Martial Arts

Hsinchu Prison Martial Arts Hall (新竹少年刑務所演武場)

Years ago, when I first started combining photography with writing about Taiwan, I didn’t really have any idea where this whole blogging thing would take me. I figured I’d simply share photos of places I was traveling to in my free time with a bit of information about them. Then one day, on a scooter trip to Hsinchu, I decided to stop by the yet to be restored Longtan Martial Arts Hall thanks to a tip from a friend. That visit spawned a several-year long research project into Taiwan’s Japanese Colonial era, resulting in visiting almost all of the remaining Martial Arts Halls as well as many other train stations, civic buildings, dormitories, etc. 

What started out as a simple visit to a semi-abandoned building transformed this space into one of the most authoritative spaces on the web that tells the story of these former Martial Arts Halls; Having visited a large percentage of the halls that remain in Taiwan today, I decided to write a general guide so that people could learn more about their complicated history.  

Link: The Martial Arts Halls of Taiwan (臺灣の武德殿)

More specifically, the guide features a list of sixteen remaining halls, most of which have been restored and re-opened to the public as historic tourist destinations. There were a few on the list however that were somewhat questionable as to whether or not they’d ever be restored. The Xinzhuang Martial Arts Hall (新莊武德殿) and the former Hsinchu Juvenile Prison Martial Arts Hall (新竹少年刑務所演武場), for example were two that had an uncertain future.

I’m happy to report however that the Xinzhuang Martial Arts Hall is currently being restored, and it should be re-opened within the next year or two. Even better is that the Hsinchu Prison Hall has already been restored and is open to the public. If you know me, I follow these developments pretty closely, and I had seen news and some photos regarding the start of the restoration process of the latter, but I never really expected that it’d be completed so quickly!

I’m happy to report that I’m here with yet another article introducing one of the nation’s newest fully restored Martial Arts Hall - Before I start though, I have to give some mad props to the Hsinchu City Government, which did an amazing job restoring this historic building. Likewise, I have to give them credit for what I consider to be the most informative and comprehensive descriptions of the history and the architecture of the building that I’ve seen. In most cases, I’d find myself stuck in the library of the national archives doing extensive research on the architectural specifics of these buildings, but almost all of the information that anyone needs to learn about the hall is provided within, which is great! 

I don’t consider myself easily impressed given that over the years I’ve observed despite a willingness on the part of the government to spend a bunch of money restoring these buildings, rarely is the due diligence ever done when it comes to telling their story properly. The Hsinchu City Government though has gone above and beyond - and that is something that has observably become the norm as of late as the Hsinchu Aqueduct (新竹街水道取水口), features similarly thorough informative displays.

With the massive Hsinchu Public Hall (新竹公會堂) set to reopen in the near future, I find myself quite optimistic for what the city will do with the space, especially since Japanese-era buildings of its size and importance are about as rare as the Martial Arts Halls.

It seems like there are few places in Taiwan that are doing as well as Hsinchu with regard to its preservation of historic buildings, so I’m sure I’ll be visiting the city quite often in the coming months and years!  

Hsinchu Prison Martial Arts Hall (新竹少年刑務所演武場)

In 1900 (明治33年), construction on Martial Arts Halls in Taiwan started with the first in Taipei (臺北州/たいほくしゅう), Taichung (臺中廳/たいちゅうちょう) and Tainan (臺南廳/たいなんちょう) initially meant to assist in the training of the local police in martial arts. It wasn’t until after the “Taiwan Butokuden Branch of the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai” (大日本武德會臺灣支部) was established in 1906 however that we started to see these Martial Arts Halls popping up all over the island.

By 1920 (大正9年), the organization was given a directive from the central government to start construction on Martial Arts Halls in each of Taiwan’s prefectures culminating in the eventual construction of more than two-hundred across the Island over the next two decades.

In Taiwan, the halls initially served the purpose of training the police, military and prison guards in Japanese martial arts disciplines. Later, they opened up to the general public in an attempt to train the citizens of Taiwan in Japanese martial arts, as well as instilling "Japanese Spirit," better known as Yamato-damashii (大和魂).

While they weren’t considered civic buildings, the Martial Arts Halls were often constructed in strategic locations within cities and towns close to the governing district. This helped the government to better pass down directives to the organization in addition to ensuring that funding was available to help promote Martial Arts disciplines and Japanese cultural values. 

As I introduced in my guide to Taiwan’s Martial Art Halls, more than two-hundred of these buildings were constructed across the island, varying in size based on their status within the  hierarchy of the organization. Of that total, eleven were classified as “Prison Branches” (刑務所), where staff of the prisons around the island were trained in Martial Arts and self-defense techniques. 

Keeping in mind that the Prison Branches were the rarest of the bunch, its pretty cool that a handful of them continue to exist today, namely the Taichung Martial Arts Hall (臺中刑務所演武場), the yet to be restored Tainan Prison Martial Arts Hall (臺南刑務所演武場) and the former Shinchiku Prefecture Juvenile Prison Martial Arts Hall (新竹少年刑務所演武場).

To introduce the history of this nearly one hundred year old building, we first have to talk about the reason for which it was constructed, given that it was just a small piece of the Shinchiku Juvenile Prison (新竹少年刑務所 / しんちくしょうねんけいむしょ), the first of its kind in Taiwan.

Officially established on October 7th, 1926 (昭和元年), the detention centre had a maximum capacity of just over five-hundred inmates, and came fully equipped with recreational facilities, a Shinto Shrine, a church, staff housing (just outside of the walls), and of course the Martial Arts Hall. That being said, official records from the Japanese-era state that even though the facility was where all of Taiwan’s juvenile criminals were imprisoned, there were never more than 350 inmates at any given time.

The history of the prison facility however dates back several decades prior as it was originally the Hsinchu Branch of the Taipei Prison (台北監獄署新竹支署), which opened in 1896 (明知29年). Over next few decades the facility was renamed several times, while also expanding with the construction of new buildings while the colonial government was busy refining Taiwan’s territorial boundaries and civil system. By 1923, the prison was one of the four largest on the island, but was still re-designated three years later into Taiwan’s first Juvenile Penitentiary.

Although it has been repaired, expanded and rebuilt on several occasions, the prison has stayed in continuous operation for 130 years, becoming the Hsinchu Prison (新竹監獄) after the end of the Second World War until now.

As part of the continued expansion of the prison and the facilities that surrounded it, a Martial Arts Hall was constructed within the community of employee housing along the eastern wall. Completed in 1935 (昭和10年), the hall served as a space to assist the employees of the prison in the art of self defense.

As we’ve seen with some of the other Martial Arts Halls around the country, the official name of the hall was a long and convoluted one, officially known as the ‘Hsinchu Juvenile Prison Martial Arts Dojo’ (新竹少年刑務所演武場 / しんちくしょうねんけいむしょえんぶじょう).

While still falling under the operational control of the (equally convoluted) “Taiwan Budoken Branch of the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai” (大日本武德會臺灣支部), this particular hall was regarded as an “enbujo” (演武場 / えんぶじょう), or a “Martial Arts Performance Centre” rather than a full-fledged “Budokuden” (武德殿 / ぶとくでん) given that the Hsinchu Martial Arts Hall (新竹武德殿) was located a short distance away.

For those who can’t differentiate between the Chinese characters, it can be a bit confusing given that the majority of Taiwan’s remaining Martial Arts Halls are referred to in Japanese as “Butokuden”.

Link: The Hsinchu Prison Butokuden and Dormitories (新竹演武場) Over The City

It was common however during the Japanese-era to refer to also use either “Budojo” (武道場), “Renbukan” (練武館) or “Enbujo” (演武場) to refer to the halls. Essentially, the naming of the halls, or at least their official designation was part of a formula used to differentiate their structural hierarchy within the organization.  

While the ‘enbujo’ variety tended to be smaller, the key thing to remember is that in their official names you’d still find the words “Butoku Kai” (武德會) preceding the rest of the name - In this case, this hall would have been officially referred to as a “Butoku Kai Enbujo”  (武德會演武場 / ぶとくかいえんぶじょう).

I realize this all might seem a bit confusing, but the Japanese are known for strict adherence to organizational hierarchy, which if you’re able to figure out actually makes sense.

Despite its size, the Martial Arts Hall offered the same classes that you’d find at any of the others around Taiwan with one side of the building reserved for Judo (柔道), and the other for Kendo (劍道). The exterior of the building likewise would have had a space for practicing Kyudo (弓道), otherwise known as Japanese archery.

Suffice to say, the Martial Arts Hall was constructed only a decade prior to the end of the colonial era, so in 1945, when the Japanese relinquished control of Taiwan under the terms of their surrender, the hall ceased being used for its original purpose. After the war, the Chinese Nationalists used it for housing for prison staff as there was a housing crisis caused by the millions of refugees who fled to Taiwan with the incoming regime.

To meet the needs of the residents of the building, alterations were made to its original design over the years making it a shadow of its former self some hideous modern additions that covered up almost all of its architectural design. Suffice to say, the building and most of the dorms that surround the prison were eventually abandoned as they aged, and the residents found more comfortable accommodations elsewhere. 

The Martial Arts Hall was officially registered as a Hsinchu City Protected Heritage Building (市定古蹟) on July 26th, 2012, which by law meant that plans would have to be drawn up to have the building restored.

It ended up taking a few years, but restoration on the building started in the summer of 2018.

Then, after a several year-long restoration project, the Martial Arts Hall officially reopened to the public on November 11th, 2021, a little over three years after the project started. 

