Political divisions of Taiwan (1895–1945)

Last updated

Taiwan was under Japanese rule after the First Sino-Japanese War, as per the Treaty of Shimonoseki of 1895. There were still several changes until the Japanese political system was adopted in 1920. This system was de facto abolished in 1945 and de jure in 1952.

Contents

Introduction

Administrative divisions of Taiwan by types and times. Like the administrative divisions in mainland Japan, most of them are translated to "prefectures" in English.

Number of divisions
Start dateEnd dateTimespanSummary
May 1895Aug 189533 Ken, 1 Chō
Aug 1895Mar 189671 Ken, 2 Minseishibu, 1 Chō
Apr 1896Jun 1897153 Ken, 1 Chō
Jun 1897Jun 1898126 Ken, 3 Chō
Jun 1898Apr 1901343 Ken, 3 Chō
May 1901Nov 190173 Ken, 4 Chō
Nov 1901Oct 19099520 Chō
Oct 1909Aug 192013012 Chō
Sep 1920Jun 1926705 Shū, 2 Chō
Jul 1926Apr 19522395 Shū, 3 Chō
Types of the divisions
Name Kanji Kana
Kenけん
Shūしゅう
Chōちょう
Minseishibu民政支部みんせいしぶ

Early years (1895–1901)

The political divisions changed frequently between 1895 and 1901.

DateMay. 1895 – Aug. 1895Aug. 1895 – Mar. 1896Mar. 1896 – Jun. 1897
NamesTaihoku Ken臺北縣たいほくけんTaihoku Ken臺北縣たいほくけんTaihoku Ken臺北縣たいほくけん
Taiwan Ken臺灣縣たいわんけんTaiwan Minseishibu臺灣民政支部たいわんみんせいしぶTaichū Ken臺中縣たいちゅうけん
Tainan Ken臺南縣たいなんけんTainan Minseishibu臺南民政支部たいなんみんせいしぶTainan Ken臺南縣たいなんけん
Hōkotō Chō澎湖島廳ほうことうちょうHōkotō Chō澎湖島廳ほうことうちょうHōkotō Chō澎湖島廳ほうことうちょう
Div. No.3 Ken, 1 Chō1 Ken, 2 Minseishibu, 1 Chō3 Ken, 1 Chō
DateJun. 1897 – Jun. 1898Jun. 1898 – Apr. 1901May. 1901 – Nov. 1901
NamesTaihoku Ken臺北縣たいほくけんTaihoku Ken臺北縣たいほくけんTaihoku Ken臺北縣たいほくけん
Shinchiku Ken新竹縣しんちくけん
Taichū Ken臺中縣たいちゅうけんTaichū Ken臺中縣たいちゅうけんTaichū Ken臺中縣たいちゅうけん
Kagi Ken嘉義縣かぎけん
Tainan Ken臺南縣たいなんけんTainan Ken臺南縣たいなんけんTainan Ken臺南縣たいなんけん
Hōzan Ken鳳山縣ほうざんけんKōshun Chō恆春廳こうしゅんちょう
Giran Chō宜蘭廳ぎらんちょうGiran Chō宜蘭廳ぎらんちょうGiran Chō宜蘭廳ぎらんちょう
Taitō Chō臺東廳たいとうちょうTaitō Chō臺東廳たいとうちょうTaitō Chō臺東廳たいとうちょう
Hōko Chō澎湖廳ほうこちょうHōko Chō澎湖廳ほうこちょうHōko Chō澎湖廳ほうこちょう
Div. No.6 Ken, 3 Chō3 Ken, 3 Chō3 Ken, 4 Chō

Chō (1901–1920)

The former system was abolished 11 November 1901, and twenty local administrative offices (chō) were established. [1] Usage of Ken divisions was discontinued.

