Japanese expert builds shrine to thank Taiwan

MASTER BUILDER: The miniature sacred structure is to be dedicated to the peace of a village in Pingtung, the site of a long-abandoned Shinto shrine, its maker said

By Chang Mao-sen and Chen Wei-han / Staff reporter, with staff writer





In a show of gratitude to Taiwanese for their help during the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, a Japanese Shinto priest spent ￥10 million (US$80,475) and more than a year to build a Shinto shrine to replace a long-abandoned Japanese colonial-era shrine in Pingtung County.

Kenichi Sato, 44, comes from a long line of traditional builders of Shinto shrines and sacred architecture. He has visited Taiwan several times under the auspices of the Friends of Lee Teng-Hui Association — a group affiliated with former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝).

In one of his trips, he became acquainted with Chen Ching-fu (陳清福), who was campaigning for the preservation of the shrine in Gaoshih Village (高士), Mudan Township (牡丹).

Japanese Shinto priest Kenichi Sato stands next to a new shrine at the Port of Yokohama, Japan, on May 19. Photo: Chang Mao-sen, Taipei Times

When he learned that the local community was in dire need of professionals who specialize in shrine construction, Sato promised that he would do everything he could to build a new shrine.

Sato said he visited Taiwan several times to discuss the reconstruction work with local community members, including Chen, former Mudan Township warden Hua A-tsai (華阿財), Paiwan community leader Lee Wen-lai (李文來) and Gaoshih Village Warden Lee Te-fu (李德福).

It took Sato a year to build a miniature shrine — which is 230cm tall, 166cm wide and weighs 400kg — from cypress, with a copper gabled roof.

The shrine also has a decorative bargeboard that is carved into a triangular dormer on the undulating gable, he said.

Wearing a Shinto priest’s robe, Sato escorted the new shrine to the Port of Yokohama in Japan on May 18, where the structure was consigned to a Japanese transporter for shipping to Kaohsiung.

Sato said he personally bore the expense of shipment and all other costs incurred, including customs inspection and cargo loading, which amounted to about ￥500,000.

The shrine is expected to arrive in Kaohsiung and be installed at the site of a former Shinto shrine in the village early next month, he said.

“The friendship between Japan and Taiwan, and the kindness that Taiwanese showed to Japanese during the Tohoku earthquake in 2011 were what motivated me to do this,” he said. “Taiwan’s existence is also an important part of Japanese history.”

The gods of Paiwan Aborigines, rather than Japanese deities, are to be enshrined in the miniature he presented to the village, Sato said, adding that it is not a shrine of state religion, but a sacred structure dedicated to peace for the local community.

“[I] hope for greater peace for Taiwan and warmer Japan-Taiwan relations,” he said.