Item number: M335

Year: AD 1915

Material: Silver

Size: 22.9 x 22.9 x 1.2 mm

Weight: 5.35 g

Provenance: The First President of The Hsinchu, Taiwan Philatelic Society Collection

This is a silver medal established on May 17, AD 1915 (Taishō 4), by the Governor-General of Taiwan in anticipation of the “Second Temporary Census of Taiwan,” which was scheduled to take place across the entire island in October of the same year. A total of 9,000 medals were issued.

The medal is circular in shape. At the centre of the obverse side is the “Tai” emblem, symbolising the Governor-General of Taiwan. The outer edge is divided on both sides by circular dots, with the upper section featuring the inscription “Second Temporary Census of Taiwan” in seal script, and the lower section displaying the words “Participation Badge,” also in seal script.

The reverse side has a solid circular line along the edge, and the inscription “Taishō 4” is engraved in seal script in the sequence of top, bottom, right, and left. Within the inner circle is the name of the organising body responsible for the census: “Temporary Census Division, Governor-General’s Office of Taiwan.” The top of the medal originally had a clasp, but this part is now missing.

After the Meiji Restoration, Japan adopted social science methods for demographic surveys from the West. In AD 1902, the Japanese Parliament passed the National Census Act, stipulating that a nationwide population census must be conducted every ten years. The first national census was scheduled for AD 1905, but it was postponed in mainland Japan due to the Russo-Japanese War. However, under the leadership of Goto Shinpei, the Chief of Civil Affairs, Taiwan—then a Japanese colony—proceeded as planned, conducting a comprehensive island-wide census under the name Temporary Census of Taiwan. This made Taiwan the first region in Asia to carry out a population census.

Previous censuses during the Japanese colonial period:

The AD 1915 Second Temporary Census of Taiwan followed the standards set by the first census, while adding more details and cross-referencing with the previous data. According to records from that time, in response to the government’s survey, many people rushed to use public transportation to return to their hometowns before the deadline, leading to severe traffic congestion and the temporary shutdown of certain industries. There were also amusing anecdotes of long-lost family members unexpectedly reappearing. The comprehensive data collected by the Japanese authorities has been preserved and is still accessible today at local household registration offices across Taiwan, allowing individuals to retrieve information about their direct ancestors. This historical archive has become an invaluable resource for Taiwanese people tracing their family histories.

物件編號: M335

年代: 公元 1915 年

材質: 銀

尺寸: 22.9 x 22.9 x 1.2 mm

重量: 5.35 g

來源: 臺灣新竹第一屆集郵學會會長舊藏

這是一枚大正4年(公元1915年) 5月17日，臺灣總督府為10月將於全島展開的「第二次臺灣戶口調查」預先設立的「第二回臨時臺灣戶口調查參加章」，材質為銀，總發行量為9000枚。

獎章外觀為圓形，正面中央為象徵臺灣總督府的「台」紋飾，外圍的兩側以圓點作為分界，上緣是篆書字體的「第二回臨時臺灣戶口調查」，下緣是同為篆書的「參加章」字樣。獎章背面有一道實心圓，外圍按照上、下、右、左的順序以篆書鐫刻「大正四年」，內圈則是負責此次調查的單位「臺灣總督官房臨時調查部」。這枚獎章頂端應當有一個迴紋針，然而該部分已經遺失。

日本在明治維新以後，從西方習得人口統計調查的社會科學辦法。公元1902年，日本議會通過「國勢調查法」明文規定全國每十年要進行一次人口普查。第一次的全國性人口普查訂於公元1905年，然而該年度日本本土因為日俄戰爭被迫延宕，殖民地臺灣則在民政長官後藤新平的主導下，按期以「臨時台灣戶口調查」名義展開全島大普查，使臺灣成為亞洲第一個進行人口普查的地區。

日治時期歷次人口普查:

公元1915年「第二回臨時臺灣戶口調查」延續第一回的規範，追加更多的細節跟前一次的資料校對。根據當時的記載為因應政府調查，民眾爭相於期限前趕乘大眾交通返回原鄉，造成交通的大壅塞或是特定行業被迫停擺，以及下落不明多年的家人突然現身的趣聞。這些日本人留下的完整資料，至今皆能在臺灣各地的戶政事務所調閱自家直系親屬的資料，成為臺灣人爬梳家庭歷史的重要寶庫。