn’t correct, but it’s also something that I can understand. The construction of shrines in Taiwan fell under an old classification system where they were considered either _official_ , _unofficial_ or _private_. To elaborate, Taiwan was home to about a hundred ‘officially’ ranked shrines divided between **Imperial Ranked Shrines** (官幣社), **Nationally Ranked Shrines** (国幣社), **County-Level Shrines** (縣社), **District-Level Shrines** (郷社), and **Unranked Shrines** (無格社). The confusion tends to originate from the fact that the vast majority of Taiwan’s shrines were considered ‘unrecognized’ and many of which were located within indigenous villages, **schools** (校內社), **factories and military bases** (構內社), etc.
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There are a quite a few reasons why the actual number of shrines remains unclear, with the most obvious being that most of them were destroyed after the Second World War. Another reason, though, is that despite being excellent at keeping records, its highly likely that there were a number of unrecorded shrines, especially those located high in the mountains in locations that we’ve yet to discover. The colonial authorities had constructed hundreds of outposts high in the mountains in order to control and record the movements of Taiwan’s indigenous people, and most of them featured a shrine of some sort. The problem with identifying these shrines, though is that a lot of these outposts were located in such remote locations that you’d have to be a pretty intrepid mountain climber to reach them. Thus, it would take a considerable amount of effort, and a large team of researchers to traverse the mountains to document these things.
It’s also important to note that in the 1930s, the establishment of shrines into Taiwan went into overdrive with the government pushing to have one constructed in every city, town and village across the island. Similarly, applications for the establishment of smaller shrines within industrial factories, military bases, schools, etc. were also encouraged as a means to aid in the full (and forced) integration of the people of Taiwan into citizens of the empire.
The construction of shrines in Taiwan continued pretty much until pen was put to paper for their official surrender on September 2nd, 1945, and as the Japanese were leaving Taiwan, a number of shrines were still under construction.
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Today, I’ll be introducing the remnants of one of those shrines constructed in the mid-1930s. The shrine, which was officially classed as an **unrecognized internal shrine** (構內社) to this day remains a great example of how shrines with this classification would have appeared during the colonial era, despite much of it having already been destroyed.
Before I start to introduce the **Kicho Shrine** (崎頂社), though, I need to briefly explain the reason it was constructed and who was actually responsible for its establishment. When I’ve finished, I’ll move on to briefly explaining the history of the shrine and the kami who were enshrined within. I’ll also provide a detailed introduction to its layout and architectural design as well as offer instructions on how to get there for anyone interested in visiting.
# **Shinchiku Agricultural Institute**(新竹州立農業傳習所）
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If you visit today, you’ll find that the Kicho Shrine is located on a hill to the rear of what appears to be a private company or a factory, but is in fact the ‘**Veterinary Research Institute** ’ (農業部獸醫研究所) operated by the **Ministry of Agriculture** (農業部). Over the years, the research institute has had a number of names, but it dates back to 1933 (昭和8年) when it was established as the ‘**Shinchiku Prefecture Agricultural Training Institute** ’ (新竹州立農業傳習所), including both a scientific research station and an Agricultural Vocational Training School.
During the Japanese era, the colonial government invested considerably in improving Taiwan’s agricultural production through the training of a generation of farmers equipped with modern tools and techniques, in addition to setting up agricultural experimentation stations around the island.
The government established institutes in Taipei, Hsinchu and Tainan, and courses included modern agricultural concepts, plant physiology, animal husbandry and livestock management, agricultural product processing, agricultural economics, etc. As a bonus for graduating from the program, internships were offered to students in a myriad of agricultural sectors ranging from the cultivation of rice, fruit, vegetables, sugar, tea, tobacco, fertilizer production, and on state-operated livestock and poultry farms.
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Students from the institute on a field trip to a memorial site for Prince Kitashirakawa Yoshihisa
Admissions to the institute were extremely competitive with only about thirty students admitted annually, but tuition was free of charge, and students were only responsible for paying for their own personal bedding and supplies. Eligible students were males between the ages of 17 and 25, who had graduated from public schools or public agricultural preparatory schools (農業補習學校). Additionally, prospective students had to receive a recommendation from local officials, and they had to take a number of difficult written and physical exams. Applicants had to be able-bodied citizens, and as part of their tuition-free education, they were required to assist in strengthening Japanese-spirit through their training in martial arts and gymnastics as well as traveling around the island making speeches.
