Xinbeitou Shanguang Temple

Shanguang Temple, unlike the ornate decorations of typical temples, has a very simple appearance. Although Shanguang Temple is not open to the public on weekdays, during the cherry blossom season, you can still admire winter cherry blossoms and mountain cherry blossoms on the entrance steps of Shanguang Temple. Coupled with the two stone lanterns at the entrance, it offers a unique charm and is another secret spot for cherry blossom viewing in Beitou. Beitou Shanguang Temple is a temple of the Jodo-shu Nishiyama Fukakusa sect and was a spiritual center for Japanese immigrants at that time. The Buddha stupa in the temple is very famous, housing the sarira (relics) of Sakyamuni Buddha brought back from Japan. Beitou Shanguang Temple originates from Shinano Zenko-ji Temple in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. It was founded at its current site by the 117th generation O-hongan priestess Seien Nikō Shōnin in the 21st year of the Republic (Showa 7 in Japan, 1932 AD), with the first generation Nakano Zenno Shōnin appointed as abbot. In the 35th year of the Republic (1946), at the beginning of Taiwan's retrocession, the Dharma lamp of Shanguang Temple was passed down to the venerable Jingkong Baozhu Zhongxing Ruyi Shōnin. In the 48th year of the Republic (1959), the Japanese-style main hall of Shanguang Temple was destroyed during the 'August 7th Flood'. Consequently, a new hall was constructed in the 51st year of the Republic (1962), and in September of the same year, a precious stupa was respectfully built and enshrined, housing the sarira of Sakyamuni Buddha, which is the temple's most significant feature. Shanguang Temple primarily enshrines Sakyamuni Buddha. Therefore, the Sakya Hall houses the Three Jewels Buddhas (namely Sakyamuni Buddha, Medicine Buddha, and Amitabha Buddha), while the Dharma King Hall enshrines Amitabha Buddha. As weekdays are reserved for the monastics' spiritual practice, the halls are not open for public worship, only during festive Dharma ceremonies. The most striking feature within Shanguang Temple is the Buddha Relic Stupa built in the 51st year of the Republic (1962). It is modeled after Indian Buddhist temple architecture, divided into three tiers, respectively named 'Buddha', 'Jewel', and 'Stupa'. The uppermost tier enshrines the sarira of Sakyamuni Buddha brought back from Japan; the middle and lower tiers serve as reliquaries for spiritual bodies. Bronze bells adorn the four sides of the stupa. Four majestic dragons guard the four cardinal directions on the middle tier, with golden lotus flowers arrayed at each corner. Furthermore, Shanguang Temple still preserves many Japanese relics, such as the stone statues at the main entrance of the Dharma King Hall and eighty-six carved stone Buddha statues. Additionally, an 'Okamoto-ō Shōtokupi' (Monument to the Virtues of Elder Okamoto) stands in the temple courtyard. This monument commemorates the Japanese mineralogist Okamoto Yohachiro, who in 1905 discovered the radium-rich 'Hokutolite' (北投石) in the Beitou Stream valley upstream near Xinbeitou. Takada Tomiso specifically erected this 'Okamoto-ō Shōtokupi' in Beitou in 1940. After many twists and turns, it was eventually preserved within Shanguang Temple, serving as the best testament to the history of Hokutolite. (Source: Beitou in Japanese Style - Walking and Investigation)