Former IJA Taiwan Infantry 2nd Regiment Barracks

The Former Imperial Japanese Army Taiwan Infantry 2nd Regiment Barracks (原日軍臺灣步兵第二聯隊營舍) occupy the grounds of what is now the Guangfu Campus of National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) in Tainan's East District. This site represents one of the most significant surviving Japanese colonial-era military installations in Taiwan — a complex that served as the principal Japanese Army base in southern Taiwan from 1907 until 1945.

Origins: The Taiwan Garrison and the Infantry Regiments (1895–1907)

Following Japan's acquisition of Taiwan through the Treaty of Shimonoseki in 1895, the Imperial Japanese Army established garrison forces to pacify and control the island. Initially, Taiwan was defended by rotating units from the Japanese home islands. However, the unique challenges of governing Taiwan — guerrilla resistance, tropical diseases, and vast mountainous terrain inhabited by indigenous peoples — led to the creation of permanent garrison units specifically designated for Taiwan service.

In September 1907 (Meiji 40), the Japanese Army reorganized its Taiwan garrison forces into two permanent infantry regiments: the Taiwan Infantry 1st Regiment (臺灣步兵第一聯隊), headquartered in Taipei, and the Taiwan Infantry 2nd Regiment (臺灣步兵第二聯隊), headquartered in Tainan. These were unique formations within the entire Imperial Japanese Army: while regiments guarding the imperial capital bore the prefix 'Imperial Guard' (近衛) and those stationed in Korea were simply numbered, only the Taiwan regiments carried the geographical prefix 'Taiwan' (臺灣) in their official designation, reflecting the island's special administrative status.

The two regiments' areas of responsibility were divided by the Zhuoshui River (濁水溪) in central Taiwan: the 1st Regiment defended the north (with its 3rd Battalion detached to Taichung), while the 2nd Regiment defended the entire south, including detachments as far as Hualien, Taitung, and Yuli on the east coast.

The Permanent Barracks: Construction and Architecture (1903–1912)

The site chosen for the 2nd Regiment's barracks was in Tainan's Asahi-chō (旭町, present-day East District), on grounds that had served as a military training field since the Qing Dynasty era. The construction of permanent barracks proceeded in two phases under the Army's Permanent Barracks Plan (永久兵營計畫).

The first phase (begun in 1902 and completed in May 1904) established basic garrison facilities including wooden barracks, supply stores, and a drill ground. The second phase (1910–1912), carried out under the Army Accounting Department's Construction Section (陸軍經理部營繕組), produced the architecturally significant buildings that survive today. These second-phase buildings represent the pinnacle of Japanese military barracks design in Taiwan, incorporating:

• British Victorian-style red brick exterior walls (清水紅磚外牆) using exposed, unplastered brickwork
• Roman-style continuous arched colonnades (連續圓拱迴廊) running along all four sides of each building, symbolizing military strength and permanence
• Elevated hollow floor plates (架高中空樓板) designed for ventilation in Taiwan's subtropical climate
• Reinforced concrete and steel structural elements, representing early experimentation with modern construction materials in Taiwan

The barracks were considered so exemplary that a scale model was exhibited at the 1911 World Hygiene Exposition (Internationale Hygiene-Ausstellung) in Dresden, Germany, showcasing Japanese colonial military architecture to an international audience.

The 2nd Regiment's Role: Southern Taiwan Defense (1907–1944)

As the military command center for southern Taiwan (南臺灣的軍事指揮中樞), the 2nd Regiment's responsibilities extended far beyond conventional garrison duties. The regiment conducted anti-guerrilla operations in the southern mountains, maintained order during periods of civil unrest, and trained conscripts and reservists throughout the southern half of the island.

The regiment's organizational structure included a headquarters company, three infantry battalions (each with four companies), and various support elements. The 3rd Battalion maintained detachments at remote outposts along the east coast and in the southern mountain districts, reflecting the regiment's role in controlling indigenous territories.

World War II and the Defense of Taiwan (1944–1945)

As the Pacific War intensified, Japan's defensive posture in Taiwan underwent dramatic transformation. In 1944, the Taiwan Army (臺灣軍) — the overall Japanese military command in Taiwan — was reorganized and elevated to the 10th Area Army (第十方面軍) under General Andō Rikichi (安藤利吉), responsible for the defense of Taiwan, the Penghu Islands, and coordinating with Okinawa defense forces. Total Japanese Army strength in Taiwan at war's end reached approximately 165,000 personnel. The Taiwan Infantry 2nd Regiment itself was no longer in Tainan: it had been assigned to the 48th Division, formed in November 1940, and fought in the Philippines and Java before ending the war on Timor.

The 2nd Regiment's barracks in Tainan served as a critical component of the southern defense network. As Allied forces advanced across the Pacific and American air raids intensified over Taiwan from October 1944 onward (including devastating raids on Tainan itself), the barracks complex functioned as a training center for mobilized reservists and newly formed defense units. The regiment's facilities supported the preparation of fortifications, coastal defense positions, and guerrilla warfare preparations for the anticipated Allied invasion of Taiwan — an invasion that never came due to the American strategic decision to bypass Taiwan in favor of the Philippines and Okinawa.

Postwar Transition: From Military Camp to University Campus (1945–1966)

Following Japan's surrender on 15 August 1945, the barracks compound was taken over by the Republic of China military. The complex was renamed Guangfu Camp (光復營區, literally 'Restoration Camp,' referencing Taiwan's 'restoration' to Chinese sovereignty) and served as the headquarters of the ROC Army's 2nd, 8th, and 10th Armies. During this period, the Japanese-era buildings continued in military use largely unchanged.

In 1966, as part of a broader program to expand Taiwan's higher education infrastructure, the Guangfu Camp was transferred to National Cheng Kung University, becoming the Guangfu Campus (光復校區). The former barracks buildings were adapted for academic use, with the three most architecturally significant structures assigned to the Department of History, the Department of Industrial Design (housed in Dacheng Hall, 大成館), and the Institute of Art Studies (housed in Lixian Building, 禮賢樓).

Cultural Heritage Designation

On 10 November 2003, the three surviving second-phase barracks buildings were designated as National Monuments (國定古蹟) by the central government. The designation recognized the buildings as the most complete surviving examples of Japanese-era permanent military barracks in Taiwan, with exceptional architectural, historical, and cultural significance.

The campus also preserves other traces of its military past, including the Banyan Garden (榕園), the former regimental parade ground, where a large banyan tree planted by Crown Prince Hirohito (later Emperor Shōwa) during his 1923 visit to Taiwan remains a landmark of the university.

Today, the former barracks stand as a rare surviving example of Japanese colonial military architecture in Taiwan — buildings that once housed soldiers defending the southern half of Japan's first colonial territory, now serving as classrooms and studios where students study history, design, and art within walls that are themselves artifacts of the historical forces that shaped modern Taiwan.