Structural hierarchy

Administrative divisions of Taiwan in 1901. The red line marks the approximate boundary separating savage district and territories under actual Japanese administration. Map of Taiwan 1901.jpg
Administrative divisions of Taiwan in 1901. The red line marks the approximate boundary separating savage district and territories under actual Japanese administration.
Level 1Level 2Level 3Level 4
Prefecture
chō
Subprefecture
支廳 shichō
District
ku
Town
gai
Village

Prefectures

Nov. 1901 – Oct. 1909Oct. 1909 – Aug. 1920
Taihoku Chō臺北廳たいほくちょうTaihoku Chō臺北廳たいほくちょう
Kīrun Chō基隆廳きいるんちょう
Shinkō Chō深坑廳しんこうちょう
Giran Chō宜蘭廳ぎらんちょう
Giran Chō宜蘭廳ぎらんちょう
Tōshien Chō桃仔園廳とうしえんちょうTōen Chō桃園廳とうえんちょう
Shinchiku Chō新竹廳しんちくちょうShinchiku Chō新竹廳しんちくちょう
Byōritsu Chō苗栗廳びょうりつちょう
Taichū Chō臺中廳たいちゅうちょう
Taichū Chō臺中廳たいちゅうちょう
Shōka Chō彰化廳しょうかちょう
Nantō Chō南投廳なんとうちょうNantō Chō南投廳なんとうちょう
Toroku Chō斗六廳とろくちょう
Kagi Chō嘉義廳かぎちょう
Kagi Chō嘉義廳かぎちょう
Ensuikō Chō鹽水港廳えんすいこうちょう
Tainan Chō臺南廳たいなんちょう
Tainan Chō臺南廳たいなんちょう
Hōzan Chō鳳山廳ほうざんちょう
Banshoryō Chō蕃薯寮廳ばんしょりょうちょうAkō Chō阿緱廳あこうちょう
Akō Chō阿猴廳あこうちょう
Kōshun Chō恆春廳こうしゅんちょう
Taitō Chō臺東廳たいとうちょうTaitō Chō臺東廳たいとうちょう
Karenkō Chō花蓮港廳かれんこうちょう
Hōko Chō澎湖廳ほうこちょうHōko Chō澎湖廳ほうこちょう
20 Chō12 Chō

Demographics

Population of Formosa according to census taken 31 December 1904, arranged by district. [3]

Population of Formosa as of 1915
Prefecture Kanji Japanese Taiwanese Area (km²)Population
Taihoku臺北廳Taihoku-chōTâi-pak-thiaⁿ1,691.5284523,502
Giran宜蘭廳Giran-chōGî-lân-thiaⁿ710.8631143,912
Tōen桃園廳Tōen-chōThô-hn̂g-thiaⁿ984.5170231,409
Shinchiku新竹廳Shinchiku-chōSin-tek-thiaⁿ1,705.1696327,164
Taichū臺中廳Taichū-chōTâi-tiong-thiaⁿ2,271.4004592,577
Nantō南投廳Nantō-chōLâm-tâu-thiaⁿ1,274.9484126,223
Kagi嘉義廳Kagi-chōKa-gī-thiaⁿ3,249.8356566,158
Tainan臺南廳Tainan-chōTâi-lâm-thiaⁿ2,345.5133569,292
Akō阿緱廳Akō-chōA-kâu-thiaⁿ2,201.6170259,441
Taitō臺東廳Taitō-chōTâi-tang-thiaⁿ1,204.490636,997
Karenkō花蓮港廳Karenkō-chōHoa-liân-káng-thiaⁿ1,315.723645,521
Hōko澎湖廳Hōko-chōPhêⁿ-ô͘-thiaⁿ126.864857,726

Shū and Chō (1920–1945)

Political division of Taiwan Taiwan Japan.svg
Political division of Taiwan
Second level political division of Taiwan
.mw-parser-output .legend{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .legend-color{display:inline-block;min-width:1.25em;height:1.25em;line-height:1.25;margin:1px 0;text-align:center;border:1px solid black;background-color:transparent;color:black}.mw-parser-output .legend-text{}
Cities / Shi 
(shi, chhi)
Districts / Jun 
(gun, kun)
Subprefectures / Zhi Ting 
(shicho, chi-thian) Taiwan Japan lv2.svg
Second level political division of Taiwan
   Cities / (shi, chhī)
   Districts / (gun, kūn)
   Subprefectures / 支廳 (shichō, chi-thiaⁿ)

Under a "Dōka policy" (同化) in which the Japanese considered the Taiwanese to be separate but equal, the political divisions in Taiwan became similar to the system used in mainland Japan in 1920.

