Item number: M322

Year: AD 1937

Material: Copper

Size: 67.9 x 67.9 x 5.8 mm

Weight: 185.45 g

Provenance: Private Collector, Taiwan, 2024

This is a bronze medal awarded for the “Taipei City Product Exhibition,” held from February 4 to 14, AD 1937 (Shōwa 12), at the Taipei Public Hall (now Zhongshan Hall). The event spanned ten days.

The obverse side of the medal features Taiwan Shrine, the most important Shinto shrine during the Japanese colonial period, located on Jiantan Mountain in Taipei. The shrine was dedicated to Prince Kitashirakawa Yoshihisa, a Japanese commander who died in the 1895 Taiwan campaign. The design clearly depicts the main structure of the shrine along with its entrance torii gate. In front of the torii stands “Meiji Bridge,” the predecessor of Zhongshan Bridge, which spanned the Keelung River, connecting Jiantan and Yuanshan. Above the shrine, the words “Governor’s Award” (知事賞) are engraved, a distinction comparable to a modern-day county governor’s award.

The reverse side of the medal features the engraved words “Taihoku Prefecture” (臺北州) at its centre. Above it is the event name, “Taipei City Product Exhibition” (臺北市物產展覽會), and below is the date of the event, “February, Showa 12” (昭和十二年二月). During the Japanese colonial period, the jurisdiction of Taihoku Prefecture encompassed the areas now known as Taipei City, New Taipei City, Keelung City, and Yilan County.

In AD 1897, the Governor-General’s Office held the first exhibition in Tainan, modelled after Western powers’ practise of showcasing the industries and cultural features of their colonies. During the subsequent half-century of Japanese rule, nearly 300 exhibitions were held across Taiwan. Among these, the most grandiose was the AD 1935 Taiwan Exposition Commemorating the 40th Anniversary of the Beginning of Governance, which attracted nearly three million visitors.

The regional Taipei City Product Exhibition held in February 1937 attracted a total of 40,000 visitors during its run. On the closing day, Taiwan Governor Kobayashi Seizō made a special visit with his wife. According to the leading newspaper at the time, Taiwan Nichinichi Shinpō, a total of 1,002 items were registered for the exhibition, with food products being the most represented. The award ceremony took place on February 12, presided over by Fujita Kenjirō, the then-governor of Taipei Prefecture.

物件編號: M322

年代: 公元 1937 年

材質: 紅銅

尺寸: 67.9 x 67.9 x 5.8 mm

重量: 185.45 g

來源: 臺灣私人收藏 2024

這是昭和12年(公元1937年) 2月4日至14日，於臺北公會堂(今 中山堂) 舉辦為期十天的「臺北市物產展覽會」頒發的獎牌，材質為銅。

獎章正面為臺灣在日治時期最重要的神社，位於臺北劍潭山主祀於乙未戰爭戰死的日軍指揮官，即北白川宮能久親王的「臺灣神社」，並且能清楚看到神社的本體和入口的鳥居。鳥居的前方是橫跨基隆河，銜接劍潭和圓山的中山橋前身「明治橋」。臺灣神社上方鐫刻「知事賞」字樣，該獎項能類比為今日的縣長獎。

背面正中央鐫刻「臺北州」，上面為活動名稱「臺北市物產展覽會」，下面為舉辦時間「昭和十二年二月」字樣。今日的臺北市、新北市、基隆市和宜蘭縣皆為日治時期臺北州管轄範圍。

公元1897年，總督府在臺南舉辦首場效仿西方列強展示殖民地產業和文化特色的展覽會。從此之後在日本統治的半世紀間，臺灣各地總計舉辦過近三百次的展覽，其中以公元1935年「始政四十周年記念臺灣博覽會」最為盛大，參觀人數達到近三百萬次。

這場於公元1937年2月，於臺北市舉辦的區域型「臺北市物產展覽會」展覽期間也吸引到四萬人次觀眾，時任臺灣總督的小林躋造在閉幕當天特別偕夫人同行參觀。根據當時第一大報《臺灣日日新報》報導，總計有1,002件物品參與報名，其中以食品占多數。頒獎典禮則在12日，時任臺北州知事的藤田傊治郎負責主持和頒獎。