Kaohsiung Hamasen Daitian Temple. "Hamasen" is the old name for the southern part of Gushan District, Kaohsiung City today. "Hamasen" is the old name for the southern part of Gushan District, Kaohsiung City today. This area was originally a sea region. During the Japanese colonial period, the Japanese authorities used the dredged soil from the harbor to reclaim land, forming new territory. Because this new land was connected to the commercial port, fishing port, and fish market by two coastal railways, it was called "Hamasen" in Japanese, and local residents referred to it as "Ha-ma-sing" in Taiwanese. Hamasen was located at the starting point of Kaohsiung Port's modernization and the terminal of the railway, and it was once the origin of Kaohsiung's political and economic center, enjoying great prosperity. Daitian Temple was built in 1951. The main deity enshrined is the Five Lords (Wufu Qiansui), a branch from Nankunshan Daitian Temple, with other deities including Lord Chi, Qing Shui Zu Shi, and Guanyin. A magnificent archway stands in front of the temple. The temple architecture adopts a Southern Chinese style, solemn and magnificent. The roof, with its double eaves and hip-and-gable style, features intricate and delicate ceramic decorations of figures, mythical creatures, pavilions, and flowers and birds. Inside, the colorful paintings and carvings narrate traditional folk stories such as the Jade Pond Banquet, the Eighteen Arhats, and the Assembly of Ten Thousand Immortals, with pottery figures of diverse forms, lifelike and vivid. The door gods and deity sculptures in the San Chuan Hall were created by the renowned artist Pan Lishui. The dignified and opulent deity statues are already rare artistic treasures. Daitian Temple is the center of faith and gathering place for the residents of Hamasen, with a square offering a variety of local snacks for pilgrims.
Address: 高雄市鼓山區鼓波街27號
Hours: 00:00–23:59
Kaohsiung