Before I move on to introducing the architectural design of the Martial Arts Hall, I’ll provide a brief timeline of events in order to give you a better idea of its history: 

Martial Arts Hall Timeline

  • 1895 (明治28年) - Japan takes control of Taiwan and starts its occupation of the island. 

  • 1896 (明治29年) - The Hsinchu Branch of the Taipei Prison (台北縣新竹監獄署) is established. 

  • 1900 (明治33年) - Taiwan’s first Martial Arts Halls are constructed in Taipei, Taichung and Tainan.

  • 1923 (明治30年) - The Prison is renamed “Hsinchu Prison” (新竹刑務所) 

  • 1926 (昭和元年) - The Hsinchu Juvenile Prison (新竹少年刑務所) is officially established. 

  • 1935 (昭和10年) - The Juvenile Prison Martial Arts Hall (新竹少年刑務所演武場) is established.

  • 1945 (民國34年) - Japan surrenders to the allies and control of of Taiwan is given to the ROC.

  • 1945 (民國34年) - The Juvenile Prison is officially renamed Hsinchu Prison (新竹監獄)

  • 1945 - 2012 - The Martial Arts Hall is used as a dormitory for Prison employees (監獄員工宿舍). 

  • 2012 (民國101年) - The Martial Arts Hall is registered as a protected historic building (市定古蹟). 

  • 2018 (民國107年) - Restoration on the Martial Halls Hall begins.

  • 2020 (民國109年) - Restoration on the hall is officially completed.    

  • 2021 (民國110年) - The Martial Arts Hall officially reopens as a tourist attraction. 

Architectural Design

As I mentioned above, this Martial Arts Hall can be considered one of the most ‘complete’ of the few that remain in Taiwan today, given that both the main section of the hall and the annex remain intact. However, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that in recent years, there has been more emphasis put into ensuring that the larger halls around the country are restored in a way they are as ‘complete’ as this one.

To explain what I mean, when these Martial Arts Halls were originally constructed during the Japanese era, they almost always included an annex building, used as an administrative and living space. Additionally, you were also likely to find space on the exterior of the building reserved for traditional Japanese archery.

When the halls started being restored, almost all of the attention was placed solely on the main hall, leaving the rest of the facility more or less incomplete.

Thankfully, due to the popularity of the Martial Arts Halls as tourist attractions, and the potential for the annex to be used as an exhibition space, or a spot that could be rented out, they’ve started to make their reappearance next to some of the already restored halls. Most recently, the Daxi Martial Arts Hall (大溪武德殿), the Qishan Martial Arts Hall (旗山武德殿), the Changhua Martial Arts Hall (彰化武德殿) and the Taichung Prison Martial Arts Hall (臺中刑務所演武場) are a few examples where the annex was added after the restoration of the main hall.

Link: The role of Public-Private Partnerships in Conserving Historic Buildings in Taiwan

One of the main differences between the halls mentioned above and this particular hall is that the annex building was connected directly to the rest of the building, and was restored simultaneously making it a complete experience. Yet another reason for my high level of praise for the building. 

Officially, the Martial Arts is split into three ‘sections’, but architecturally-speaking it’s much easier to just say its split into two given the difference in the materials used to construct each side.

The Martial Arts side was constructed with a mixture of brick, wood and reinforced concrete, one of the defining characteristics of the period when it was built. The annex side on the other hand was constructed with traditional Japanese architecture in mind in that it was constructed primarily of wood. 

Keeping in mind that this is inherently a ‘east-west fusion’ style building, there are some obvious design differences between the two sections, but it’s important to first note where they are the same: To start, both sections are elevated off of the ground on a concrete base. One of the things that Japanese architects learned quickly upon arrival in Taiwan was that the island’s termites are a feisty bunch so in order to preserve the structural integrity and the longevity of buildings, it was common for all of them to be elevated off the ground. However, given that this is a Martial Arts Hall, the elevation is a bit higher than ordinary buildings as the it features a network of springs beneath the floor allowing for some spring in your step.

This is yet another area where the restoration of the hall shines as it is (currently) one of two where you’ll still find springs beneath the floor, adding to the ‘completeness’ mentioned above.   

The next similarity is that both sides of the building were designed using the traditional Japanese Irimoya-zukuri (入母屋造 / いりもやづくり) architectural design. What this means is that the building makes use of a variation of the ‘hip-and-gable’ roof, and that the base of the building, known as the ‘moya’ (母屋) was constructed in a way that it is much smaller than the roof, but is able to support its weight. In this case, the roof, which isn’t nearly as grand in design as the Taichung Prison Martial Arts Hall only slightly eclipses the base. That being said, the subdued design of the roof doesn’t necessarily mean there isn’t a lot going on as it seamlessly ‘cuts’ from the higher section of the Martial Arts Hall to the lower annex section.

This where you’ll find the next important architectural similarity - The roof of the Martial Arts Hall and the annex was designed using the ubiquitous kirizuma-zukuri (妻造的樣式) style, which is one of the oldest and most commonly used designs in Japan. Translated simply as a “cut-out gable” roof, this style of design is one of the simplest of Japan’s various ‘hip-and-gable’ roofs.

The vast majority of the information you’ll find available about the Martial Hall’s architectural design mentions that the roof was constructed using traditional Japanese black tiles (日式黑瓦), but doesn’t really go much further in explaining the finer details of the roof. Fortunately, I’ve been at this for a while, so I’m able to provide a little more in terms of the design aspects of the roof where you’ll find the following as listed on the diagram below.   

  1. Hiragawara (平瓦 /ひらがわら) - A type of arc-shaped clay roofing tile.

  2. Munegawara (棟瓦 /むねがわら) - Ridge tiles used to cover the apex of the roof.

  3. Onigawara (鬼瓦/おにがわら) - Decorative roof tiles found at the ends of a main ridge.

  4. Nokigawara (軒瓦/のきがわら) - The roof tiles placed along the eaves lines.

  5. Noshigawara (熨斗瓦/のしがわら) - Thick rectangular tiles located under ridge tiles.

  6. Sodegawara (袖瓦/そでがわら) - Cylindrical sleeve tiles

  7. Tsuma (妻/つま) - The triangular shaped parts of the gable on the roof under the ridge.

  8. Hafu (破風板/ はふいた) - Bargeboards that lay flat against the ridge ends to finish the gable.

To describe it simply, a kirizuma-style roof has a section that ‘cuts’ out from the rest and faces outward like an open book (入), while the longer part is curved facing in the opposite direction.

In this specific case, if we think of the building as a single structure rather than one that is split in two, it is shaped somewhat like the letter “U”. The highest (and longest) section of the roof curves like an open book with the two ends acting as the ‘cut out’ sections. It then meets with the two branches that face in the opposite direction, which are also curved like an open book.  

Even though I mentioned above that the roof of this Martial Arts Hall isn’t as grand in comparison, it is still quite complicated in its architectural design and it’s 3D-like appearance. I recommend anyone who visits to walk around the entire perimeter of the building so that you can fully appreciate the complexity of its design. 

One thing you’ll want to keep in mind is that the black tiles mentioned had to be completely replaced with newer tiles, so the roof doesn’t as appear as ‘historic’ as it probably should.

You can find some very thorough displays featuring the original tiles within the annex building, which I highly recommend you take some time to enjoy.

Now, let’s talk about how the two parts of the building are different. 

Starting with the Martial Arts Hall side, it was constructed with a concrete base, bricks and reinforced concrete on the exterior and wood within the interior. The front facade of the building makes use of a fusion style of architectural design in that it features Western-style Art-Deco elements with the inclusion of a traditional Japanese-style kurumayose (車寄/くるまよせ) porch directly in the middle of the building.

The porch had to be completely rebuilt during the recent restoration process, and features a similarly designed kirizuma-style roof facing in the opposite direction of the roof above, adding to the three dimensional design of the building. This would have proven to be one of the most difficult aspects of the restoration project as the team would have had to consult nearly century-old blueprints to faithfully reconstruct the portico.

One of the design similarities that you’ll find on this building and others built during the Showa era are the wooden-panel glass windows that mix with the reinforced concrete on three sides of the building. With two of the large windows on each side of the porch on the front of the building as well as three on the eastern and western sides, the windows allow for a considerable amount of natural light in the building when the sun is up. 

Moving on to the interior of the building, the hall is split into two sections (hence the three buildings mentioned above) where half of the building was reserved as a space for Judo (柔道場) while the other half was reserved for Kendo (劍道場). Both sides of the building feature the same hardwood spring floor (彈簧地板) that allows the floor to better absorb the shock of people constantly being thrown around.

The interior space has a height of 270 centimeters in the main building with the total interior space listed as 206.2㎡. What that number unfortunately doesn’t tell us is the exact measurement of space reserved for each section of the building. Even though the Martial Arts Hall is relatively small in comparison to the others around Taiwan, the interior space of the main building remains quite spacious as it was always more or less a completely open space.

Working together with the windows on the three reinforced-concrete sides of the Martial Arts Hall, you’ll find another large windowed section on the side of the building directly opposite to the door. The wooden annex section of the building has two wings that face outward from the rest of hall separated by this space.

The smaller wing on the right is where the restrooms were located, while the larger side on the left was the administrative and living space for those who worked at the hall.  As you pass through the Martial Arts Area you’ll find another door to your left that would have served as the main entrance for those working or living there. Directly next to that porch area you’ll find two rooms with tatami mats on the floor.

The first of the rooms you’ll find in the annex section would have served as a living space, while the room next to that features a “tokonoma” (床の間/とこのま), indicating that it was a sleeping space. These days you’ll find some pretty awesome informative displays about the history and architectural design of the building in these rooms.

