# Syonan Shrine

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Syonan_Shrine
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Syonan_Shrine.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syonan_Shrine
> Source revision: 1339309269
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

Shinto shrine in Singapore

Syonan Jinja Shōnan Shrine 昭南神社 The near-completed Syonan Jinja in 1942 Religion Affiliation Shinto Deity Amaterasu Type Shinto shrine Location Location MacRitchie Reservoir, Singapore Shown within Singapore Coordinates 1°20′53.6″N 103°48′49.7″E / 1.348222°N 103.813806°E / 1.348222; 103.813806 Architecture Established 7 May 1942 (1942-05-07) Destroyed 15 August 1945 (1945-08-15) Glossary of Shinto

**Syonan Jinja** (昭南神社, *Shōnan Jinja*; lit. "Shōnan Shrine") was a [Shinto](/source/Shinto) shrine at [MacRitchie Reservoir](/source/MacRitchie_Reservoir), [Singapore](/source/Singapore). Built by the [Japanese Imperial Army](/source/Japanese_Imperial_Army) during the [Japanese occupation of Singapore](/source/Japanese_occupation_of_Singapore) in [World War II](/source/World_War_II), the shrine was destroyed directly before British forces re-occupied Singapore.[1]

Located deep inside the [Central Catchment Nature Reserve](/source/Central_Catchment_Nature_Reserve) (CCNR), the [National Heritage Board](/source/National_Heritage_Board_(Singapore)) (NHB) declared the site a historic site in 2002, although no plans have been made public so far to develop or make any significant changes to the site since the war.[2]

## History

The Syonan Jinja (Light of the South Shrine) was envisioned to be a shrine that commemorated the many Japanese soldiers and military personnel who fell in the [Japanese conquest of Singapore](/source/Fall_of_Singapore).[3]

The construction of Syonan Jinja was significant. Major Yasuji Tamura, the commander of the Japanese 5th Division's Engineers Regiment and the man in-charge of the design and the construction of the Syonan Jinja, had envisioned for the shrine in Singapore to be best Shinto shrine in the whole of the southern areas of Asia that has come under Japanese occupation. It was also to be the second-greatest shrine of the Shinto faith after the [Meiji Shrine](/source/Meiji_Shrine) in Tokyo, Japan.[3]

## Destruction

Just before the Japanese officially surrendered on 15 August 1945, they decided to destroy and burn the shrine to the ground in fear of its desecration by the returning British colonial forces.[3]

## Preservation

The ruins of Syonan Jinja – now down to a few remaining support structures and broken pieces and chunks – can still be found in the dense tropical forest of the [Central Catchment Nature Reserve](/source/Central_Catchment_Nature_Reserve) (CCNR), in which includes the [MacRitchie Reservoir](/source/MacRitchie_Reservoir).[4]

The remnants of the old shrine were designated as a historical site by the NHB in 2002.[3] However, the historical site remains inaccessible to the public due to the strong current deep stream and the presence of wild animals.[4]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Heok, Tay Jin (24 August 2021). ["Syonan Jinja: Singapore's Hidden Shrine That Is The Grandest After The Meiji Shrine In Tokyo"](https://thesmartlocal.com/read/syonan-jinja/). *TheSmartLocal*. Retrieved 19 April 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Yap, Gracia (2 November 2020). ["Fast facts about the Syonan Jinja"](https://tnp.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/fast-facts-about-syonan-jinja). *The New Paper*. Retrieved 19 April 2022.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-infopedia_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-infopedia_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-infopedia_3-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-infopedia_3-3) ["Syonan Jinja on Infopedia"](http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_236_2004-12-24.html). *National Library Board*. 24 December 2004. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20151002032352/http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_236_2004-12-24.html) from the original on 2 October 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2015.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-nhb_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-nhb_4-1) ["Syonan Jinja"](https://web.archive.org/web/20151023021744/http://www.nhb.gov.sg/places/historic-sites/syonan-jinja). *National Heritage Board*. Archived from [the original](http://www.nhb.gov.sg/places/historic-sites/syonan-jinja) on 23 October 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2015.

