What better day to make a trek to the site of Syonan Jinja than National Day! Syonan Jinja was a former Shinto shrine in the middle of the MacRitchie Reservoir forest. It was built by the Japanese Imperial Army during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore in World War II. When the British forces re-occupied Singapore, the Shrine was destroyed. It is such an interesting piece of history, we thought we had to see it for ourselves. And so, our journey into the jungle began…
The Syonan (Shonan) Shinto Shrine or Syonan Jinja, was built by British prisoners-of-war and the Japanese Army off Adam Road inside the MacRitchie Reservoir area. It was officially unveiled on 10 September 1942. However, the Shrine was demolished immediately after the Japanese surrender with the return of the British forces in 1945. Only remnants of a font and foundation remain. In September 2002, the National Heritage Board marked the shrine’s location as a historic site.
We started off from Rifle Range Road and headed to the Terentang Trail. The entrance to the path is marked by three big rocks and we ventured into the unmarked trail. The views along the way were spectacular as we emerged from the foliage and walked along the water’s edge.
We knew we were on the right track when we spotted the derelict Water Tank on the way to the Shinto Shrine. At least I assume that’s what it is. we stopped to expolore the structure and take some photos. Just beside the building are what looked like wells, and inside the structure, you can see some sealed off pipes.
We continued our journey along the trail and soon found the stairs up to the shrine. However, only ruins of the shrine remain. They serve as a quaint piece of History accessible only to those willing to look for it, given its obscure location. Aparently, the National Heritage Board declared the site a Historic Site in 2002, although no plans have been made public to develop or to protect the site.
The sando is a pathway leading from outside the shrine compound to the front of a structure for worshippers. The sando functions as more than a path for circulation; it is also a religious composition, preparing the minds of people for sacred worship. A sando is usually lined with an avenue of trees or otherwise marked in order to be distinguished from regular pathways. At the end of the sando, somewhere close by you will find a water basin with bamboo dippers.
The original structure was a temple with no walls. Raised from the ground by a stone platform graduated with a few steps, the sloping temple roof rested on pillars that stood at regular intervals round the perimeter of the platform. The water of these fountains is used for purification. You are supposed to clean your hands and mouth before approaching the main hall. It is believed that during rituals, worshippers would drink from a huge granite ceremonial fountain located outside the shrine.
We took a walk along the perimeter and guess what we found? A geocache. Okay, we already knew of the placement of this cache and it was extra motivation for us to make this long trek here. It’s one of the last caches in Singapore that we haven’t found and Michael, Scott, and I were thrilled to have found it so easily. we signed the log and replaced it before continuing our exploration of the shrine remains.
When we had our fill of the shrine remains, we went back down the stairs and headed to the Pump House. Directly beside the “Pump House” is what looks like a water tank.
According to our homework and maps, there are three ways out. The first being the water crossing. It is the shortest route and would take us straight out to Golf Link. The view from here is beautiful and we got a little trigger happy. We walked along a little peninsula to find that we couldn’t cross the last 10 metres or so of water as we were not prepared to take a swim with the crocodiles. So we headed back.
The second way out was via a dense throny jungle, so we opted to backtrack and return via the same way we entered where there was a trail all the way to the Ranger Station. All-in-all a great morning out and one of the most fun-filled treks we’ve done in Singapore. And yes, we will definately be back again for round two!
History of Syonan Jinja
Source: NLB website
The shrine’s design was based on the famed Yasukuni Shrine in Japan. The Yasukuni Shrine dates back to 1869 and has been the resting place for more than 2.466 million Japanese soldiers who died for their country, serving as a national symbol to remember those who died in both World Wars. Reflecting its design, the Shinto shrine was a 12 m-high cylindrical wooden pylon, its peak tipped with a brass cone. At the base of the pylon, in a small shed-like shrine were the remains of the fallen Japanese. In front of the monument was a font which visitors would take a sip from using a long-handled ladle. Shinto meaning “the way of the gods” is the native faith of the Japanese and is primarily pantheistic. It is necessary to cleanse oneself before approaching a Shinto Shrine for prayers, thus the provision of the font. A Japanese bridge was built across an arm of the reservoir to bring visitors to the secluded Shrine hidden behind the trees. The Shinto followers believe that “divine spirits” or kami reside in nature and thus the location of the Syonan Shinto Shrine in the midst of the forest.