As far as I’m concerned, the star of this section is the beautiful ‘engawa’ (緣側/えんがわ) that reaches around the building in what seems like an almost 90 degree angle. Essentially a glass-covered panel with sliding doors, the space is one that absolutely glows in the afternoon sun, and would have made living in the hall an enjoyable experience, especially with the breeze flowing through the veranda when the sliding doors were open.

On a recent visit to the Qidong Dorms in Taipei, I found myself engaged in a long conversation with a volunteer working there, who is somewhat of an expert in Taiwan’s Japanese-era architecture. One of the things that he mentioned that stuck with me was how these 90 degree glass paneled verandas were something that (at the time) you’d only find here in Taiwan given that there were some variations on traditional Japanese architectural design in the colony. While I’m unsure that it is still the case back in Japan, these ‘L’ shaped glass-covered walls were pretty cool and the natural light that they allowed into the building.

Although, I can’t really imagine the terror you would have felt when a typhoon was rolling through town.

Getting There

 

Address: #18-20 Guangzhou Street, Alley #20, Hsinchu City (新竹市北區廣州街20巷20號)

GPS: 24.804621, 120.960528

Hours: Tuesday - Sunday from 9:00am to 17:00pm. 

Car / Scooter

As always, if you’re driving a car or scooter, I recommend copying the address provided above into your GPS or your Google Maps to map out the route most suitable for you. If you’re in Hsinchu, it shouldn’t take you much time to arrive at the hall given that it is located just outside the historic downtown core of the city.

If you’re driving a car, you should be able to find roadside parking nearby on Beida Road (北大路), but you may have to circle around to find a space. Unfortunately, paid parking lots are somewhat of a distance away, so if you find yourself searching for a spot you might just want to go to one of the paid spaces near the jail.

If you’re driving a scooter on the other hand, you can park directly across the street, or in any of the designated scooter parking spaces nearby. You could even park in the alley directly across from the main entrance to the hall if you’re visiting on a day when there aren’t many tourists.

Bus

With a bus stop located directly across the street from the Martial Arts Hall, getting there by bus is one of your best options if you find yourself in town without access to your own means of transportation.

From the Hsinchu Railway Station, you can conveniently take either Bus #10, or Bus #23 to the hall, getting off at the aptly named Service Centre Bus Stop (服務中心站).

Click on the links provided above to access time tables for each of the bus routes.

YouBike

Another excellent way to get around Hsinchu is to enjoy the city on one of the YouBikes that are available for rent. If you arrive in town on the train, you can easily grab a Youbike near the station and explore all that the historic city has to offer at your own leisure.

You may have heard that Hsinchu is somewhat notorious for its chaotic traffic, but riding a Youbike around town is actually quite comfortable thanks to the wide roads.

From the train station, it’s a 1.4km ride to the Martial Arts Hall riding along Linsen Road (林森路) and Shengli Road (勝利路), both of which are large bike friendly roads. There are a number of locations where you’ll probably want to stop along the way, so I recommend using Google Maps on your phone to map out your route so you don’t get lost.

Trust me, Hsinchu is a city where you can easily find yourself losing your way while exploring the historic streets. That’s not entirely a bad thing though.

If you’ve been following all of the work I’ve done on the Martial Arts Halls of Taiwan over the past few years, it should be fairly obvious from this article that I’m quite pleased with the addition of this particular hall the collection. Not only was its restoration and subsequent re-opening somewhat unexpected, I have to give the Hsinchu City Government some massive props for the amazing restoration job as well as the effort put into providing informative and educational materials about the history of the hall, the juvenile prison and the city during the Japanese-era.

What amazed me most were the detailed and graphic heavy descriptions of the architectural design of the hall, something that I often have to spend quite a bit of time researching.

Very few of the other remaining Martial Arts Halls around the country today offer even a fraction of the detailed historic information as this one, so if I’m this impressed, I’m sure others may also appreciate the hard work put into making this Martial Arts Hall a great spot to visit!

References

  1. 新竹少年刑務所演武場 (Wiki)

  2. 新竹少年刑務所 (Wiki)

  3. 臺灣的武德殿 (Wiki)

  4. 新竹州 | Shinchiku Prefecture (Wiki)

  5. 台灣武德殿發展之研究 (黃馨慧)

  6. 市定古蹟「新竹少年刑務所演武場」 修繕動工 (自由時報)

  7. 新竹監獄化身藝文空間!「新竹少年刑務所演武場」開館,一窺日治時期古蹟木構磚造建築特色 (Shopping Design)

  8. 新竹少年刑務所演武場 (國家文化資產網)

  9. 新竹少年刑務所演武場 (Path of Sunrise)

  10. 新竹日治時代監獄變身藝文空間!走進演武場的前世今生 (LaVie)

  11. 新竹武德殿 (The Memory of Hsinchu City)

  12. The Martial Arts Halls of Taiwan


Xinhua Martial Arts Hall (新化武德殿)

GTJ-2021-0205-50.jpg

Well, it’s certainly been a minute! 

Years ago, when I first started on this quest to document historic buildings from the Japanese Colonial Era, I started out with the Longtan Martial Arts Hall, and then from then on set out to visit them all. 

With well over a dozen of these former Martial Arts Halls scattered throughout the country, I knew that getting to all of them would end up becoming a long-term project, but when I first started, I never expected that a global pandemic would slow me down. 

The year 2020 ended up being a bit of a miss in terms of travel, and when I did find an opportunity to take a vacation, I instead chose to head over to the East Coast to relax on Orchid Island and hung out in Taitung and Hualien for a couple of weeks.  

Shortly into the new year however, the weather here in northern Taiwan was miserable for several weeks, with a constant barrage rain and near-freezing temperatures. It was so cold that one night I actually had to wear socks to bed for the first time since I left Canada!

After a few weeks, I had had enough and abruptly decided that I’d take a day to head down south to check out one of the few Martial Arts Halls that had so far evaded me.

So I rented a car, woke up really early in the morning and headed down to Tainan’s historic Xinhua District to check out its Old Street, and its newly restored Martial Arts Hall. If you’ve ever read anything about this particular Martial Arts Hall in the past, you’re probably aware that people often throw around the word “unique” (唯一), whenever they mention it. And yeah, they’re right. 

The Xinhua Martial Arts Hall is unique in a lot of ways, but if you want to know how, you’re going to have to keep reading to find out! 

Before I get into it though, if you haven’t already, I recommend stopping here and first going through my introduction to Taiwan’s Martial Arts Halls, which provides an overview of the purpose of the buildings, their history and where else you’re able to find them around the country! 

Link: Martial Arts Halls of Taiwan (臺灣的武德殿)

If you’re already up to date with all of that, let’s just get into it! 


The Xinhua Martial Arts Hall (新化武德殿) 

As mentioned above, I’ll be introducing one of the ‘most unique’ of Taiwan’s remaining Martial Arts Halls, the (second generation) Xinhua Martial Arts Hall, formerly known as the Shinka Budokuden (新化武德殿 / しんかぶどう). 

The Xinhua Martial Arts Hall is located within the historic downtown core of Tainan’s Xinhua District, near its popular Old Street (新化老街). Since the Colonial Era, Xinhua, which was then known as “Shinkagun” (新化郡 /しんかぐん) was a prosperous community and an important economic gateway to the mountains of Tainan, making most of its riches through the wholesale trade of fruit. The history of the village of course dates back much further than the colonial era (1895-1945), but the vast majority of its modern development more or less took place during that period and shaped the town as we know it.

These days, pretty much everywhere you go in town, you can see the evidence of the colonial era - from the urban design of the the streets, to the baroque architecture on the Old Street, and the numerous Japanese-style buildings left behind. 

Link: Xinhua Old Street 新化老街 (Spectral Codex)

The rear of the building.

Xinhua’s historic street, like many of Taiwan’s popular “Old Streets” (老街), beautifully displays a variety of ‘Baroque Revival’ and ‘Art Deco’ architectural designs, with beautiful facades dating back to the 1920s.

In almost every case, the historic streets located throughout the country are a reflection of prosperity, and the sense of modernity expressed by the architects of that era, but is also one of the reasons why this Martial Arts Hall is considered so unique.

These days, apart from the Old Street, the Martial Arts Hall has become one of the most popular destinations to visit when in town, but you’ll also find a cluster of Japanese-era dormitories next door and several other colonial era-related buildings, many of which have already been restored (or are currently in the process of being restored).

The First Generation Xinhua Martial Arts Hall (第一代新化武德殿)

A rare uncovered photo of the original Martial Arts Hall

The First Generation Martial Arts Hall in Xinhua was constructed in 1924 (大正13年), and served a dual role as a Martial Arts Hall and a Malaria Prevention Centre. At this point you might be scratching your head and wondering how these two could possibly be related. 

To put it simply, the hall was initially constructed for the local police to practice Martial Arts, but before water treatment and sewage systems were constructed, malaria was an enormous issue for everyone living in Taiwan. In fact, figures show that over ninety percent of the Japanese military deaths during the occupation of Taiwan were due to malaria-related complications - Even one of the members of the Japanese royal family is thought to have fallen victim. 

Known as the Shinka Malaria Prevention Station and Martial Arts Hall (瘧疾防遏事務所並演武場), not much has been recorded about the original building, except that it had a total area of 285 square meters and cost a total of 8,200 yen to construct.

From an article about the opening ceremonies published on October 10th, 1924 in the Taiwan Police Association Magazine (臺灣警察協會雜誌), the building was described as being “beautifully built using carefully selected materials, and was a branch hall (支所) that the local community could be proud of.

