National Museum of Comic Art Preparatory Office (Taichung Prison Drill Ground) Introduction
The current building is the preparatory office of the National Museum of Cartoon Art. The Taichung Prison Martial Hall, located at No. 33, Linsen Road, West District, Taichung City, was built in the 12th year of the Showa era (1937) during the Japanese occupation. It served as a dojo for prison officials and police officers for daily martial arts training and is the only remaining martial hall in the city. It has been well-preserved in its historical form and holds significant value for preservation, reutilization, and architectural research. The martial hall complex includes the main building of the martial hall and an auxiliary building on the east side. The main building is constructed symmetrically, with a shrine located at the rear center. To the left of the shrine is the judo room and to the right is the kendo room. The martial hall has seating arranged on one side only, making it a smaller martial arts facility compared to similar era buildings like Budo halls. The architectural style is typical of martial halls from the Japanese occupation period, featuring a raised base, facades that mimic wooden structures and decorative wall columns, and a hipped roof with large decorative ridge tiles and wind boards. The Taichung Prison Martial Hall was built in the 12th year of the Showa era (1937) and served as a training ground for prison officials and police officers for judo and kendo practices during the Japanese occupation. It was registered as a historical building in 2004.