Structural hierarchy

Level 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5
Prefecture
shū (5)
chō (3)
City
shi (11)
chō丁目chōme
大字ōaza小字koaza
District
gun (51)
or
Subprefecture
支廳shichō (2)
Town
gai (68)
Village
(197)
Aboriginal area
蕃地banchi
sha (571)

Prefectures

Name Kanji Kana No. of Subdivisions Wade–Giles
CityDist.Subp.
Taihoku Prefecture 臺北州たいほくしゅう39Taipei
Shinchiku Prefecture 新竹州しんちくしゅう18Hsinchu
Taichū Prefecture 臺中州たいちゅうしゅう211Taichung
Tainan Prefecture 臺南州たいなんしゅう210Tainan
Takao Prefecture 高雄州たかおしゅう27Kaohsiung
Karenkō Prefecture 花蓮港廳かれんこうちょう13Hualien Port
Taitō Prefecture 臺東廳たいとうちょう3Taitung
Hōko Prefecture 澎湖廳ほうこちょう2Penghu

Cities

There were 11 cities in Taiwan in 1945. Most of them are still the most populous municipalities in the country today. The ōaza (大字) in the city center may be named chō (町).

PrefectureName Kanji Kana Wade–Giles
Taihoku Taihoku City臺北市たいほくし Taipei
Kīrun City基隆市きいるんし Keelung
Giran City宜蘭市ぎらんし Yilan
Shinchiku Shinchiku City新竹市しんちくし Hsinchu
Taichū Taichū City臺中市たいちゅうし Taichung
Shōka City彰化市しょうかし Changhua
Tainan Tainan City臺南市たいなんし Tainan
Kagi City嘉義市かぎし Chiayi
Takao Takao City高雄市たかおし Kaohsiung
Heitō City屏東市へいとうし Pingtung
Karenkō Karenkō City花蓮港市かれんこうし Hualien

Demographics

The 1941 (Shōwa 16) census of Taiwan was 6,249,468. 93.33% of the population were Taiwanese which consisted of both Han Taiwanese and "civilized" Taiwanese aborigines. Tainan had the largest population followed by Taichū and Taihoku. The largest concentration of ethnic Japanese were in Taihoku followed by Takao and Tainan.

Demographics of Taiwan as of 1942
Prefecture Kanji Japanese Taiwanese Area
(km²)
PopulationPopulation
Density
(/km²)
Demographics
Japanese nationalForeign national
Taiwanese Japanese Korean Chinese Other
Taihoku 臺北州Taihoku-shūTâi-pak-chiu4,594.23711,266,9242761,078,316161,3061,16126,13853
Shinchiku 新竹州Shinchiku-shūSin-tek-chiu4,570.0146856,382187832,56521,6321652,0200
Taichū 臺中州Taichū-shūTâi-tiong-chiu7,382.94261,411,8461911,359,86547,6882844,0018
Tainan 臺南州Tainan-shūTâi-lâm-chiu5,421.46271,587,5132931,524,12355,3892897,69913
Takao 高雄州Takao-shūKo-hiông-chiu5,721.8672969,935170896,68965,4465857,2141
Karenkō 花蓮港廳Karenkō-chōHoa-liân-káng-thiaⁿ4,628.5713167,91136143,67121,8111742,2550
Taitō 臺東廳Taitō-chōTâi-tang-thiaⁿ3,515.252897,0592888,3177,687311,0231
Hōko 澎湖廳Hōko-chōPhêⁿ-ô͘-thiaⁿ126.864270,31255466,3423,8883790

Changes in 1945

When the Republic of China began to rule Taiwan in 1945, the government simply changed the names of the divisions, and named the Aboriginal areas. Those changes were not recognized by the Allies after the surrender of Japan.

BeforeAfter
LevelName Character Japanese
Hepburn
Taiwanese
Pe̍h-ōe-jī
NameCharacterMandarin
Pinyin
Taiwanese
Pe̍h-ōe-jī
Level
1 Prefecture shūchiu County xiànkoān1
chōthiaⁿ
2 City shichhī Provincial city shìchhī
County-administered city 縣轄市xiànxiáshìkoān-hat-chhī2
District gunkūn County-administered district 縣轄區xiànxiáqūkoān-hat-khu
Subprefecture 支廳shichōchi-thiaⁿ
3 Town gaike Urban township zhèntìn3
Village chng Rural township xiānghiong
Aboriginal areas蕃地banchihuan-tē Mountain indigenous township 山地鄕shāndì xiāngsoaⁿ-tē hiong

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taiwan Province</span> A nominal administrative division of the Republic of China (Taiwan)