In 2010, historic photos of the building were uncovered displaying the original appearance of the building. The photos, which were taken in 1934 (昭和9年) showed that the hall was constructed on a base of reinforced bricks, while the rest of the building was constructed using local cypress. The photos have led historians to hypothesize that the Second Generation of the Building wasn’t a complete rebuild, and when it was constructed they preserved several parts of the original building while improving upon the construction of the exterior and its base.

But if much of the original building was able to be preserved, why was a rebuild even necessary? As you’re probably aware, earthquakes are a common occurrence in Taiwan, and have caused problems for many of its historic buildings. 

In 1931 (昭和6年), the Great Tainan Earthquake (台南大地震), with an epicenter in nearby Shinei/Xinying (しんえいぐん/新營), took place and caused a considerable amount of damage to buildings throughout Tainan Prefecture. Then in 1935 (昭和10年), the magnitude 7.1 Shinchiku-Taichū Earthquake (年新竹–台中地震) dealt the final blow to the original building, forcing the local authorities to commit to a massive reparation project.

 

The Second Generation Xinhua Martial Arts Hall (第二代新化武德殿)

The Second Generation Xinhua Martial Arts Hall was completed only a year after the earthquake in 1936 (昭和11年), and although it retains a relatively similar design to the original hall, the subtle changes that were made allow the building to stand out among all of the remaining Martial Arts Halls in Taiwan today.

It also blends in quite well with the buildings constructed on the old street nearby.

Yes, as you may have already guessed, the Xinhua Martial Arts Hall is unique in that its architectural design features a fusion of Art Deco and traditional Japanese design. 

But I’ll leave the design of the building for a bit later. 

The Martial Arts Hall officially reopened on September 5th, 1936 as the “Shinka Branch of the Tainan Prefectural Butokai Association” (武德會台南支部新化支所演武場), and this time was focused solely on the promotion of Japanese Martial Arts. 

By the late 1930s, the malaria situation in Taiwan had improved considerably and the necessity for malaria treatment centers had already been delineated to hospitals and clinics, which were better suited to deal with the disease than a Martial Arts Hall would have been. 

For the next decade, the Martial Arts functioned as a training centre for the local police.

When the Second World War came to an end and the Japanese were forced to surrender and leave Taiwan, the hall was converted into a dormitory for the Republic of China’s police force.

Later (it seems like) the building was occupied by veterans, who used it as a community centre for the Military Village (眷村) that was constructed in the area surrounding the hall. Unfortunately most of the information about what happened to the Martial Arts Hall between 1945 and 2005 is hit-and-miss, and I don’t really feel like reporting something that isn’t factual, so I won’t go into too much detail about this ‘dark’ period of the building’s history. 

What I can say is that by 2005, the veterans had vacated the military village constructed in the area around the hall and in addition to the Japanese dormitories nearby, the Martial Arts Hall was recognized by the government as a Protected Historic Building (歷史建築), which meant that public funding would become available to restore the buildings and plans were drawn up to do so.

Sliding glass doors at the rear of the building.

Sliding glass doors at the rear of the building.

However, as you can see in the photos in the link below, the hall was still in pretty bad shape when the they were taken in 2008. Likewise, the buildings that had been constructed on the grounds surrounding the hall had yet to be torn down, and it’s fairly obvious from the front facade that the porch was removed at some point. 

Link: 台南新化武德殿 (就是愛趴趴走照)

In 2009, with plans for the restoration of the hall stalled, Typhoon Morakot (莫拉克), one of the deadliest typhoons in Taiwanese history, wreaked havoc around the country and caused a considerable amount of damage, especially in the south. The Martial Arts Hall likewise was damaged, which forced the local authorities to accelerate their plans for a complete restoration of the building.

The light is almost always beautiful in Tainan.

One of the major obstacles to the reconstruction process however was that the people in charge of planning the project had no idea what the original porch of the building looked like. So, a request was put out to people around Taiwan for photos of the original building so that it could be faithfully reconstructed.

It took almost a year, but photos were eventually found and the project finally got underway.

Today the Martial Arts Hall is open to the public and is an enjoyable place to visit while checking out the historic Xinhua Old Street and some of the other destinations in the town. The interior is often used as an exhibition space, but it also continues to play a role as a Martial Arts training centre, which is really great! 

Design (設計) 

As I’ve already mentioned several times above, the Xinhua Martial Arts Hall is a fusion of Western and Japanese architectural styles, with its front facade making it one of the most unique halls of its kind constructed in Taiwan. Its exterior design however isn’t the only aspect that sets this hall apart from all of the others that remain in Taiwan today.

The Martial Arts Hall has an interior space of about 238 square meters (72坪), and an exterior space of around 941 square meters (285坪), which includes the front courtyard and back yard.

While the building doesn’t appear very large from the outside, the interior simply consists of a single wide-open room, making it seem considerably larger from the inside. 

Separating the hall from almost all of its contemporaries around the country, the front facade was constructed with reinforced concrete and designed in the western ‘Art Deco’ style, while also featuring some important Japanese design elements.

What you’ll want to notice is that the porch has been designed using a traditional ‘hafu’ door, essentially a covered porch that opens up to the main doors of the hall. The ‘hafu-style door’ is a popular style of design indicative of Japanese architecture dating back to the Heian Period (平安時代) from 794-1185.

This style of design is a common architectural characteristic found in Japanese castles, temples, and shrines and its inclusion makes the building stand out a lot more thanks to its addition. With this hall though, the porch blends in really well with the European-style facade and the roof, which gives the building a lot more character.

The roof covering the hafu porch.

The roof covering the hafu porch.

The next thing you’ll want to notice about the front facade is the inclusion of the four dormer (oxeye) windows (牛眼窗), located on either side of the porch. This is a style of window was quite popular with Japanese architects of the early 20th century, and in conjunction with the more tradition sliding glass windows below allows for a considerable amount of natural light to enter the building.

The roof of the building was constructed using the traditional Japanese Irimoya-zukuri (入母屋造) style, meaning that it has a hip-and-gable roof with four ridges on the corners. The roof on this hall however is much more simplistic in its design than what you’d expect from a Shinto Shrine or Buddhist Temple, like those that have a similar types of roof such as the Taoyuan Shinto Shrine or the Puji Buddhist Temple in Taipei. 

As a hip-and-gable roof, the ‘irimoya’ style is a combination of the two-sided kirizuma-zukuri (切妻造) on the highest part of the roof, otherwise known as the ridged ‘gable’ and the four-sided yosemune-zukuri (寄棟造), or the ‘hips’ on the lower section.

Interestingly, the roof of the building is one of the aspects of the building’s design that wasn’t altered between the first and second generations, so even those the front facade of the building and the ‘moya’ (母屋) had been completely reconstructed, the size of the roof remained the same.

In most cases with this style of roof, the four hips extend beyond the lower base of the building, but one of the differences in the design of the second generation of the building is that the front facade extends beyond the roof, so they’ve added a extension on the western side of the roof to cover the side doors.

While the roof retains much of its original shape, including the network of trusses on the interior, it has been completely re-tiled on the outside with a fresh batch of grey tiles as well as decorative end-tiles. Even though it isn’t as decorative as some of its counterparts across Taiwan, it does include a complex collection of different pieces that keep it held together. 

Unfortunately, by this point you’re probably already a bit confused, and it is difficult to actually explain each of these parts in an easy to understand way, so I’m including a helpful diagram below that should help you better understand what I’m talking about.

  1. Hiragawara (平瓦 /ひらがわら) - A type of arc-shaped clay roofing tile.

  2. Munagawara (棟瓦 /むながわらあ) - Ridge tiles used to cover the apex of the roof.

  3. Onigawara (鬼瓦/おにがわら) - Decorative roof tiles found at the ends of a main ridge.

  4. Nokigawara (軒瓦/のきがわら) - The roof tiles placed along the eaves lines.

  5. Noshigawara (熨斗瓦/のしがわら) - Thick rectangular tiles located under ridge tiles.

  6. Sodegawara (袖瓦/そでがわら) - Cylindrical sleeve tiles

  7. Tsuma (妻/つま) - The triangular-shaped parts of the gable on the roof under the ridge.

  8. Hafu (破風板/ はふいた) - Bargeboards that lay flat against the ridge ends to finish the gable.

What I will say about the roof is that although it appears to be minimalistic compared to most of the other Japanese-era buildings around Taiwan, it actually isn’t. But one area where there was a missed opportunity with the restoration was on the ‘onigawara’ (Number 3 above) located at the ends of each of the ridges.

At some of the other Martial Arts Halls that have been recently restored, you’ll find that they are decorated with the Chinese character for ‘Budo’ (武), but they’re devoid of any sort of design at this hall.

Likewise the triangular ‘tsuma’ (妻) on either side, known literally as a ‘Mountain Flower’ (山花) here in Taiwan doesn’t include the traditional ‘hanging fish’ known as ‘omogegyo’ (本懸魚), making the triangular section under the gable somewhat plain as you can see in the fourth photo below.

While the base as well as the front facade were constructed using reinforced cement, the other three sides of the building are pretty much what you’d expect from a Japanese building, constructed entirely with beautiful Taiwanese cypress (檜木). The outer walls feature large beautiful sliding windows and allow for a considerable amount of natural light and fresh air to come into the building.

Likewise, to the left and right of the main door on the front side there are two alternate doors, one of which serves as the main entrance to the building today.

For a lot of people, the fusion of architectural designs on the exterior makes this Martial Arts Hall stand out from all of the others that remain in Taiwan - The interior on the other hand doesn’t stray too far from traditional Japanese design, but it is home to something quite unique, and is the envy of all of the other Martial Arts Halls around the country! 