## Gallery

		- Japanese army and navy officers visiting the Shonan Jinja in 1943

		- Japanese postage stamp depicting Shonan Jinja

		- Remains of Divine Bridge leading to Syonan Jinja at MacRitchie Reservoir

## External links

[Exploring the Ruins of Syonan Jinja at MacRitchie Reservoir](https://remembersingapore.org/2017/07/16/macritchie-reservoir-syonan-jinja/)

[Portals](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Contents/Portals):
- [Japan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Japan)
- [Singapore](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Singapore)

v t e Shinto shrines Shinto architecture Buildings chōzu or temizu Haiden Heiden hokora honden / shinden / shōden kagura-den setsumatsusha Architectonic elements Chinjusha chigi hidden roof kaerumata: see nakazonae kairō karahafu karamon katōmado katsuogi kitsune (fox) komainu mon nakazonae shinboku shōrō sōrin tamagaki tokyō torii tōrō Styles hirairi-zukuri tsumairi-zukuri hachiman-zukuri hiyoshi-zukuri irimoya-zukuri ishi-no-ma-zukuri kasuga-zukuri kibitsu-zukuri misedana-zukuri nagare-zukuri ōtori-zukuri owari-zukuri ryōnagare-zukuri shinmei-zukuri sumiyoshi-zukuri taisha-zukuri Decorations Sandō Saisen Tomoe Shimenawa Others Implements An Chōzubachi Chōzuya Hakama Himorogi Jōe Kagura suzu O-miki Ō-nusa Gohei Sanbo Shide Shinsen Suzu Tamagushi Masakaki Washi Head shrines1 Fushimi Inari Taisha Inari Ōkami Inari shrine Usa Hachiman-gū Hachiman Hachiman Shrine Ise Grand Shrine Amaterasu Jingūkyō Jingu Taima Shinmei shrines Dazaifu Tenman-gū Tenjin Tenmangū Munakata Taisha daughters of Amaterasu Suwa Taisha Takeminakata Yasakatome Kotoshironushi Hiyoshi Taisha Ōkuninushi Oyamakui no Kami Sannō torii Sannō Ichijitsu Shintō Kumano Nachi Taisha Kumano Kodō Kumano Sanzan Ōta Shrine Tsushima Shrine Gion cult Yasaka Shrine Gion cult Tutelary deities Ujigami Chinjugami Garanshin Dōsojin Jinushigami Yama-no-Kami Oyagami Sorei Ubusunagami Kunitama Yorishiro and Shintai Mirrors Shinboku (trees) Chinju no Mori (forests) Iwakura (rocks) Meoto Iwa Kannabi (locations) Katashiro (dolls) Kadomatsu Bunrei and Kanjō (propagation) Ofuda Jingu Taima Omamori Senjafuda Arahitogami Mikoshi Matsuri float Shinko-shiki Staff Kannushi Miko Miscellaneous A-un Kanjo Nawa Junrei Misaki Miyamairi Shinshi Classification Twenty-Two Shrines Gokoku Shrines Beppyo Shrines Shinkai (divine rank) Modern system of ranked Shinto shrines Engishiki Jinmyocho Chinjusha Setsumatsusha Hokora Buddhist elements jingū-ji miyadera Whale mounds Kamidana Mitamaya Sōja shrine History Shrine Parishioner Registration Secular Shrine Theory Shrine Consolidation Policy Shrine Shinto Misc practices for visitors Ō-mikuji Shuin Ema Institutions Jinja Honchō Rites Futomani Harae Kagura Misogi Hakushu Two bows, two claps, one bow Jichinsai 1 (in order of the size of the shrine network they head)

Authority control databases VIAF

v t e Shinmei shrines Gods Main deities Amaterasu Minor gods Toyouke-hime Places Main shrine Ise Grand Shrine Tokyo Daijingu Second-rank Jingu Katori Jingu Futsunushi Kashima Jingu Takemikazuchi Moto-Ise shrines [ja] Hibara Shrine Kono Shrine Hase-dera Hinokuma Shrine Kii no Kuni no Miyatsuko [ja] Other shrines Hirota Shrine Amanawa Shinmei Shrine Ching Nan Shrine Chōsen Shrine Daijingu Temple of Hawaii Futako Shrine Gaoshi Shrine Heijō Shrine Hinomisaki Shrine Kagi Shrine Kanhashira-gū [ja; fr] Kantō Shrine Keijō Shrine Nan'yō Shrine Nishina Shinmei Shrine Nitta Shrine (Satsumasendai City) Ryūtōsan Shrine San Marino Shrine Sannō Shrine Senkaku Shrine Shinmei Shrine (Fukui City) [ja] Syonan Shrine Taiwan Grand Shrine Tokorozawa Shinmei Shrine Ubagami Daijingū Uramachi Shinmeigū Other topics Shinmei-zukuri Jingūkyō Jingū taima Saiō Amabe clan

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Syonan Shrine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syonan_Shrine) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syonan_Shrine?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.