Taiwan Province is a nominal administrative division of the Republic of China (ROC). The province remains a titular division as a part of the Constitution of the Republic of China, but it is no longer considered to have any administrative function practically.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taichung</span> Special municipality in Republic of China

Taichung, officially Taichung City, is a special municipality located in central Taiwan. Taichung has approximately 2.8 million residents and is the second most populous city of Taiwan, as well as the most populous city in Central Taiwan. It serves as the core of the Taichung–Changhua metropolitan area, the second largest metropolitan area in Taiwan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Republic of Formosa</span> 1895 short-lived republic on the island of Taiwan

The Republic of Formosa was a short-lived republic that existed on the island of Taiwan in 1895 between the formal cession of Taiwan by the Qing dynasty of China to the Empire of Japan by the Treaty of Shimonoseki and its being taken over by Japanese troops. The Republic was proclaimed on 23 May 1895 and extinguished on 21 October, when the Republican capital Tainan was taken over by the Japanese. Though sometimes claimed as the first East Asian republic to have been proclaimed, it was predated by the Lanfang Republic in Borneo, established in 1777, as well as by the Republic of Ezo in Japan, established in 1869.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keelung</span> City in Taiwan

Keelung, Chilung or Jilong, officially known as Keelung City, is a major port city situated in the northeastern part of Taiwan. The city is a part of the Taipei–Keelung metropolitan area, along with its neighbors, New Taipei City and Taipei, respectively. Nicknamed the Rainy Port for its frequent rain and maritime role, the city is Taiwan's second largest seaport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fongshan District</span> District in Kaohsiung, Republic of China

Fongshan District is a district located in southern Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Fongshan is one of the administrative centers of Kaohsiung and is home to the Republic of China Military Academy. There are three military units currently located in Fongshan. Both the Republic of China Military Academy and R.O.C. Army Infantry School came to Taiwan from mainland China and were re-established here in 1950. Chung Cheng Armed Forces Preparatory School was established in 1976. These three units used to be the main economic driving force, but their importance diminished gradually as Fongshan has established itself as a conjunction between Pingtung City and Kaohsiung.

Dadaocheng is an area in Datong District, Taipei, Taiwan. It was also known as Twatutia, Daitōtei during Japanese rule, and Tataocheng (Mandarin) during the Kuomintang era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taihoku Prefecture</span> Administrative division of Taiwan under Japanese rule

Taihoku Prefecture was an administrative division of Taiwan created in 1920, during Japanese rule. The prefecture consisted of modern-day Keelung, New Taipei City, Taipei and Yilan County. Its government office, which is now occupied by the Control Yuan of Taiwan, was in Taihoku City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Douliu</span> County-administered city

Douliu is a county-administered city and the county seat of Yunlin County, Taiwan. It is also the political and economic center of the county. Douliu City is served by National Highway No. 3.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Trunk line</span> Railway line in Taiwan

Western Trunk line is a railway line of the Taiwan Railways Administration in western Taiwan. It is by far the busiest line, having served over 171 million passengers in 2016. The total length of the line is 404.5 km (251.3 mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hengchun</span> Urban township in Southern Taiwan, Taiwan

Hengchun Township is a township located on the southern tip of the Hengchun Peninsula in Pingtung County, Taiwan. It is the southernmost township in Taiwan. Hengchun is also the only urban township in the southern part of Pingtung County. Hengchun has a land area of 136.76 km2 (52.80 sq mi) and has a population of 29,821 as of March 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Japanese invasion of Taiwan (1895)</span> Invasion of Taiwan by Imperial Japan

The Japanese invasion of Taiwan, also known as Yiwei War in Chinese, was a conflict between the Empire of Japan and the armed forces of the short-lived Republic of Formosa following the Qing dynasty's cession of Taiwan to Japan in April 1895 at the end of the First Sino-Japanese War. The Japanese sought to take control of their new possession, while the Republican forces fought to resist Japanese occupation. The Japanese landed near Keelung on the northern coast of Taiwan on 29 May 1895, and in a five-month campaign swept southwards to Tainan. Although their advance was slowed by guerrilla activity, the Japanese defeated the Formosan forces whenever they attempted to make a stand. The Japanese victory at Baguashan on 27 August, the largest battle ever fought on Taiwanese soil, doomed the Formosan resistance to an early defeat. The fall of Tainan on 21 October ended organised resistance to Japanese occupation, and inaugurated five decades of Japanese rule in Taiwan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Taipei</span>


The recorded history of Taipei began with the Han Chinese settling of the Taipei Basin in 1709, leading up to the formation of the national capital of Taiwan and high-tech industry hub and that is now Taipei City. Other notable dates include the 1895 annexation of Taiwan by Japan, during which Taipei began to grow more rapidly, and in the 1950s, the USA's provision of financial assistance to the Republic of China government, after which the city continued on a path of fast structural and industrial growth.