The interior of the hall

As I already mentioned above, the interior of the building has a space of about 238 square meters (72坪), which isn’t all that large, but it is completely open with large windows on every side allowing you to see outside, making it appear visually much larger than it actually is. 

From top to bottom, the interior of the building has been crafted entirely with Taiwanese cypress, so the open roof trusses and the hardwood floor tend to shine when the weather is nice.

And considering it’s Tainan, the weather is pretty much always beautiful. 

Keeping with the simplicity of the interior, there isn’t really much in terms of decoration on the walls - You will however find a small shrine space in the centre of the building where you’ll find displays of a black “Bogu” (防具 / ぼうぐ), the armor used by those practicing Kendo on one side and a white “Judogi” (柔道着 / じゅうどうぎ), the uniform worn by people practicing Judo. In the centre, there is a space with a katana sword on a pedestal, and in the past would have featured the awards that the people who practiced martial arts there had won.

The shrine area in the center of the building.

Looking up, the ceiling is completely open and we are treated to a view of the intricate network of trusses that help to ensure that the heavy roof is held in place. Since we don’t have any photos of the original interior of the building, I can’t tell you if the ceiling was always open like this, but if the other Martial Arts Halls are any indication, its very likely it has always appeared this way. 

One of the best pieces of evidence to argue in favor of the roof having always been open in this way is the inclusion of the munafuda (棟札 / むなふだ), which is placed in the centre of the ceiling.

Munafuda markers are traditionally added to buildings upon completion and display important information about its construction, when it was built, who built it, who paid for it, etc.

The recent restoration has done an excellent job stabilizing the roof, combining modern materials with those used when the building was first constructed in 1924. Interestingly though, in the centre you’ll find a display that points out the location of the original munafuda, (which unfortunately doesn’t exist anymore) as well as a new one, with the addition of the original emblem of the "Dai Nippon Butoku Kai" that reads “武德” and has a bow and arrow below. 

Unfortunately there isn’t much information about these important aspects of the building in English, so I’m translating them below so you’ll know what you’re looking at: 

  1. Placed on March 24th, 1924 (Taisho Year 13) “上棟 - 日本大正13年3月24日”

  2. Placed on September 26th, 2011 (ROC Year 100) “上棟 - 中華民國100年9月26日”

Red ribbons hanging from where the munafuda is located

From both, we can ascertain the date when the Martial Arts Hall was officially established in addition to when it was most recently restored. The addition of the most recent munafuda likewise is a welcome added touch to the restoration that is in most cases is ignored. So, props should be given to those in charge of the restoration of the building for their attention to detail! 

Now, let’s talk about what makes the interior of this Martial Arts Hall unique from all the others that have been restored around the country - The Xinhua Martial Arts Hall is currently the only Martial Arts Hall in Taiwan that features a spring floor (彈簧地板).

The floor originally consisted of ninety springs that were placed on concrete pedestals on the ground beneath it. So when you walk in the building, its normal to feel a bit of a spring in your step as the floor is slightly bouncy in certain areas.

Originally, the entire floor space would have consisted of these spring boards, but due to flooding and moisture over the past eight decades, most of the original springs have rusted and broken.

Four of the original springs however have been preserved and there is a display space with a glass window in the floor where you can check them out. The rest of the floor space features newly constructed springs and makes walking on the floor an interesting experience - and somewhat annoying if you’re trying to take photos!


As I mentioned above, in addition to the Martial Arts Hall, there are a couple of other colonial era buildings to take note of while visiting the Martial Arts Hall. At this point, I’m not going to write about them individually, so I’m just going to offer a bit of an introduction to each of them so that you don’t miss them while visiting!

Civil Servant Dormitories (日式警察宿舍群)

Next to the Martial Arts Hall you’ll find a small cluster of former civil servant dormitories that once housed the local administrative workers in the town. When the colonial era ended they were repurposed as dormitories for the local police, but kept their original Japanese design.

The buildings today (for the most part) have been completely restored and are home to a mixture of ‘public-private participation’ that includes a couple of restaurants and some exhibition spaces about the local indigenous culture. The dorms have also become a popular Instagram photo spot, so you’ll often see quite a few tourists outside taking photos.

These public-private participation partnerships are something that you’ll find is taking place all over Taiwan and has become quite instrumental when it comes to the preservation of historic properties. If you’d like to learn more about how these partnerships are used to help conserve historic buildings in Taiwan, check out the link below: 

Link: The Role Of Public-Private Partnerships In Conserving Historic Buildings In Taiwan

Personally, I’m not as big of a fan of the restoration work that went into them as I am with the Martial Arts Hall. They seem kind of overdone and there are some unsightly (and out of place) modern additions (air conditioners, video cameras, electricity meters, etc) that are stuck in the middle of what would be a beautiful building. 

Air Raid Shelter (防空洞) 

Across the street from the Martial Arts Hall you’ll find a small Air Raid Shelter dug into the ground.

The shelter dates back over eight decades to the colonial era but only about half of the original shelter remains today. You’re free to walk down and check it out and it only takes about half a minute to go in and out.

The shelter would have been used by the civil servants living in the community of dormitories near the Martial Arts Hall during the Second World War when the Americans were bombing Taiwan.

There are some questions about its origin as some argue that it was constructed after the Chinese Nationalists took control of Taiwan. I’m not actually sure why they’d need bomb shelters at the point in time, unless they figured China was about to bomb Tainan. Better safe than sorry I guess.

Getting There 

 

The Xinhua Martial Arts Hall is located within the downtown core of Xinhua and is within walking distance of the historic Old Street.

The downtown core is home to quite a few attractions apart from the Old Street and the Martial Arts Hall, so if you’re in the area you’re probably better off if you just enjoy a walking tour of the town. 

Address: #53 Heping Road, Xinhua District, Tainan (臺南市新化區東榮里和平街53號)

GPS: 23.033238, 120.308855

If you’re driving a car or a scooter, getting to Xinhua is pretty easy, simply input the address or the GPS coordinates provided above into your GPS or Google Maps and your route will be mapped out for you. 

Xinhua is a popular tourist area, so you should be able to easily find parking available along the streets or in some of the paid parking lots. If you are driving a car, I’d recommend not attempting to drive through the tourist section of the Old Street, especially on the weekend as it is narrow and there will be tourists walking everywhere. 

If you’re relying on public transportation to get to Xinhua, you’re unfortunately going to have to either take a bus or a taxi to the town as it isn’t serviced by Taiwan Railways.

Bus

From Tainan Railway Station (臺南火車站)

From the Train Station you’ll want to take the Green Line (綠幹線), Tainan - Xinhua (臺南-新化) bus provided by the Shing-nan Bus Company (興南客運).

From Tainan High Speed Rail Station (臺南高鐵站) 

Your only option from the High Speed Rail Station is to take the free shuttle bus to Tainan Railway Station and then transfer to the bus mentioned above. 

The Martial Arts Hall is closed on Mondays and National Holidays. 

Hours: 09:00 - 12:00, 13:30 - 17:00

I know I’ve said it a few times already, but the Xinhua Martial Arts Hall is one of the most unique of all the historic halls remaining in Taiwan today. The Hall stands out in its architectural design as well as the continued existence of its spring floor, which is actually really cool.

Considering the hall is located in beautiful Tainan, its also a pleasure to visit as Xinhua is a great little tourist town with quite a few things to do. If you plan on visiting the hall, you should probably plan to spend an entire day in Xinhua as there are quite a few things to do while you’re there, with its old street being one of the best that you’ll find in Taiwan!   

References

  1. 大日本武德會 (Wiki)

  2. 大日本武德會 – 從弓術到弓道 (Kyo桑的弓道部落格)

  3. 歷史建築新莊武德殿修復或再利用計畫 (新北市政府文化局)

  4. 台南新化武德殿 (就是愛趴趴走照)

  5. 武德會與武德殿 (陳信安)

  6. 歷史建築─新化武德殿 (超不像老師的新安桑)

  7. 臺灣的武德殿 (Wiki)

  8. 新化武德殿 (Wiki)

  9. 新化武德殿 (Mimi韓の旅行生活)

  10. 新化武德殿 (Betty’s Footprints)

  11. 新化武德殿 (微笑的眼)

  12. 新化武德殿 (台南旅遊網)


The Martial Arts Halls of Taiwan (臺灣の武德殿)

When I first started writing this blog, I didn’t really have much of an idea of the direction it was going to take.

My goal was to use my photography and my travel experience as a method of promoting travel in Taiwan, but that admittedly was just one of the ways that I hoped I’d be able to drive traffic to this site.

From the outset, I never really expected that I’d end up where I am now with a number of personal projects that consume a large portion of my free time researching, translating information and writing these articles.  

Now that I’ve been at this for quite a few years, I’m happy to say that all of the work I’ve done hasn’t been a complete waste as in the process I’ve improved my translation abilities and have learned so much about Taiwan.

That being said, given all that I’ve learned over the years, one of the things that I’ve been busy with lately is going through older articles to update them and more importantly correcting some of the erroneous information. 

If you’ve been following this space for any period of time, it’s probably painfully obvious that one of my major projects has been exploring the history of Taiwan’s Japanese Colonial Era, and the various buildings that remain around the country from that era. 

That all started in 2017 thanks a suggestion from my friend (and fellow blogger) Alexander that I visit the Longtan Martial Arts Hall (龍潭武德殿) near where I lived, and close to somewhere I was headed one day.

That suggestion sparked a fire and has resulted in my visiting almost all of Taiwan’s remaining Martial Arts Halls, making this site one of the most important resources for English-language information about them on the internet.