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In 1942, the school moved to nearby **Toufen** (頭份), while the research station continued its operations. Similarly, after the war, the institute carried on its agricultural research functions, but instead of focusing on education, it became the **Taiwan Provincial Research Institute for Animal Health** (臺灣省農林處獸疫血清製造所), and a few decades later, it was converted into the Ministry of Agriculture’s **Veterinary Research Institute** (農業部獸醫研究所), which serves as an animal breeding and testing environment that does biomedical research and its work is instrumental in the pre-clinical evaluation of newly developed drugs, medical devices, and biotechnology products.
However, throughout its history, one of the things that has remained the same about the research facility is that they have done experimentation on animals, and that is one of the reasons why a shine was constructed on the grounds, and also why even today, despite the Shinto Shrine being long gone, you’ll still find people praying at the shrine for the animals that have passed through its testing facilities.
# **Kicho Shrine** (崎頂社 / きちょじゃ)
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With the Shinchiku Prefecture Agricultural Training Institute established in 1933 (昭和8年), it wouldn’t take very long for the school to establish a shrine on-site. In both my introduction above, and my explanation of the history of the institute, it probably shouldn’t surprise anyone that there would have been a Shinto Shrine located on the grounds. First, the establishment of the institute came at a time when the colonial government was pushing, if not forcing, nationalization and Japanese-spirit on the people of Taiwan, and the vast majority of shrines that were constructed in Taiwan were built during the 1930s.
Similarly, one of the main goals of the institute, apart from fostering a new generation of agricultural power, was to assist with the promotion of nationalism. Thus, it shouldn’t be too surprising that within a year of the institution’s establishment, the application process for the construction of an on-site shrine was swiftly approved. Construction was completed late in 1934 (昭和9年), and the opening ceremony were held on December 29th. The shrine was officially known as the ‘**Kicho Shrine** ’ (崎頂社 / きちょじゃ), named after the location in Miaoli where it was constructed.
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During the Japanese-era, Kicho was a suburb of **Chikunan** (竹南街 / ちくなんがい), which we refer to today as **Chunan** (竹南鎮), and the agricultural institute was actually just a short walk away from the nearby **Kicho Station** (崎頂驛 / きちょうえき), which connected the two areas, geographically separated by a mountain.
**Link** : Qiding Railway Tunnels (崎頂子母隧道)
One of the interesting things about the establishment of the Kicho Shrine is that it actually predates the area’s largest shrines, the **Chikunan Shrine** (竹南神社／ちくなんじんじゃ) and the **Tofun Shrine** (頭分神社／とうふんじんじゃ), both of which were inaugurated several years later in 1940 (昭和15年), and thus didn’t exist for very long prior to the end of the Second World War.
Its important to note that in terms of its place in the shrine hierarchy, Kicho Shrine was placed directly under the auspices of the **Prefectural Shinchiku Shrine** (新竹神社／しんちくじんじゃ), but if either of the shrines mentioned above had been constructed earlier, they would have played a larger role in its operations. That being said, as a ‘**kounai shrine** ’ (構內社 / こうないしゃ), its day-to-day maintenance was carried out as a collective effort by the students and staff at the institute.
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Interestingly, when the shrine was opened in 1934, it wasn’t actually fully completed. The construction came at a time when the colonial government was both pushing the construction of shrines around the island, but also at a time when the development of Taiwan had come to a point where the Japanese were able to start refining things.
Having just published a policy guide titled the ‘**Regulations for Shrine Construction** ’ (神社建設之要點), the application for the establishment of Kicho Shrine was approved, but it wouldn’t be formally recognized until a year later when the standard layout of a shrine was completed with the addition of a **Shrine Gate** (鳥居), and a traditional fence surrounding the worship area of the shrine, both of which I’ll introduce later.
In most cases, when I write about historic structures from the Japanese-era, I include a timeline of events to help readers better understand the history of these places. In the case of this particular shrine, however, it is difficult to produce an authoritative timeline of events given that its history hasn’t been very well recorded. What we know is that from 1933 to 1945, the shrine was an important part of the daily activities at the research institute. What took place after the war, though, is unclear. The main worship area of the shrine was at some part removed or destroyed, but most of the other parts of the shrine remained intact, and possibly abandoned for quite some time as nature was permitted to pretty much take over the area.
