Donghe Zen Temple (Soto Zen Daihonzan Taiwan Branch)

The Donghe Zen Temple (東和禪寺), originally known as the Soto-shu Daihonzan Taiwan Betsuin (曹洞宗大本山台灣別院), was the principal institution of Soto Zen Buddhism in Taiwan during the Japanese colonial period (1895-1945). Located at the intersection of Renai Road and Linsen South Road in Taipei's Zhongzheng District (formerly Dongmen-cho), it was one of the largest Japanese Buddhist temple complexes in colonial Taiwan.

Soto Zen Buddhism arrived in Taiwan in 1895, when Buddhist chaplains accompanied Japanese troops to the newly acquired colony. The Soto school quickly established itself as one of the most active Japanese Buddhist sects in Taiwan. In 1908, the Taiwan branch temple was formally established on a 4,500-tsubo (approximately 14,876 square meter) plot of land in Dongmen-cho. The original wooden structure was completed in 1910 and received official recognition from the Taiwan Governor-General's Office (台灣總督府) on May 22, 1910. However, a typhoon on 16–17 September 1912 brought down the wooden main hall.

The temple was subsequently rebuilt in reinforced concrete in a "modern Japanese style" (近代和風式), with the new main hall completed in 1923. During the reconstruction period, a separate worship hall called the Guanyin Chantang (觀音禪堂) was built in 1917 in traditional Fujian architectural style to serve Taiwanese Buddhist devotees, as the main temple had originally been reserved exclusively for Japanese worshippers. This Guanyin Hall survives today as the main hall of the present-day Donghe Zen Temple.

A striking bell tower (鐘樓), begun in 1926 and completed in April 1930, was constructed at the temple entrance, combining elements of Edo-period architecture in the upper story with Azuchi-Momoyama period styling in the stone-clad lower level. The tower is built of reinforced concrete imitating wooden construction, with rough-cut stone arched entrances at ground level and a single-eave hip roof (入母屋造) covered in Japanese black tiles with demon-tile ornaments (鬼瓦). The bronze temple bell, inscribed "曹洞宗 大本山 台灣別院," was cast in 1920 by Takahashi Saijiro, a renowned bell-maker from Kyoto.

During the war years, the temple complex served as a center for Buddhist propagation and wartime spiritual mobilization, reflecting the role Japanese Buddhist institutions played in supporting the empire's war effort across its colonies. After Japan's surrender in 1945, the temple compound was taken over by the incoming Chinese Nationalist government, and parts of the grounds were used as military barracks. In 1947, monk Xinyuan (心源和尚) was appointed as the founding abbot, and the temple was officially registered under the name Donghe Zen Temple (東和禪寺).

In 1993, the Taipei City Government demolished the original main hall of the Taiwan Betsuin to make way for the Taipei City Youth Development and Family Education Center (台北市青少年育樂中心). Community protests succeeded in preserving the bell tower, which was designated as a Taipei City Municipal Historic Site on August 14, 1997. A full restoration of the bell tower was completed in 2006, and it was formally reopened to the public on July 21, 2006. The Guanyin Chantang continues to function as an active Buddhist temple under the name Donghe Zen Temple.