Nagasaki`s Confucius Shrine is said to be the world's only Confucius Shrine built by Chinese people outside of China. Even today the land on which it stands is Chinese Territory and the land rights controlled by the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo.
First built in 1893 by Chinese residents of Nagasaki with the support of the Qing Dynasty Government, Nagasaki `s Confucius Shrine was designed to serve as a place of worship and learning for the Chinese community and housed a Confucian sanctuary and primary school. The buildings were severely damaged by the atomic bomb explosion on August 9, 1945 and was not restored. It was finally opened to the public in September 1967 and was extensively renovated in 1982 and remains the same till the present day.
It is a joy and exciting process to walk around the beautifully presented gardens and to graze intensely at the architecture and statues. The attention to detail is amazing and one can see that a lot of time and effort was put in to the design and final outcome to look as authentic as possible. One feels like they have stepped out of Japan and back into the realm of China such is the contrast to traditional Japanese buildings and in particular to Japanese Shinto Shrines.
Well worth a visit even if you are not a fan of Chinese History and artifacts. The Confucius Shrine is located very close to the International Port Terminal so it isn't too far to complete as a walking tour around the area, even if you only have an hour or two to spare it is well worth the effort .
Check out Nagasaki `s Confucius Shrine
on a map here!
Click on the photos below to enlarge:
 |
| Koi Ponds |
 |
| Dragons |
 |
| Add caption |
 |
| Chinese Statues |
 |
| Open Courtyard |
 |
| Main coridoor |
 |
| Chinese |
 |
| Attractive artwork |
 |
| Confucius Pray Altar |
 |
| Colorful ceilings |
 |
| The entrance |
 |
| Unique Design |
- Please check out the videos of the Nagasaki Confucius Shrine here:
No comments:
Post a Comment