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Nature taking over the entrance to the shrine.
At some point, though, the area was cleaned up, and on the pedestal where the shrine once existed, a Buddhist shrine was erected, dedicated to the Buddha **Jizo** (地藏菩薩), which I’ll also mention later.
When you visit today, it’s likely that you’ll find that both candles and incense have been lit at the shrine by the staff at the institute, who use the shrine to pray for the animals who have passed through the laboratory.
In this way, the historic Kicho Shrine has been both maintained and preserved by the staff, but has yet to receive official recognition by the local government as a heritage property, despite one of the Japanese-era buildings constructed within the institute receiving that recognition.
# **Kami Worshipped at the Kicho Shrine**
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Its important to note that since this shrine was located within an Animal Health Research Institute, which required experimentation, and sadly, the death of innocent animals, in order to improve the conditions of agricultural production, the kami chosen to be enshrined within were meant to assist both the employees of the institute and the students of the adjacent school pray for their safe passage, and ultimately for the success of their work.
The following were the three kami originally enshrined at Kicho Shrine:
* # Kami enshrined at Kicho Shrine
**Amaterasu (天照皇大神)**
Originating in the **Kojiki** (古事記 / こじき), Japan’s ancient book of records, it is said that after the god and goddess of creation, **Izanami** (伊邪那美命) and **Izanagi** (伊邪那岐神) created the islands of Japan, they went on to give birth to a number of deities (or natural phenomena) like the mountains, ocean, grass, food, etc. However, when Izanami gives birth to the fire deity, **Kagutsuchi** (カグツチ), her entire body is burnt, and she died of her injuries.
Stricken by grief, Izanagi, makes his way into hell, known in Japanese as ‘**Yomi** ’ (黄泉 / よみ) to bring her back, but all he finds is a rotten corpse. Terrified, he fled from hell, and when he returned to the world of the living, he performed a ritual purification ceremony in the Tachibana River. As he washes his face, the goddess **Amaterasu** (天照大神) appeared from the water of his left eye, the moon god **Tsukuyomi** (月讀 / つくよみ) from his right eye, and **Susanoo** (素戔嗚尊 / すさのおのみこと), from his nose.
Known as the ‘**Three Precious Children** ’ (三貴子), the three kami would become the most significant Shinto deities, but Amaterasu has become known as one of, if not at least, the chief deity of Shintoism. Known more formally as **Amaterasu-Omikami** (天照大御神), she is the goddess of the sun and the universe, ruling from heaven. However, given that her light is essential in both heaven and earth, she has sent her descendants to act on her behalf, which also makes her the creator of the Imperial House of Japan and giving legitimacy to their rule.
Enshrined at the **Ise Grand Shrine** (伊勢神宮) in **Mie Prefecture** (三重縣), the shrine is one of Shinto's holiest sites and both a major pilgrimage center and tourist spot. Despite being known as the goddess of the sun, Amaterasu is known to hold dominion over a myriad of the world’s natural phenomena, possibly even holding dominion over death. One of her key roles, though, is that her worship is most directly linked to the worship of “ _Japan”_ or the “ _Japanese Spirit,_ ” also known as **Yamato-damashii** (大和魂).
With regard to Taiwan, this became problematic during the period when State Shintoism was one of the tools used to fuel the militarism of the Second World War, and even though her worship predates any of that insanity by more than thirteen centuries, it was difficult to separate them. Thus, given Japan’s war crimes, and the fact that most of the shrines constructed in Taiwan would have been home to an Amaterasu Shrine, it shouldn’t be surprising that this is one of the reasons why the Chinese Nationalists were so keen on destroying them.
**Toyoke no Omikami** (豐受大神 / トヨウケビメノカミ)
‘Toyoke no Omikami’ is a female kami that hails from Japanese mythology known simply as the Japanese ‘Goddess of Food,’ but is more specifically referred to as the ‘Kami of Agriculture and Industry’ serving a role similar to the Three Pioneer kami mentioned above. Residing at the **Ise Grand Shrine** (伊勢神宮), she is known to provide food for her counterpart, the sun goddess **Amaterasu** (天照大神), which means that when you encountered a shrine dedicated to one, the other would surely be there as well.
