The Taipei Branch Temple of the Sōtō Zen Sect, also known as “Daihonzan Taipei Betsuin,” was completed in 1910 outside the Eastern Gate, known as “Jingfu Gate,” in Taipei City. It was jointly funded and constructed by the Japanese Sōtō Zen Sect and members of the Buddhist community in Taiwan. The Taipei Branch Temple served as a central hub for the propagation of the Sōtō Zen Sect in Taiwan. The original wooden structure of the Taipei Branch Temple was destroyed by a typhoon, and it was rebuilt in 1913 as a “modern Japanese-style architecture” during the Taishō era. In 1914, a separate building called the “Guanyin Zen Temple” was constructed on the right side to accommodate Taiwanese worshippers, designed in the traditional southern Fujian-style courtyard architecture.

After Taiwan’s liberation in 1945, the Taipei Branch Temple, being a property of a Japanese temple, was taken over by the Nationalist government. In 1993, the Taipei City Government acquired the temple and planned to demolish it for the construction of the “Taipei City Youth and Children’s Recreation Center.” After the liberation, the Guanyin Zen Temple was renamed as “Donghe Zen Temple” and has been preserved to this day.

According to the official document numbered 1093033505 issued by the Taipei City Government regarding the adoption of the state-owned land beautification and renovation of buildings for the Donghe Zen Temple, a municipally designated historic site, there is currently no management, maintenance, restoration, or repurposing plan for the temple. Therefore, it is necessary to supplement the restoration, repurposing, and corresponding project for this historic site in order to provide references and guidelines for future related operations.