After the fall of Singapore, General Yamashita in the subsequent months sought to build a memorial for the Japanese troops who had died during the Malayan campaign. British prisoners-of-war interned in the Changi Gaol and troops of the Japanese Army worked together to construct the Shinto Shrine, Syonan Jinja, at MacRitchie Reservoir which stood near the centre of the heat of battle for Singapore. Work on the construction of the shrine had begun as early as April 1942, at the west end of the forest that surrounded MacRitchie Reservoir. The site of the Shrine necessitated the felling of a remarkable patch of original, primeval forest, a great loss to the botanical world.
Halfway through the construction, a Colonel in the Japanese Army suggested a parallel shrine be built for the Allies. With Yamashita’s concession, Australian troops were recruited to build the Allied Cross which stood behind the Shinto Shrine. On 10 September 1942, both monuments were unveiled. The Japanese had also built another shrine, the Syonan Chureito off Jalan Sesuai at Bukit Batok.
Immediately after the Japanese Surrender and the return of the British forces in 1945, the Shinto Shrine, the Bukit Batok War Memorial (Syonan Chureito) and the British War Memorial behind it, both located at Upper Bukit Timah Road were demolished by the British forces. The remains of the Japanese were moved to the Japanese cemetery.
Plans to rebuild the memorials to remember both the Japanese and Allied fallen were discussed in the 1990s but were shelved in 1991 because of sensitivities toward those who had suffered under the Japanese. Today, a transmitting tower stands at the site of the original monuments. On 9 July 1995, a plaque was unveiled by MP Ong Chit Chung at the Bukit Batok Nature Park as a memorial instead.
Hi Joy – when are you doing a trek to the shrine again? Your blog seems to be one of the most popular for those wanting to go…any possibility you can organise one in February?
Hi JT, I’ll be out of town in the coming months after CNY so no plans to visit Syonan Jinja anytime soon. There is a clear trail to the shrine, so finding it may not be too difficult with the coordinates. N 01° 20.900 E 103° 48.820
I’m heading across to Singapore from Australia in a few weeks and I’m very keen to trek out to take a look at the remains of the shrine. Is it possible (ie not too scary or dangerous) for one person to go alone? As I’m travelling alone.
Hi Terence, I wouldn’t say it’s scary or overly dangerous to attempt alone. There’s actually a small trail you can follow all the way to the stairs of the shrine. As always, it’s good to bring a phone and GPS if you can, and let someone know where you’re headed beforehand. Hope you have a good trip to Singapore!
The National History Museum has a video loop of a military ceremony held at Shonan Jinjya running. Its chilling to see the occupation troops in formation and the donations from Japanese occupation officers. The shrine itself is shameful, having represented a memorial to many of the soldiers who massacred innocent civilians and was built by forced slave labor. Its an historical curiosity and a small footnote to the brutal occupation of Singapore.
I was looking through some of your interesting posts and found this! Been on my plans for a while! I hope to explore and discover, photograph and document :)
Thanks for the informative sharing!
Genghui, glad you like my post. Hope you enjoy the serenity and trek to the shrine, if and when you make your trip :)
We did it on national day 2012! – with the help of your blog entry and some last minute phone calls where phone reception was available inside the forested area. We started at the wrong part of Rifle Range Road though, and spotted what we thought were the three rocks at 3 different spots. Thanks for your lovely account nonethless.
[...] of concrete that leaned against the wall. We actually learnt of its presence from the blog – http://joyloh.com/blog/?p=2803. This geocache is a waterproof container inside which are some trinkets “donated” by [...]
Hi Joy,
I’m an editor with Time Out Singapore. We’re looking for some pictures of Syonan Jinja. Could you give me a call at 6302 2497 or email over yours if you’re up for a chat?