**Link** : _Toyouke-hime_ (Wiki)
**Prince Kitashirakawa Yoshihisa** (北白川宮能久親王)
Prince Yoshihisa, a western educated Major-General in the Japanese Imperial Army, and a member of the Japanese imperial family was commissioned to participate in the invasion of Taiwan after the island was ceded to the empire. Unfortunately for the Prince, he contracted malaria and died in either modern day Hsinchu or Tainan (where he died is disputed), giving him the dubious honor of being the first member of the Japanese royal family to pass away while outside of Japan in more than nine hundred years in addition to being the first to die in war.
Shortly after his death he was elevated to the status of a ‘kami’ under state Shinto and was given the name “ _Kitashirakawa no Miya Yoshihisa-shinno no Mikoto_ “, and subsequently became one of the most important patron deities here in Taiwan, as well as being enshrined at the **Yasukuni Shrine** (靖國神社) in Tokyo. Of the more than four-hundred shrines constructed around Taiwan during the Japanese-era, its safe to say that Prince Yoshihisa was enshrined within at least ninety percent of them, making him one of the most prolific kami in Taiwan.
**Link** : _Prince Kitashirakawa Yoshihisa_ (Wiki)
# **Architectural Design**
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The architectural design of the shrine is somewhat difficult to describe in great detail, due to there only being a few remaining pieces of the original shrine, and because there aren’t any historic photos available.
That being said, the general layout of the shrine remains, and from what you’ll experience when you visit, if you understand the general concept of how Shinto Shrines are designed, you’ll have a pretty good indication of what once existed on site.
The first thing to remember about the Kicho Shrine is that it was located on the grounds of an agricultural institute, and like the vast majority of Taiwan’s Shinto Shrines that were located on school grounds or on the grounds of a private company, it was considerably smaller than what you could expect from a full-fledged shrine, such as the nearby **Chikunan** **Shrine** (竹南神社).
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Despite its relative size, though, the shrine included quite a few important elements that you’ll find at both smaller and larger shrines.
So, let me first offer a list of what once existed on the shrine:
* **Visiting Path** (參道 / さんどう) - The Visiting Path included a stone pathway to the shrine, a **shrine gate** (鳥居 / とりい), **stone lanterns** (石燈籠 / しゃむしょ) lining both sides of the path, and (possibly) a set of **komainu** (狛犬 / こまいぬ) stone guardians.
* **Purification Fountain** (手水舍 / ちょうずしゃ) - located on the western side of the Visiting Path, the Purification Fountain was a simple stone water fountain where visitors could perform a purification ritual prior to worshipping at the shrine.
* **Shrine Fence** (玉垣 / たまがき) - a small stone fence that surrounded the sacred area of the shrine, preventing people from wandering into a space where they shouldn’t be. This part of the shrine was constructed about a year after it was officially established, along with the shrine gate.
* **Main Hall (本殿 / ほんでん) -** Elevated on a ‘**kidan** ’ (基壇 / きだん) stone platform, the Main Hall was a small wooden structure that was the home of the shrine’s kami.
With an idea of what once existed at the shrine, its time to talk about what continues to exist today.
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When you visit the shrine today, the first thing you’ll encounter at the bottom of the hill is the stone Visiting Path. To the average observer, the path might just seem like a set of steps that leads up to the shrine. However, in Shintoism, the path plays a much more important role than you might think. In Japanese, the path is known as a “ _sando_ ” (さんどう), and is an essential aspect of the layout of a shrine.
Serving both a functional and symbolic purpose, the point of the path is that it is meant to be part of the journey one takes on their road to spiritual purification. Keeping in mind that ‘Shintoism’ itself is literally translated as the “ _Pathway to the Gods_ ” (神道), having a literal path that leads the worshiper from the realm of the profane to that of the sacred is quite important.
In this case, the path leads from the bottom of the hill to the area where the shrine is located, but from the bottom, you can’t actually see the shrine, which is pretty cool. It’s only until you climb the steps to the top that the shrine will come into view. In most cases, these paths are lined by sets of stone lanterns, which are placed at random intervals on either side.
