Hidden Forest Shrine
A Shinto shrine built by the Japanese Imperial Army, destroyed before British re-occupation, now a historic site in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.
The Hidden Forest Shrine is a Shinto shrine at MacRitchie Reservoir, Singapore. Built by the Japanese Imperial Army during the Japanese occupation of Singapore in World War II, the shrine was destroyed directly before British forces re-occupied Singapore. Located deep inside the Central Catchment Nature Reserve (CCNR), the National Heritage Board (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.
- Type
- Shinto shrine
- Location
- MacRitchie Reservoir, Singapore
- Key Artifact
- none
- Guardian
- none
- Significance
- Commemorated Japanese soldiers who fell in the conquest of Singapore
Lore & Background
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. 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 in Tokyo, Japan.
In Their Own Story
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. 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 (CCNR), in which includes the MacRitchie Reservoir. The remnants of the old shrine were designated as a historical site by the NHB in 2002. However, the historical site remains inaccessible to the public due to the strong current deep stream and the presence of wild animals.
Reader's Guide
The ruins of Syonan Jinja are located deep inside the Central Catchment Nature Reserve (CCNR), which includes the MacRitchie Reservoir. The site was declared a historic site by the National Heritage Board (NHB) in 2002. However, no plans have been made public so far to develop or make any significant changes to the site since the war. The historical site remains inaccessible to the public due to the strong current deep stream and the presence of wild animals. Visitors interested in the history can explore the area via external resources such as 'Exploring the Ruins of Syonan Jinja at MacRitchie Reservoir'.
Did You Know?
- Syonan Jinja was built by the Japanese Imperial Army during the Japanese occupation of Singapore in World War II.
- Major Yasuji Tamura, commander of the Japanese 5th Division's Engineers Regiment, designed and oversaw construction of the shrine.
- The shrine was intended to be the best Shinto shrine in all of southern Asia under Japanese occupation, and the second-greatest after the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo.
- The Japanese destroyed and burned the shrine to the ground just before their official surrender on 15 August 1945.
- The site was declared a historic site by the National Heritage Board (NHB) in 2002, but remains inaccessible to the public due to a strong current deep stream and wild animals.