Cheers,
Celine
Hi Joy, i acknowledged you in this video, one which i did quite a lot of research on ;-)
Just want to clarify: the 3-hour time to complete the trek was counted from Terentang Trail entrance to Mushroom Cafe. It will take at least 30 mins from Venus Drive car park to Terentang Trail by walking along the SICC main road.
JC
Today is opur third attempt and thank God we have made it.
Starting from Venus Drive trepassing SICC and entering into Terentang Trail we hit the “3 big rocks” in < 10 mins. We went straight into the unmarked trail and found good old markings along the way showing us to the destination – especailly the pink ribbon and red/white plastic strips were tied to trees nearly next to each other. It took us 25 mins to hit the abandoned water tank. In another 30 mins we found a flight of few steps leading to another 3 flights of 30 steps leading to the base/platform of the shrine. On the very top we found the stone water trough with 3-round bases at each of the 4 corners. We spent another 20 mins there but found not much to see. We then took the trail towards the bund (where a pump house is on the SICC side). On the way we found the stone-landing of the now-dismantled bridge that crossed the water from SICC end. We finally hit the bund and tried to cross the stone pipe-supports to reach the the pump house at SICC side but found likely we will end up falling into the water but for sure the water is shallow. Workers nearby with motorized boat were kind enough to offer ferrying us across, but still we ended up wet to the knee as we needed to wade on to the shore. It took us another hour to cover 4.8km to reach mushroon cafe where we ended our journey. We were very happy that we can complete th trek wthout any bashing in 3 hours!!! Will definitely do another one more leisurely.
–JC
Hi Scott: Yes, many! I have been doing a lot of research on Syonan Jinja – books, National Archives, online sources etc. I plan to write a book on it. To remember our national heritage. Do you know that in two years (2013), Syonan Jinja will be 70 years old? In ten years, with soil erosion and temperamental weather conditions, we would have to dig to look for Syonan Jinja! I have made a video of Syonan Jinja. I have made two more trips after the first one. Cheers!
jayCee, almost no bashing required as the path to the shrine is quite obvious. I’m not sure of the actual distances, but total trek from rifle range to the shrine and back was about 8km-9km. The dotted lines are areas that have no trail, and bashing is required. Here’s a picture of the 3 rocks – http://cache.virtualtourist.com/4/3619313.jpg
Good luck on your next expedition! :)
Envy at you as we had two failed attemps last two weeks but we still want to take on the challenge until succeed. Per your explanation and with the map published, understood you were starting from the “3 big rocks” along the Terentang Trail. Do you have any photo to help identifying this entrance? Trust we will have to do some moderate bashing throughout the trek. How long it takes from the engine house to the water tank? How long it takes from water tank to the shrine? Further, there are 2 dotted lines in the map, what are they stand for? Any special action needed for same? Any other advice to achieve a successful exploration (the 3rd attemp)? Thanks..
Glad to see that other people are visiting Syonan Jinja, the trek in is beautiful. Did you get any photos Leonard?
Hi Joy, just to let you know that i finally went up the temple. It was a great feeling, especially so when i had done research at the National Archives. When i could juxatapose the b/w pics from the Jap Occupation days to current pictures, I was absolutely thrilled! Thanks again!
Hi Leonard, if you enter the unmarked trail from the 3 rocks on the terentang trail, the first pump house (east from the shrine on the map) should be on the right of the path. continue walking and you should be able to see the stairs up – it’s quite overgrown. if you reach the second pump house (west in the map) you have overshot it. Good luck on your trek in tomorrow :)
Hi Joy, thx for the amazingly quick response. Ok i saw two pump houses. But the one which is higher up and has a few concrete pillars, do u consider that pumphouse 1 or 2? We are going on Wednesday noon!!!
Hi leonard, there are 2 pump houses. If you follow the trail from the first one, you should be able to see the stairs on your right. Coordinates of the shrine are at N 01° 20.900 E 103° 48.820 if you have a GPSr. Hope this helps!
Hi. Thanks for posting the pics. I have been to the pump house but i did not see the steps and the stone bath. Could you tell me how, from the pump house, to get to the stone steps? Thanks!