Ji'an Keishuin (Yoshino Shingon Temple)

Ji'an Keishuin (慶修院), originally known as the Yoshino Shingon Propagation Center (真言宗吉野布教所), is a Japanese Buddhist temple located in Ji'an Township, Hualien County, on the eastern coast of Taiwan. Founded in 1917 (Taisho 6) by the monk Kawabata Mitsuji (川端滿二), it was established as an overseas branch of Koyasan Kongobuji (高野山金剛峰寺), the head temple of the Shingon sect, to serve the spiritual needs of Japanese settlers in the Yoshino immigrant village (吉野移民村).

The Yoshino settlement was established following the 1908 Qikasuan Incident (七腳川事件), when the Japanese colonial government relocated indigenous peoples and brought in settlers primarily from the Yoshino River region of Tokushima Prefecture in Shikoku, Japan. Life was harsh for the immigrants, who faced unfamiliar tropical diseases, difficult terrain, and cultural isolation. The temple became their spiritual anchor, enshrining Kobo Daishi (弘法大師), Fudo Myoo (不動明王), and Bishamonten (毘沙門天), and providing religious ceremonies, community gatherings, and spiritual solace.

The temple grounds feature 88 stone Buddhist statues collected from across Shikoku, representing the famous 88-temple Shikoku Pilgrimage (四國遍路) established by Kobo Daishi. This miniature pilgrimage route allowed immigrants who could not return to Japan to complete the sacred circuit symbolically. The main hall is built in a traditional Edo-period Japanese architectural style with a distinctive four-pillar rooftop structure.

After Japan's surrender in 1945, the Japanese residents of Yoshino village were repatriated. The temple was taken over by local resident Wu Tian-Mei and renamed Keishuin (慶修院). The original Buddhist deities were gradually replaced with Shakyamuni Buddha and Guanyin Bodhisattva to serve the local Taiwanese community. Despite these changes, the core architectural structure and many original artifacts, including the 88 stone statues, stone lanterns, the Fudo Myoo carving, and the Hyakudo-ishi (百度石), were preserved.

In 1997, the temple was designated a grade-three historic monument (now a county-level monument, 縣定古蹟) of Hualien County. A comprehensive restoration project was completed in August 2003, returning the temple to its original Japanese-era appearance. Today, Ji'an Keishuin is the only Japanese-style Buddhist temple in the Hualien–Taitung region listed as a cultural asset, and serves as both an active place of worship and a major cultural tourism site, offering visitors a rare glimpse into the religious and communal life of Japanese colonial-era immigrant villages.