The roof of the Main Hall is an East Asian hip-and-gable roof with double eaves (zhòngyán xiēshān). Visitors can smell the aromatic balm of the Taiwan Cypress it is built of as they enter the main hall. It is also the oldest remaining wooden structure built in Taiwan during the Japanese rule. The design of Rinzai Temple is typical of Buddhist temples found in the Japanese Edo period. Construction also incorporated Taiwan Cypress wood from Cilan Mountain, Yilan County. Flat, black roofing tiles and semi-cylindrical convex roofing tiles were specially ordered from Japan to rebuild the roof in traditional Japanese pan-and-roll style (hongawarabuki). In 2007, Rinzai temple underwent a large-scale renovation to restore the Main Hall’s architecture. The temple itself, including the old entrance and the Main Hall, has been well preserved in its original state. It is surrounded by beautiful mountain and riverine vistas. Rinzai Temple is located on the banks of the Keelung River. Monk Iori Genshu was invited to be the first abbot and served until Taiwan’s retrocession, after which the position of abbot was filled by Chinese monks. However, the Governor-General of Taiwan at the time, Kodama Gentarou, preferred the Rinzai school and chose it to administer the Gokokuji Temple. During Japan’s rule over Taiwan, many schools of Japanese Zen Buddhism were introduced to Taiwan. Its construction began in 1900 and it was completed in 1911, with the opening ceremony held the following year. It was given the name Chin'nanzan Gokokuji Temple, the only temple named Gokokuji (Guardian of the Nation) in Taiwan. Rinzai Temple was actually a branch of the Rinzai school of Japanese Zen Buddhism.
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