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At this shrine, though, walking up the path, you won’t notice any evidence that there were any lanterns set on the hill. At the top, however, you’ll find a single set of lanterns just beyond a circular set of cement blocks where the Shrine Gate once existed. The two lanterns are quite small compared to what you’ll generally see at shrines, and you won’t find any information etched onto the rear of the lantern, as is the custom, which typically gives the date they were constructed or when they were donated to the shrine.
Thus, with little information available regarding their creation, it’s possible that they might not be the original lanterns that were placed along the path. However, from the photos I’ve seen of the shrine over recent years, especially from those from the time prior to the site being cleaned up and maintained, it’s likely that they’ve been there for quite a while.
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Similarly, part of that sacred journey along the ‘Visiting Path’ is marked by a purification process that is performed at the shrine’s **Purification Fountain** (手水舍 / ちょうずしゃ). An essential part of the shrine experience, the size of the shrine doesn’t particularly matter very much as you’re (almost) always going to find one on the path. In this case, though, the Purification Fountain has long since been removed, and its location seems unclear.
Pedestal for where the original shrine gate once existed. The gate was obviously constructed with wood.
If typical shrine layout gives any indication, though, it was likely located on the left-side of the Visiting Path between the Shrine Gate and the Stone Lanterns. I did some checking on the ground, but due to the condition of the tree near the shrine, it was difficult to see any evidence of where it was once located.
It’s also possible that the fountain was destroyed by parts of the tree dying.
Finally, one of the major differences between this shrine, and a larger type of shrine, such as the nearby **Chikunan** **Shrine** (竹南神社) mentioned above, is that there weren’t dedicated buildings for the **Hall of Worship** (拜殿 /はいでん) with a **Main Hall** (本殿/ほんでん) located to its rear.
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Instead, the shrine was just a ‘miniature’ version of a ‘Main Hall’ that was propped up on an elevated base. The base, known in Japanese as a ‘kidan’ (基壇 / きだん), in addition to the base that surrounds it, the set of stairs that allowed worshippers to approach the shrine as well as the stairs on the ‘kidan’ all remain in pretty good shape.
The original shrine that once stood on top of the base, however, has been removed. In its place, you’ll currently find four metal poles holding up a metal roof that is somewhat reminiscent of a Japanese-style roof, but also quite different at the same time. The replacement shrine is actually similar to what you’ll see at the **Yuanshan Shinto Shrine** (圓山水神社) in Taipei in the way that it has been constructed on top of the original shrine in a fusion style of design.
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It’s also important to note that the shrine is now home to a beautiful standing statue of the **Buddha Jizo** (地蔵菩薩 /じぞうぼさつ), who is more commonly known in Taiwan as **Dizang** , or **Ksitigarbha**. In the Japanese tradition, Jizo is an extremely important Buddhist figure, and his placement at the shrine here isn’t random. Like all Buddhas Jizo is known for his compassion, but in this case, he is most well-known for his efforts to protect children, travelers and pilgrims.
Likewise, he is known for his ability to protect communities from evil spirits, epidemics and other misfortunes, but more importantly, he is renowned for his ability to protect the dead from suffering. Obviously, in the current era there isn’t any need for a shrine like the one that used to exist in this location, but given the work that is done at the research facility, it’s only fitting that the area is home to a Jizo statue.
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One of the things that ended up confusing me with regard to the information available about the shrine was that a year after it was established, the Shrine Gate, and a **Shrine Fence** (玉垣 / たまがき) were added to the site.
As I mentioned above, there is clear evidence that the gate once existed along the path, but the fence is a bit of a mystery. It’s possible that the fence once surrounded the base of the shrine, and was destroyed or removed, but there’s not much evidence to give any indication that it was there.
Given the size of the shrine, it would be safe to assume that the fence would be quite small, so it was likely that it surrounded the base rather than the entire grounds on the top of the hill. But, there’s no indication that anything once existed either on the base itself, or on the ground next to where the cement was laid.
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What you’ll see at the shrine today is clearly not what you would have seen in the mid-1930s, but clearly, a significant portion of the original shrine remains intact, which makes it an important relic of Taiwan’s history.
Until now, the shrine’s maintenance has been taken care of by the agricultural research institute below, but at some point the Miaoli County government will likely have to designate it as a protected heritage site in order to both preserve the site as well as making a visit to the shrine safer anyone interested in checking it out.