That being said, every time I write an article about one of the halls, I end up providing an abbreviated history of what they’re about and why they’re important. All of that comes to an end with this article, which will do the job of introducing the history of the halls and where you can find them.

My hope is that this will be better for you the reader, and myself as well as I’ll be streamlining the writing process about these halls so I can keep them more concise while also spending more time on important details.

Below I’ll introduce the purpose of these Martial Arts Halls, their history, organizational structure, architectural design and where you can find them in Taiwan. I’ll also provide links to each of the individual articles that I’ve written about so far, which should make navigating them much easier.

Daxi Martial Arts Hall (大溪武德殿)

Even though my ongoing work on the Japanese Colonial Era has since expanded to include a variety of other historic buildings, it all started with these Martial Arts Halls, which is a project that is near and dear to my heart.

But with only a few more left to write about, will soon be completed.

If you are travelling in Taiwan and have a chance to visit one of these beautiful buildings, I highly recommend stopping by as they have become living museums for Taiwanese history and are part of an era that is much different than the Taiwan we know and love today! 

Budokuden Martial Arts Halls (武德殿) 

Erlin Martial Arts Hall (二林武德殿)

When people think about Japan, one of the things that usually comes to mind are the iconic samurai, who during the feudal period, were part of an aristocratic caste of warriors who helped to rule over the country.

These days, you won’t find any actual samurai walking the streets of Japan, but even though they’ve become a relic of the past, their memory lives on thanks to pop-culture, which has done a pretty great job romanticizing their exploits.

If history has proven anything though, those with power rarely ever want to give it up.

So the obvious question one might ask is what actually happened to them?

The movie, “The Last Samurai” attempted to tell part of that story, but suffice to say, Tom Cruise (or any white dude for that matter) wasn’t the last of the samurai.

Prior to 1868, Japan was a feudal land, split into warring states loosely held together by the Tokugawa Shogunate (徳川幕府), which oversaw a military regime that effectively ruled over Japan but found itself completely at wits with how to deal with the military superiority of the western powers.

Taichung Martial Arts Hall (臺中武德殿)

Rising to power with the shogunate, the samurai (武士) were part of a ruling military class that helped to maintain order. Trained in military tactics and living by the ‘Bushido Code’ of honour, the existence of the samurai gave legitimacy to the shogun, who in turn provided them with hereditary privileges and a more than generous salary.

For more than two centuries, the samurai worked hand-in-hand with the shogunate to provide the people of Japan with a period of relative peace and prosperity. During this period of peace, many of the samurai used their privilege to become some of the most highly-educated members of society.

So, in addition to carrying around their swords, it was only natural that they’d also take on jobs within the bureaucracy to pass their time.

While the shoguns and the samurai worked together to maintain stability, the mikado (emperors) had virtually no say in the affairs of state and merely served a ceremonial purpose. 

This of course was granted in exchange for generous subsidies, allowing the Tokugawa clan to remain in control.

Unfortunately for the shogunate and the samurai, the west came calling and Japan had little power to resist.

Embarrassed with how weak the country had become, an alliance of daimyos (大名), who were essentially powerful landholders, and the emperor took the opportunity to seize control in what has become known as the “Japanese Revolution,” or the Boshin War (戊辰戰爭).

Link: Boshin War (Wiki) 

Tainan Martial Arts Hall (臺南武德殿)

Tainan Martial Arts Hall (臺南武德殿)

The year-long war resulted in the eventual resignation of Shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu (徳川 慶喜), the restoration of Emperor Meiji (明治天皇), and a pledge to transform the country into a modern society that bowed to no one.

Emperor Meiji and a group of ambitious young men (many of whom were highly educated samurai) then presided over what would become known as the Meiji Restoration (明治維新), a period of massive political, industrial, economic, military and social development.

Amazingly, in a few short decades, the Emperor had transformed Japan from an isolated feudal state forced to capitulate to the whims of western powers, into a modern industrialized military power that was able to flex its muscles on the international stage.

One of the lingering issues that the government had to deal with however was how they’d deal with the warrior class of samurai, who suddenly found themselves losing all of their class privileges - and more importantly, their salaries!

Surprisingly, many of them (possibly realizing that they were completely outclassed by modern weaponry) didn’t put up much of a fuss, and for the most part accepted their gradual transition into the Japanese professional and military classes.

It goes without saying that even though the samurai were probably the most affected by the institutional changes in Japanese society, they were also one of the most highly-educated groups and understood that the military had to be completely reorganized, and that they could and would have to be part of that reform.

Taitung Martial Arts Hall (臺東武德殿)

Taitung Martial Arts Hall (臺東武德殿)

Problems did arise though. 

Starting with the prohibition of their distinctive topknots in 1871, and then later in 1876 when their swords and their stipends were taken away, it became too much for some of the samurai. 

This resulted in the short-lived Satsuma Rebellion (西南戰爭), led by a group of samurai who had taken exception to the push for modernity, and took up arms against the government.

Arguably, this group embodied the feelings of many of those within Japanese society who felt conflicted with the push for modernity, and an affinity for the west in lieu of traditional Japanese values. 

The rebellion however was quickly put down by the Japanese army, equipped with modern weaponry. 

Surprisingly, even though they acted against the government and were defeated, they continue to be honoured today as national heroes for their sacrifice and their loyalty.

Link: How the Samurai Went Extinct (Ranker) | Whatever Happened to the Samurai (JSTOR) 

What does ANY of this have anything to do with Taiwan’s Martial Arts Halls? I’m getting to that!

Even though the samurai were a class of feudal warriors that were “phased out”, their “bushido” (武士道) philosophy, an unwritten code that dictated their behaviour, lifestyle and more importantly their sense of loyalty and sacrifice, was something that could now be practiced by Japanese society as a whole.

Taichung Martial Arts Hall (臺中武德殿)

Taichung Martial Arts Hall (臺中武德殿)

In what become known as “Meiji Bushido” (明治武士道), the philosophy of the samurai warrior was altered into a concept that sought to instill the virtues of ‘self-sacrifice’ and ‘absolute loyalty’ to the state and the Emperor. 

Rather than fighting for personal or clan affairs like the samurai did, these new ‘Bushido Warriors’, namely every citizen of Japan, were expected to focus their efforts on the success and development of the nation.

One of the methods used to assist in the promotion of the new Bushido code was to establish state sanctioned “Martial Arts Halls” around the country, a policy that started in 1895 (明治28年) under the authority of the government and with the endorsement of the Emperor.

Coincidentally the same year that Japan took control of Taiwan.

The Martial Arts Halls were tasked with preserving Japan's martial arts disciplines in addition to cultivating the virtues of the samurai warrior spirit, offering former samurai an opportunity to train the ‘samurai of tomorrow’, and citizens from all facets of society were encouraged to take part.

The Taoyuan Martial Arts Hall in the 1970s

Known in Japan as a “Budokuden” (武德殿), the Martial Arts Halls were significant in that they were part of a state-sponsored attempt to foster fervent nationalism, as well as the idea of Japanese exceptionalism, though the ‘samurai-spirit’. 

The main objectives of the Martial Arts Halls were officially to promote the following:  

  1. Japanese Spirit (大和魂)

  2. Martial Arts Spirit (尚武的精神)

  3. Patriotism (愛國的精神)

All of which were essential tools in helping to stoke the fires of militarism in the early years of the 20th century.

First Generation Hsinhua Martial Arts Hall (第一代新化武德殿)

First Generation Hsinhua Martial Arts Hall (第一代新化武德殿)

The halls were part of the "Dai Nippon Butoku Kai" (大日本武德會) organization, loosely translated as the “Greater Japan Martial Arts Association” (abbreviated as DNBK), which was inaugurated on April 17th, 1895 with its headquarters located in Kyoto (京都).

Link: Dai Nippon Butoku Kai | 大日本武德會 (Wiki) 

Before we move on, let’s stop here for a bit of a language lesson: 

The Martial Arts Halls are known in Japanese as “Butokuden” or “Budokuden” (ぶとくでん) depending on how you romanize the word. Here in Taiwan, they were known simply as “wu dé diàn” (武德殿), or “wu dào guan“ (武道館), both of which which essentially translate into English as “Martial Arts Hall.” 

Its important to note that the character “wu” (武) or “bu” (ぶ) in Japanese means “war” or “martial” while “dào” (道) or “do” (どう) means “path” or “road”, but in this case when they’re put together mean “way of life”.

This means that Budo is essentially, “the Way of the Warrior”, which often gets lost in translation.

So when we say “Martial Arts” in English, we’re referring to the same disciplines practiced by “warriors”, but in a more interchangeable (politically correct) way that makes it an “art form” or “technique” rather than a method of destroying ones enemies.

The “arts” aspect of these Martial Arts Halls ultimately would be something that came much later however as the Pre-WWII era “Budokudens” were all about the militarism. 

Link: Budo | 武道 | ぶどう (Wiki)

Yuanlin Martial Arts Hall (員林武德殿)

Yuanlin Martial Arts Hall (員林武德殿)

When we refer to these disciplines as “Martial Arts”, whether they’re Japanese, Chinese, Thai, etc., the Chinese characters that we use are “wu shù” (武術) or “bujutsu” (じゅつ) in Japanese, both of which refer to the philosophy of developing oneself rather than defeating an enemy.

While there are various Martial Arts Disciplines throughout the world, when we talk about Japanese “budo” styles, we’re referring to Judo (柔道), Jujutsu (柔術), Kendo (劍道), Kyudo (弓道), Aikido (合氣道), and Sumo (相撲), among others. 

One of the key things to takeaway from the official name of the “Dai Nippon Butoku Kai” is the “Dai Nippon” (大日本 / だいにっぽん), which translates as “Greater Japan” and referred to areas of the ever expanding empire, for which Taiwan was merely a stepping-stone.

