Puchi Temple (by Tom Wei)

Construction of Puchi Temple was started around the end of 1915 and was finished in Jan 1916. It took only two months for construction, so the building itself was rough and primitive. The initiator for construction was Mr. Hirata Gengo who got cooperation from an officer of the railway department in government, Mr. Murakami Shou-ichi. Staffs of railway department and enthusiastic local people also made a donation to construct the temple. With this background, the building was called “Tieh Chen Yuan,” meaning in association with the railway. The temple was reconstructed in 1934, having the noble and elegant appearance you can see now.

Another legend said it was reconstructed in 1905 from a temple “Kuan Yin Hall” where “Tang Shou Kuan Yin” was worshiped. Tang means “hot spring” and Shou means ‘’to protect”. It was presumed a spiritual center for people in Beitou . The prosperity of the hot spring industry was protected by Tan Shou Kuan Yin. In 1949 the name of Tieh Chen Yuan was revised to “Puchi Temple” by government.

Design of the building was derived from Japan Nara & Hei-an period. Woods used were of the high quality of HINOKI grown in Taiwan. Windows were in shape of big bell. The front part of eave is decorated with two turtles and fish-tail which symbolize longevity and anti-evil. Same as other buildings, Puchi Temple has gone through several times of natural disasters, typhoons and earthquakes. As the temple was considered to be one of the representative building of Japanese style of Shingon sect, it has been repaired properly to stay with its original mood of dignity.

With its unique characteristics in construction, Puchi Temple was designated a historical site by Taipei city government in 1998. Customarily, there are ceremonies held periodically every year by local people to express their gratitude to Tang Shou Kuan Yin for the protection of prosperity and peace in the community. Puchi Temple has contributed the society by giving donation and relief to low-income people.

 At the left-hand side of the building, there are two substances worth seeing. The first one is the statue of baby-carrying Kuan Yin in the pavilion. It is said people could get offspring by praying to Kuan Yin and also can get the blessing of good health for their children. The second one is a stone monument beside the pavilion. The inscribed words on the plate introduce Mr. Murakami Shou-ichi who made a great contribution to railway construction in Taiwan. To summarize, one may say Puchi Temple has been acting as the important center of faith for people in Beitou.