# **Getting There**
> **Address** : 350苗栗縣竹南鎮崎頂里牧場21號
>
> **GPS** : 24.713548, 120.872531
Well, here comes the bad news.
Visiting the shrine isn’t that easy, but its also not impossible if you’re willing to make a little effort.
If you’ll notice above, the address I’ve provided is only in Chinese.
This is a pretty rare occurrence here on this website, but this particular address doesn’t translate to English on Google Maps, nor does it actually give you the exact location of the shrine. The address I’m providing is only to give you an indication of where the shrine is located, so I’ve just used the Animal Research Institute as a marker.
If you have your own means of transportation, whether it’s by car or scooter, getting there shouldn’t be too difficult with either the address of the GPS coordinates provided above. However, the road where the shrine is located is quite narrow, and you can’t park there, so you’ll have to find a spot a bit of distance away and walk to the trailhead for the shrine.
For those of you relying on public transportation, the best advice I can give is that you can either walk, or pick up a Youbike from **Qiding Railway Station** (崎頂車站), which is one stop south of **Xiangshan Station** (香山車站). If you find yourself in this area, you’ll also be able to check out the **Xiangshan Wetlands** (香山溼地), the **Qiding Railway Tunnels** (崎頂子母隧道), and a number of other popular tourist destinations along the Hsinchu Coastal Highway, which are excellent for biking.
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Whether you’re riding a bike or walking, when you leave the train station, you’ll walk in the direction of of the **Zhunan Brewery** (竹南啤酒廠) on **Ren’ai Road**(仁愛路) until you pass by **Sanfeng Road** (三峰路).
This is where it gets tricky. There are a number of nameless alleys in the area and you’ll need to turn right down one of them. Without an actual name for the alley, it’s difficult to point you in the direction you need to go, so the best I can do is tell you that there is a factory with a big white sign on the corner that has a red flower and the words “國順“ which is where you’ll turn right.
You’ll know you’re on the right road because there is an odd erect-looking red and white tower in the distance. From there you’ll continue making your way straight as you pass by some brick buildings on the right side. Eventually the road will curve and you’ll come across an open hill with a fence, which is pretty much the trailhead for the shrine.
Once you’ve made it to the fence, you’ll walk up the hill, and keep walking along the fenced off area, passing through an open space in a beautiful banyan tree. If you keep following the fence, you’ll eventually come across the stairs that lead up to the entrance of the shrine.
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If you’re walking, the amount of time it takes you to get there from the train station should only be about 15-20 minutes. If you’re on a Youbike on the other hand, the amount of time it takes should be considerably shorter, unless you get lost, which I have to admit, I did.
At this point, I’ll have to caution you. There are warning signs along the path that indicate a bit of danger with the trees in the area. They are on the verge of falling over, so the staff at the research institute have taped the area off. You can easily ignore these things, but you’ll have to enter the area at your own caution as they’ve done their due diligence in warning people about the dangers of entering the area. The level of danger, however, doesn’t particularly seem to be too threatening as there has been some work done to remove trees and prop up the tree that seems to be causing the most trouble.
If you’ve made the effort to travel all the way to this remote area, then you’ll probably want to follow through and check out the shrine.
# **References**
1. Shinchiku Prefecture | 新竹州 **中文** | 新竹州 **日文** (Wiki)
2. 竹南郡 **中文** | 竹南県 **日文** (Wiki)
3. 竹南街 (Wiki)
4. 新竹州立農業傳習所 (Wiki)
5. List of Shinto shrines in Taiwan | 台灣神社列表 **中文** | 台湾の神社 **日文** (Wiki)
6. 崎頂神社遺址步道 (健行筆記)
7. 苗栗縣 竹南鎮 崎頂神社、青草山 (Joy and Tom)
8. 秘境中的秘境 崎頂日出神社 (到處走走的旅遊手扎)
9. 新竹州 - 牧場神社 (台湾に渡った日本の神々)
* * *
# **Gallery /****Flickr (High Res Photos)**
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Feb 21, 2026
Kicho Shrine (崎頂社)
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Taiwan Sacrificial Rites Martial Temple (臺灣祀典武廟)
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Jan 17, 2026
Fongyi Tutorial Academy (鳳儀書院)
Jan 17, 2026
Jan 17, 2026 https://www.goteamjosh.com/blog/kicho
