Item number: M529

Year: AD 1925

Material: Bronze

Size: 32 x 24 x 1.6 mm

Weight: 6.55 g

Provenance: Private Collector, Taiwan, 2026

This commemorative medal was issued for the Chinza-sai (enshrinement ceremony) marking the official establishment of Chōsen Shrine.

On the obverse, apart from Chōsen Shrine itself, the main architectural body is obscured, leaving only the top of the shinmon (sacred gate) visible. The foreground likely symbolises the Goshintai (sacred body of the deity/deities enshrined), depicted as a chain composed of magatama (comma-shaped beads) and jade tsung (tubular jade artefacts), alongside a short sword. The Goshintai serves as the symbolic representation of the principal deities enshrined—Amaterasu Ōmikami and Emperor Meiji. Generally, the Goshintai of Amaterasu Ōmikami is considered to consist of a sword, a bronze mirror, and magatama, whereas that of Emperor Meiji remains strictly confidential to this day. The rim of the medal features a floral ring resembling the Chinese bellflower (Platycodon grandiflorus).

The reverse depicts the chrysanthemum crest symbolising the Japanese Imperial Household, with a diamond-shaped floral emblem (hishi-mon) at its centre, possibly representing an official public institution affiliated with the Imperial Household. Encircling the central design is an inscription in seal-script Chinese characters reading “In Commemoration of the Chinza-sai of Chōsen Shrine / Imperial Era 2585”. The Chinza-sai denotes the sacred rite performed when a Shinto shrine officially commences its operations. The year Imperial Era 2585 corresponds to Taishō 14 (AD 1925).

Following the annexation of Korea by Japan in AD 1910, the Japanese government sought to consolidate its spiritual and cultural dominion over the Korean Peninsula. To this end, plans were initiated in AD 1912 and formally ratified in AD 1919 for the creation of Chōsen Shrine, which was completed and consecrated on Mount Namsan in Keijō (present-day Seoul) in AD 1925, enshrining Amaterasu Ōmikami and Emperor Meiji. Before and after its construction, a dispute concerning the enshrined deities (Goshintaisen) erupted: figures within Shinto circles advocated for the co-enshrinement of Dangun, the legendary progenitor of the Korean nation, or a “National Soul Deity” (Gokuhin-shin / Kunitama-no-kami) to accommodate indigenous beliefs; however, this proposal was rejected by the Government-General of Korea on the grounds of reinforcing Japanisation (Kōminka) and centralized control. In the mid-1930s, accompanied by the “Mind Development Movement” (Shinden Kaihatsu Undō) and the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Government-General extensively reorganized the shrine system in AD 1936. Major shrines in each province were elevated to the rank of Kokuhei Shōsha (National Shrine of the 3rd Rank, Small)—where the “Great National Soul Deity” (Kunitama Ōkami) was co-enshrined—and the “One Myeon, One Shrine/Sacred Precinct” policy was implemented, enforcing the installation of local sacred precincts (shinshi) in every administrative division (myeon) to expand popular mobilization and worship. By the time of Japan’s surrender in AD 1945, there were 82 government-funded and provincial shrines alongside hundreds to thousands of local sacred precincts across the Korean Peninsula. Following the end of the Second World War, Chōsen Shrine and all shrines throughout the peninsula—regarded as symbols of Japanese colonial rule and assimilation policies—were systematically demolished or dismantled, and the shrine ranking system was officially abolished in AD 1946.

物件編號: M529

年代: 公元 1925 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 32 x 24 x 1.6 mm

重量: 6.55 g

來源: 台灣私人收藏 2026

這是一枚朝鮮神宮的設立祭典「鎮座祭」的紀念章。

正面為朝鮮神宮之外，建築主體被遮掩，只能見到神門頂部，前景可能象徵所供奉的「御神體」，為一串由勾玉和玉琮所構成的鏈子，和一把短劍。御神體是主祭神天照大神和明治天皇的象徵物，一般而言，天照大神的御神體被認為是劍、銅鏡和勾玉，明治天皇的御神體至今仍為機密。章緣有花形的環，形似桔梗。

背面則為象徵日本皇室的菊紋，菊紋中央則為菱花紋，可能象徵的皇室所屬公家機關。周圍環列篆體漢字「朝鮮神宮御鎮座祭記念 / 皇紀二五八五」。鎮座祭為神社正式投入運行時所舉行的祭典。皇紀二五八五即大正十四年（公元1925年）。

公元1910年日本吞併韓國後，日本政府為強化對朝鮮的精神與文化統治，於公元1912年籌劃、並於公元1919年正式確定創建朝鮮神宮，並於公元1925年京城（今首爾）南山完工鎮座，供奉天照大神與明治天皇。建社前後曾引發「御祭神論争」，神道界人士主張應合祀朝鮮本土始祖神「檀君」或「國魂神」以順應土著信仰，但遭總督府以鞏固皇民化與中央集權為由否決。公元1930年代中期，隨著「心田開發運動」及日中戰爭爆發，總督府於公元1936年大規模改編神社制度，將各道主要神社列格為「國幣小社」（並於其中合祀「國魂大神」），並推行「一面一神社/神祠」政策，強制在各地方行政區（面）鋪設基層神祠以擴大民間動員與參拜。至公元1945年日本戰敗投降，朝鮮半島共有官社與諸社共82座、基層神祠數百至數千座；二戰結束後，作為日本殖民統治與皇民化象徵的朝鮮神宮及全半島所有神社，隨即被全面拆除或解體，社格制度亦於公元1946年正式廢止。