For most visitors passing by the National Taiwan Museum, the two bronze oxen at the front entrance often go inadvertently unnoticed. Despite a sign that states “No Climbing,” children frequently turn the animals into an impromptu playground.
The oxen originally belonged to the Taiwan Grand Shrine, the highest-ranking Shinto shrine in Taiwan during the Japanese colonial period. Located in Yuanshan, the shrine was dismantled after World War II, and the site was later repurposed into what is now the Grand Hotel. In 1949, the oxen were relocated to their current location, where they have remained ever since.
Though they appear as a pair, the two oxen were commissioned separately. The East Ox, closer to the MRT station, was cast in 1935 by the Hōan-kai, a Buddhist organization from Hokkaido, Japan. It was dedicated to the Taiwan Grand Shrine in memory of soldiers who died in the 1868 Battle of Hakodate. The West Ox, cast in 1937, was a gift from the Japanese merchant Kawamoto Takuichi.
Beyond the Bronze Oxen, the 228 Memorial Park behind the museum holds other remnants from Taiwan’s Japanese colonial past. A bronze horse and two stone lions, originally from other sites in Taipei, have also found a home here. Some locals jokingly refer to the park as a “shelter for stray animal statues.”
