With the buildings surrounding it being demolished, the historically important Tamachi Saiba (田町齋場) funeral hall in Kaohsiung that was built during the Japanese colonial era has re-emerged after languishing in obscurity for decades.
The historic building was rediscovered in April last year after the Kaohsiung Economic Development Bureau called for the market around the building to be dismantled and the land returned to its private owner.
The Takao Renaissance Association, a local historical architecture preservation group, said at the time it was concerned the building would be destroyed and immediately highlighted the building’s historical status.
The Kaohsiung City Government agreed to temporarily halt the demolition.
The city government then began an investigation into the building’s history, the association said, adding that it discovered that the 376m2 building was built in 1933 as a public funeral services hall.
Prior to Tamachi Saiba, Taiwan had no public funeral halls, as families would conduct funeral services in private halls, the association said.
Modern funeral services have their roots in those performed at Tamachi Saiba, it added.
The association suggested that the city government should restore the building in a manner that would suit its surroundings, while maintaining its historical characteristics.
The restoration should focus on enabling the building to tell the story of its former function, the association said.
The Kaohsiung Bureau of Cultural Affairs said that Tamachi Saiba was provisionally listed as an historical site in September last year, adding that the bureau is in talks with the building’s owner regarding its preservation and future use.
The 80-year-old building is located in Gushan District’s (鼓山) No. 2 public market, bureau officials said, adding that it had long been forgotten since the market has not been used for many years.
Association volunteer Chen Kun-yi (陳坤毅) said that due to historical developments and the onslaught of war during the colonial period, the building is the only such funeral hall from the era in the nation and that those built in Japan during the same period have long since been renovated.
“It is clear that this is a unique and precious historic building,” Chen said.
The association said that local funerary practices such as cremation and the use of certain rituals were all introduced to the nation at Tamachi Saiba.
Much more will be understood about the building’s historical value and significance after it has been renovated, the association said.
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