Tuku Shun Tian Gong Introduction
Tuku Matsu Yinwai Village: Tuku Shuntian Temple primarily enshrines Matsu, commonly known as Tuku Matsu. The current layout and appearance of the temple were established during its reconstruction in the Showa period. The works of craftsmen from the Zhang clan, such as Hu Xian and Wang Jinmu from the Quanzhou Xidi clan, along with Jiang Jiu, Jiang Quanhe, and Chen Tianqi, are included in the temple. Introduction: Tuku Shuntian Temple initially began as a "Tudi" (Earthen Deity) temple and underwent renovations. Construction of the front hall began in the fourteenth year of the Daoguang period (1834), with the rear hall completed six years later (1840). In the second year of the Xianfeng period (1852), local gentry reconstructed the front hall, built the Jing Sheng Pavilion and the left side hall. In the second year of the Guangxu period (1876), funds were raised to build the right side hall. After over a century, the temple began to show signs of deterioration. Local gentry including Yan Dingquan, Lin Yongzhen, Chen Rongshi, Lin Zhaoding, Chen Taixuan, Lin Jin, and Chen Qingquan collaborated with Japanese official Shinozaki Kiyokichi (the town chief) to raise funds for renovations in 1934, resulting in the magnificent temple seen today. In 1940, the Japanese government implemented the National Assimilation Policy in Taiwan. At that time, Shinozaki Kiyokichi, the board member overseeing the repairs of Shuntian Temple, sought to align with the Japanese "Kōgi Shingon sect Taiwan establishment plan," applying to be the 34th affiliated temple of this initiative, officially establishing the "Tuku Branch of the Tainan Prefecture Huwei County." The temple became a branch of the Kōyasan Daishi Association, and a statue of Guanyin was invited from Yoshikō-ji in Gunma Prefecture to be enshrined in the main hall, while the deities of the Heavenly Mother were temporarily moved to the rear hall. This move saved the temple from destruction by the Japanese government, and it was not until 1945 that the Heavenly Mother returned to the main hall for worship, while the Guanyin statue moved to the rear hall for enshrinement. Architectural Features: Tuku Shuntian Temple is located in the Tuku urban area and exemplifies typical southern Chinese temple architecture. It features a swallow-tail roof and spectacular "dragon and phoenix presenting three stars" tile-cutting. The main hall has three sections and includes three doors with the two side doors being dragon and tiger gates; from the front, it presents five doors, a privilege afforded to imperial deities. The materials for the temple construction, including beams, arches, columns, rafters, eaves, and ridges, are made from Chinese parasol trees and crafted with superb building and carving techniques, reflecting the architecture of the Qing dynasty. The interior consists of three sections, a courtyard, the main hall, the rear hall (Guanyin Hall), the San Guan Da Di Hall, and the Wenchang Dijun Hall, connected by corridors and Bagua gates. Image source: Hsueh Ying-Chi/Photograph (Authorized image, please do not reproduce).
Tuku Shun Tian Temple
