Daxi Budokuden

Daxi Budokuden

Daxi Budokuden is a cultural tourism attraction.

The Budokuden was one of the halls in the Daijō-kan (the ancient imperial palace of Kyoto) during Japan’s Heian period, used for viewing activities such as horse racing. It was located roughly to the west of the Daijō-kan, and could be seen through the area between the Ukon’e-fu and the Ubaye-fu, overlooking the Inari Gate. To the east of the Budokuden, there were typically facilities such as a horse training ground and En’yō no Matsubara. During the period of the Empire of Japan, the Dai Nippon Butoku-kai, a public interest incorporated foundation established in Kyoto in 1895, promoted martial arts (including kendo, judo, and kyudo) as core values of the Japanese people. To this end, it built numerous martial arts dojos across Japan and around the world. These dojos inherited the name of the hall from the Heian period and thus became known as Budokuden.

Daxi Budokuden is located in Daxi Township, Taoyuan County, Taiwan. Completed in 1935, it is one of the Budokuden constructed during the Japanese colonial period. It was built using modern materials such as reinforced concrete, with its exterior finished in exposed aggregate to mimic the appearance of a rain-shedding board wall. Inside, directly facing the main entrance, there was a shrine. Half of the space was fitted with tatami mats for judo practice, while the other half had wooden flooring for kendo practice. Later, the shrine was removed to accommodate military police stationed there, and the wooden floor was replaced with a reinforced concrete one.

Today, Daxi Budokuden has been repurposed as a family activity center and library. On January 13, 2004, it was designated as a historical building in Taiwan and has since become a well-known attraction in Taoyuan County, receiving large numbers of domestic and international visitors every day.

Touliao Butokuden

Must-visit reason: One of the most renowned historical buildings in Taoyuan County