The Capitulation of Tainan, on 21 October 1895, was the last act in the Japanese invasion of Taiwan. The capitulation ended the brief existence of the Republic of Formosa and inaugurated the era of Japanese colonial rule in Taiwan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Campbell (missionary)</span>

William Campbell (1841–1921) was a Scottish Presbyterian missionary to Formosa. He wrote extensively on topics related to Taiwan and was also responsible for founding the island's first school for the blind. Interested in the early history of the island, his knowledge of the time was such that he was called "without doubt the greatest authority on this subject living". He was probably the first European to see Sun-Moon Lake, which he named Lake Candidius in honour of the seventeenth century Dutch missionary George Candidius.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Government-General of Taiwan</span>

The Government-General of Taiwan was the government that governed Taiwan under Japanese rule between 1895 and 1945.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Counties of Taiwan</span> One of the administrative divisions of Taiwan

A county, constitutionally known as a hsien, is a de jure second-level administrative division unit in the Republic of China (Taiwan). Under the administrative structure of Taiwan, it is with the same level of a provincial city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Changhua</span> County-administered city in Taiwan Province, Republic of China

Changhua, officially known as Changhua City, is a county-administered city and the county seat of Changhua County in Taiwan Province of the Republic of China. For many centuries the site was home to a settlement of Babuza people, a coastal tribe of Taiwanese aborigines. Changhua city is ranked first by population among county-administered cities. It is part of the Taichung–Changhua metropolitan area, which is the second largest in Taiwan.

Taiwan Prefecture or Taiwanfu was a prefecture of Taiwan during the Qing dynasty. The prefecture was established by the Qing government in 1684, after the island came under Qing dynasty rule in 1683 following its conquest of the Kingdom of Tungning. The Taiwan Prefecture Gazetteer documented it as part of Fujian Province. The Gazetteer was completed by Gao Gonggan in 1695, the 34th year of the reign of the Kangxi Emperor. With the development and population growth of Taiwan during the Qing Era, the scope of Taiwan Prefecture was also varied over time. Following the establishment of Fujian-Taiwan Province in 1887, the prefecture correspondingly became a subdivision under the newly founded province.

The history of Hsinchu extends over more than 400 years, making it one of the oldest cities in northern Taiwan.

Taipeh Prefecture was a Qing dynasty prefecture created from the northern part of Taiwan Prefecture, Qing-era Taiwan in 1875, while the island was still part of Fujian Province. It consisted of a region surrounding modern-day Taipei, including present-day Hsinchu, Hsinchu County, Taoyuan City, New Taipei City, Taipei, Keelung, and Yilan County. The reorganization started after Imperial Commissioner Shen Pao-chen demanded that another prefecture be added in Taiwan to revamp the administrative organization of the northern area of the island. The walls of the prefecture capital were completed in 1884.

References

  1. Davidson (1903), pp. 597–8: "In place of the former system, which divided the island into 3 prefectures and 3 prefectures of second class, and which was abolished November 11th, 1901, local administrative offices known as "Cho" have been established at the following points: Taihoku, Kelung, Giran (Gilan), Shinko (Chim-hua), Toshien (Tao-hong), Shinchiku (Teck-cham), Bioritsu (Maoli), Taichu, Shoka (Chang-wha), Nanto (Nam-tau), Toroku (Tau-lak), Kagi, Yensuiko (Kiam-tsui kang), Tainan, Banshorio (Han-chu-liao), Hozan (Fang-shan), Ako (A-kau), Koshun (Heng-chun), Taito (Tai-tong), and Boko (Pang-hoo). The Administrative or District Offices (Cho) are in charge of chiefs of Sonin rank, who are assisted by clerks, police inspectors, assistant experts, interpreters, and assistant police, all of Hannin rank. These officers of Hannin rank number 1230 for the whole island. The administration of Formosa, under the direction and superintendence of the Governor General, is entrusted to these district offices."
  2. Davidson (1903), map.
  3. Takekoshi (1907), p. 199.

Bibliography