So, even though the role of the “Butoku Kai” was to train the ‘warriors of tomorrow’ in Japan, the organization likewise attempted to do the same in its newfound territories across Asia, through its military expansion.

Kaohsiung Martial Arts Hall (高雄武德殿)

Kaohsiung Martial Arts Hall (高雄武德殿)

Martial Arts Halls were constructed not only in Japan and Taiwan, but across Asia in places like Okinawa, Korea, Manchuria and China.

No where though have these Martial Arts Halls been as well-preserved as they are here in Taiwan.

I’m jumping ahead in the history here a bit but when the war came to an end, the DNBK organization was forcibly dissolved by the allied powers and many of its leaders were purged, lost their jobs and were forbidden from taking any government jobs in the future.

The dissolution of the DNBK delineated the responsibilities official duties and operations to the All Japan Kendo Federation (全日本剣道連盟) and the All Japan Judo Federation (全日本柔道連盟), both of which were founded after the war and to this day work to preserve and promote their respective disciplines. 

Posing for a photo outside of the Taipei Martial Arts Hall

Posing for a photo outside of the Taipei Martial Arts Hall

In 1953, the DNBK was re-established with a new philosophical vision that stressed the “arts” part of its “Martial Arts” disciplines and promoted international peace and harmony. The organization however remains detached from the government and has a limited scope despite having branches that have spread throughout the world with training centers constructed in the US, Canada, UK, France, Russia, etc.

Nevertheless, the organization which once boasted millions of members, tremendous physical assets and thousands of expert instructors has been reduced to a powerless entity, with worldwide membership in the tens of thousands. 

Link: Dai Nippon Butoku Kai (大日本武德會) (Official Website)

Here in Taiwan, the halls have become increasingly appreciated historical relics of the colonial era, but for the most part have become living museums and exhibition spaces while their original purpose, the promotion of Japanese martial arts has all but disappeared.

The Martial Arts Halls of Taiwan (臺灣の武德殿)

Changhua Martial Arts Hall (彰化武德殿)

In 1900 (明治33年), construction on Martial Arts Halls here in Taiwan started with those in Taipei (臺北州/たいほくしゅう), Taichung (臺中廳/たいちゅうちょう) and Tainan (臺南廳/たいなんちょう) initially meant to assist in the training of the local police in martial arts.

It wasn’t until after the “Taiwan Butokuden Branch of the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai” (大日本武德會臺灣支部) was established in 1906 however that Martial Arts Halls really started popping up all over the island. 

By 1920 (大正9年), the organization was given a directive from the government to start construction on Martial Arts Halls in each of Taiwan’s prefectures culminating in the eventual construction of more than two hundred across the Island. 

In Taiwan, the halls initially served the purpose of training the police, military and prison guards in Japanese martial arts disciplines. Later though, they opened up to the general public in an attempt to train the citizens of Taiwan in Japanese martial arts, as well as instilling "Japanese Spirit" mentioned above, better known as Yamato-damashii (大和魂).

In a situation similar to Shinto Shrines, the construction of Martial Arts Halls was accelerated in the 1930s, which is why you’ll find that the majority of those remaining today were constructed between 1930-1945.

The policy that would require a Shinto Shrine or a Martial Arts Hall to be constructed in every prefecture, town and borough was a precursor to the Kominka policy of 1936 (昭和11年).

Tainan Martial Arts Hall (臺南武德殿)

Tainan Martial Arts Hall (臺南武德殿)

Kominka” (皇民化運動), literally meant to “force people to become subjects of the empire”, more commonly known as “Japanization” or forced assimilation. The policy was ultimately an act of desperation on the part of the militarizing nature of the Japanese empire of the era, which had grander plans for conquest across Asia.

The policy enforced strict language policies, required citizens to take Japanese names and instituted the “volunteers system” (志願兵制度), drafting Taiwanese into the Imperial Army. It likewise required locals to take part in Japanese cultural and religious activities, including visiting Shinto Shrines and of course, learning Martial Arts.

It was during this time that the number of Shinto Shrines and Martial Arts Halls across Taiwan started to skyrocket.

Links: Taoyuan Shinto Shrine | Luye Shinto Shrine | Yuanshan Shinto Shrine | The National Revolutionary Martyrs’ Shrine

Admittedly, as I mentioned above, I made quite a few mistakes when I first started researching this stuff.

One of the numbers that I saw quoted most often was that there were approximately seventy of these halls constructed throughout Taiwan. What that didn’t take into account however was that they often went by different names, some of which included “Budojo” (武道場), “Renbukan” (練武館), “Enbujo” (演武場), etc.

While they all essentially fell under the umbrella of the DNBK organization, the different names were a reflection of what the halls were used for as some were for training, others for practice, and others for competition.

Of the more than two hundred halls that were constructed in Taiwan between 1900 and 1945, the majority of them would have been located near a police precinct (警務段) or a public school (公校), while many others were located in the vicinity of military (軍隊), railway (鐵道部), jails (刑務所), or civil service-related buildings. 

Below I’ve broken down the various Martial Arts Halls based on where they were located.

The Martial Arts Halls were ranked in a system similar to Shinto Shrines which determined their funding, purpose, size and importance.

The designations don’t make much sense in English, so I’ll do my best to explain below:

  1. Prefectural Level (州廳) Branches (支部) - The largest halls, located in the capital of each prefecture.

  2. Town and City Level (郡市) Branches (支所) - Smaller halls, located within larger cities and towns.

  3. Village and Borough Level (街庄) Branches (分會) - Even smaller halls, located within villages.

In terms of ranking, the prefectural level branches acted as the headquarters for each of the prefectures and the smaller branches would report directly to (and receive support and finding from) the prefectural level branches.

Xinhua Martial Arts Hall (新化武德殿)

Xinhua Martial Arts Hall (新化武德殿)

Interestingly, as Japan’s Martial Arts disciplines became increasingly popular in Taiwan, the island produced quite a few of its own star athletes, who ended up attending some of the most prestigious tournaments in Japan and returned home with prizes.

We often reminisce about Taiwan’s baseball prowess, but it’s important to remember that from the colonial era until the present day, Taiwan has produced some exceptionally skilled Martial Artists and Olympic athletes.

Taiwan’s Remaining Martial Arts Halls (臺灣現存の武德殿)

www.goteamjosh.com/blog/wudedian

  1. Xinzhuang Martial Arts Hall (新莊武德殿) 1928 / Restoration in Process

  2. Tamkang Junior High Martial Arts Hall (淡江中學武德館) 1923 / Yet to be Restored

  3. Daxi Martial Arts Hall (大溪武德殿) 1935 / Restored

  4. Longtan Martial Arts Hall (龍潭武德殿) 1930 / Restored

  5. Hsinchu High School Martial Arts Hall (新竹高中劍道館) 1926

  6. Hsinchu Prison Martial Arts Hall (新竹少年刑務所演武場) 1926

  7. Taichung Prison Martial Arts Hall (臺中刑務所演武場) 1937 / Restored

  8. Nantou Martial Arts Hall (南投武德殿) 1929 / Restoration in Process

  9. Changhua Martial Arts Hall (彰化武德殿) 1929 / Restored

  10. Erlin Martial Arts Hall (二林武德殿) 1933 / Restoration in Process

  11. Tainan Martial Arts Hall (臺南武德殿) 1936 / Restored

  12. Tainan Prison Martial Arts Hall (臺南刑務所演武場) 1903 / Restoration in Process

  13. Xinhua Martial Arts Hall (新化武德殿) 1925 / Restored

  14. Kaohsiung Martial Arts Hall (高雄武德殿) 1924 / Restored

  15. Qishan Martial Arts Hall (旗山武德殿) 1934 / Restored

  16. Pingtung Martial Arts Hall (屏東武德殿) 1930 / Restored

  17. Fangliao Martial Arts Hall (枋寮武德殿) 1937 / Yet to be Restored.

Link: 臺灣的武德殿 (Wiki)

Kaohsiung Martial Arts Hall (高雄武德殿)

Given the propaganda value of these halls, the vast majority were done so with traditional Japanese architecture in mind, in order to better promote appreciation for Japanese cultural values. While the architectural design of the two hundred Martial Arts Halls constructed across Taiwan tends to vary, many design aspects remained the same.

So, in order to better understand what you would have found at one of these halls, I’m going to go into a little bit of detail about some of the general design elements that you would have found at each of them.

One of the first things to know is that Martial Arts Halls were almost always constructed within the downtown core or the central business district of any town, village or borough providing that there was land available.

This means that within the traditional downtown core of a Japanese-era community in Taiwan, you’d likely find a police station, school, railway station, post office, Martial Arts Hall, etc.

Generally speaking, Martial Arts Halls followed these four styles of architectural design:

  1. Mixed Japanese and Western Architecture with a combination of brick and wood (承重磚牆和洋混合風格).

  2. Mixed Japanese and Western Architecture with beams and columns (仿柱樑框架牆身之和洋混合風格).

  3. Traditional Japanese Temple-style Architecture constructed entirely of wood (傳統日本寺院建築式樣).

  4. Traditional Japanese house-style architecture for small scale halls (傳統日式家屋建築類型).

Taichung Martial Arts Hall (臺中武德殿)

While the vast majority of the halls were constructed using the second and third styles, the Kaohsiung Martial Arts Hall and the Xinhua Martial Arts Hall remain excellent examples of the first and fourth styles respectively.

Unfortunately there are few remaining examples of the third style of design as they closely resembled the archetype of Japanese cultural design, which was frowned upon when the Chinese Nationalists took control of Taiwan.

That being said, the second style was one of the most predominant and can still be enjoyed today in Daxi, Longtan, Taichung, Changhua, Nantou and Qishan.

Generally speaking, even though some of these buildings featured a fusion of Japanese and Western design, the majority of them made use of Japan’s Irimoya-zukuri (入母屋造) architectural style, which essentially means that the buildings featured one of Japan’s various styles of “hip-and-gable” roofs which extend well beyond the perimeter of the base below.

Links: Irimoya-zukuri (入母屋造) | East Asian hip-and-gable roof (Wiki)

Tainan Martial Arts Hall (臺南武德殿)

Despite being one of the most common styles of architectural design in Japan, ‘Irimoya’ tends to confuse non-native speakers because even though it is a design that features the iconic ‘hip-and-gable roof’, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the roof of each building constructed in the Irimoya style will appear the same.

This is because one of the key things to remember about this style is the ‘moya’ (母屋), which refers to the base of the building below the roof. The reason this is important is because the size of the roof often eclipses the the ‘moya’, so you’ll find a genius network of beams, pillars and trusses within that ensure that the weight of the roof is evenly distributed, ensuring stability.

Introduced to Japan in the 6th Century, the hip-and-gable design is elaborate in that it is basically a fusion of two roofs in one, with a two-sided kirizuma-zukuri (切妻造) on the highest part of the roof, otherwise known as the ridged ‘gable’ and the four-sided yosemune-zukuri (寄棟造), or the ‘hip’ on the lower section.

For centuries, this style of architectural design was reserved for only the most important buildings, most often Buddhist Temples and Shinto Shrines, but as construction methods developed, it became a lot more common and ultimately one of Japanese architecture’s most iconic styles of design.

That being said, the irimoya style is still highly-regarded and any building constructed with a hip-and-gable roof brings with it a certain level of prestige. This is why you’ll find that the vast majority of Martial Arts Halls in Taiwan were constructed featuring a variation on this style.

Chidori-hafu on the Qishan Martial Arts Hall (旗山武德殿)

Given that the irimoya style is commonly used for temples and shrines, it was important to add some variations and decorations to allow these buildings to stand out, because within Japanese architecture, subtle variations in design or decoration often make huge differences.

One of the most common variations that you would have found on the roof of these halls was that they were often fitted with decorative roof tiles featuring the Chinese characters for “bu” (武) on the end-tiles. Unfortunately the restoration projects on a few of the remaining halls has removed these end-tiles, you can still find them on a couple of the halls, such as the Changhua Martial Arts Hall.

Another common variation is the addition of what’s known as a chidori hafu (千鳥破風/ちどりはふ) that protrudes from the front of the ‘hip’ section of the roof.

You’ll find similarly triangular-shaped ‘hafu’ (破風板/はふ) on both ends of the ‘gable’ section of the roof, but this one faces out from the front and is purely decorative.

Another one of the common features used in the design of these halls are the decorative porticos at the main entrance to the buildings - While their design tends to vary, generally what you’ll find is a roof-covered porch that leads to the main entrance of the hall. The portico roof is specifically designed to add further decorative elements that go hand in hand with the design of the main roof, especially when it comes to the ‘chidori hafu’ above.

The porticos always come equipped with beautiful wooden or cement pillars that help to support the roof, but as I mentioned above, the design of the roof above tends to vary. The most common styles that you will find today are the iconic curved ‘karahafu-style’ (唐破風), the four-sided ‘irimoya-yane’ (入母屋根) and the two-sided ‘kirizuma-yane’ (切妻屋根).

Even though the ‘irimoya-yane’ style is the most common among the remaining halls today, the ‘karahafu’ porticos at the Kaohsiung and the Tainan Martial Arts Halls are considered to be the most beautiful.

While the buildings almost always featured elaborate roof designs, what you’d find below was considerable more simplistic in that the majority were constructed with local timber (cypress or cedar) and featured large sliding glass windows on all four sides, making them appear relatively similar to almost all the other Japanese-style homes and dormitories built throughout Taiwan.

That being said, the early 20th century was a time of great prosperity for many areas around Taiwan and the fusion of Japanese and western architectural design that became so prevalent around the island was also reflected in quite a few of these Martial Arts Halls, which featured baroque-style design and modern construction techniques. 

The few Martial Arts Halls that remain in Taiwan today offer a mixture of traditional Japanese design and western-fusion design with the Kaohsiung and the Xinhua Martial Arts Hall in particular being great examples of the fusion design while the Changhua, Tainan and Nantou halls are great examples of traditional design

As for the interior of the halls, they pretty much all remained the same with hard-wood floors equipped with a spring mechanism (彈簧地板), and not much else apart from a small shrine against the wall. The floor space was almost always split in half with one side covered in thick tatami mats for Judo while the other side was used for Kendo.

Xinhua Martial Arts Hall (新化武德殿)

There was almost always a shrine space located against the back wall of the hall in the middle, and would have been home to a couple of sacred objects and any awards won by the members of the hall.

The sad thing about the spring floors is that the only hall remaining today that still features this really cool design is the Xinhua Martial Arts Hall in Tainan. The vast majority of the others either had their springs removed or ended up not being very well maintained over the past seven decades.

Given that almost all of the halls were elevated off of the ground on a cement base, this allowed for a network of springs to be constructed under the floor boards. The Spring Floor was an important design function for anyone practicing Kendo, given that you need a bit of bounce in your step. It was also important for many of these buildings as they were (for the most part) constructed of wood and the carpenters of the era quickly discovered that Taiwan had a pretty bad termite problem.

Former Administration building at the Taichung Martial Arts Hall

One thing that is often forgotten about these halls is that they didn’t always just consist of a single building.

As mentioned above, the halls were ranked as branches, with some of them being quite large while others were relatively small. The larger halls would have featured auxiliary buildings that would include offices, recreation space and dormitories for the instructors who resided in the halls.

Likewise some of them also included large spaces behind the hall where people could practice Kyudo (弓道), traditional Japanese archery.

When the colonial era ended, many of these buildings were used for different purposes and as time passed, most of them were torn down. These days, only the Daxi, Taichung, Changhua and Qishan halls feature separate buildings, however most of them have been entirely rebuilt during the restoration process and aren’t originals.

When the Second World War ended (and subsequently the Japanese occupation of Taiwan), many of the Martial Arts Halls were repurposed for use by the police, converted into public halls and even used as residences for many of the Chinese refugees, who fled to Taiwan in 1949.

Archery range behind the Taichung Martial Arts Hall

Ultimately, the fate of the vast majority of Taiwan’s Martial Arts Halls ended up being similar to what happened to many of the other traditional Japanese structures constructed during the colonial era after the arrival of the Chinese Nationalists.

If they weren’t repurposed, they were eventually torn down.

Today, just over a dozen of these halls continue to exist in Taiwan, some of which have been restored and recognized as National Historic Buildings.

There are others that still remain in a sad state of disrepair, and are in desperate need of attention.

The government has fortunately started to take the existence of these historic buildings more seriously and many of them have been restored in recent years.

There are also a few of the smaller branches that are still being used as homes, but have been altered so much that they’re hardly recognizable.

Yet to be restored Erlin Martial Arts Hall

Currently there are several restoration projects taking place around the country that will see a few more of these historic Martial Arts Halls re-opening to the public.

To that effect, I plan to update each of the articles that I have already published about the halls, while also continuing to visit the ones I haven’t had the chance to write about yet. 

As these restoration projects are completed, I’ll make sure to update this space so that its easier to keep track of the current status of these important historic buildings.

If you ever have a chance to visit any of these historic buildings, I highly recommend checking it out.

They’re a small piece of a lesser known part of Taiwanese history and (for better or worse) have played important roles over the past century of Taiwan’s modern development.


Before I provide my list of references, I’d like to first offer my gratitude to the amazing people behind the National Historic Monuments of Taiwan page on Facebook as they’ve curated a space that offers the public a glimpse into Taiwan’s often forgotten history.

The historic photos I’ve used here are all credited to that page and I highly recommend you give them a follow, if you haven’t already.

Last but not least, I’d like to show my immense appreciation to Professor Hsin-An Chen (陳信安) of Chaoyang University (朝陽科技大學), the foremost expert on all things Martial Arts Halls in Taiwan. Without his in-depth research on the history and architecture of the Martial Arts Halls, much of what we know about them today might have been lost to history.

Likewise, it is thanks to his architectural expertise that many of the halls have been able to be brought back to life for the rest of us to enjoy.

References

  1. 臺灣的武德殿武德殿 (Wiki)

  2. 大日本武德會大日本武徳会 (Wiki)

  3. Dai Nippon Butoku Kai (Wiki)

  4. Dai Nippon Butoku Kai (Official Site)

  5. 武德會與武德殿 (陳信安)

  6. 台灣日治時期武德殿建築之研究 (陳信安)

  7. 武德殿 (臺灣百科全書)

  8. 台灣武德殿發展之研究 (黃馨慧)

  9. 失而復得的大唐東洋建築 台灣武德殿 (Willie Chen)

  10. 日治時期臺灣各地建造武德殿的歷史沿革 (eTaiwan)

  11. (走訪日式老建築) 武德殿的舊事與進行式 (自由時報)

  12. 武德殿研究成果報告 (高雄市政府文化局)

  13. Japanese Architecture and Art Net Users System (JAANUS)

  14. The Japanese House: The Basic Elements of Traditional Japanese Residential Architecture (Manabi Japan)

  15. 臺灣國定古蹟編纂研究小組 (National Historic Monuments of Taiwan)