| Conventional Long Name: | Karenkō Prefecture |
| Common Name: | Karenkō |
| Subdivision: | Prefecture |
| Nation: | Empire of Japan |
| Status Text: | Karenkō-chō |
| Capital: | Hualien City |
| Life Span: | 1909-1952 |
| Image Map Caption: | The Karenkō Prefecture government building |
| Year Start: | 1909 |
| Date End: | 25 October |
| Year End: | 1945 |
| Date Post: | 28 April 1952 |
| Event Post: | Treaty of San Francisco |
| Stat Year1: | 1941 |
| Stat Pop1: | 153785 |
| Political Subdiv: | 1 city (市) 3 districts (郡) |
| Today: | Hualien County |
was one of the administrative divisions of Taiwan during Japanese rule. The prefecture consisted of modern-day Hualien County. The prefecture was named after lotus flowers.[1]
| Total population | 153,785 | |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | 20,914 | |
| Taiwanese | 130,720 | |
| Korean | 119 | |
| 1941 (Showa 16) census. | ||
In 1945 (Shōwa 20), there were 1 city and 3 districts.
| Cities (市 shi) | Districts (郡 gun) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Kanji | Kana | Name | Kanji | Kana |
| Karenkō City | 花蓮港市 | かれんこうし | Karen District | 花蓮郡 | かれんぐん |
| Hōrin District | 鳳林郡 | ほうりんぐん | |||
| Tamazato District | 玉里郡 | たまざとぐん | |||
The districts are divided into towns (街) and villages (庄)
| District | Name | Kanji | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Karen 花蓮郡 | Yoshino village | 吉野庄 | Today Ji'an Township |
| Kotobuki village | 壽庄 | Today Shoufeng Township | |
| Kenkai village | 研海庄 | Today Xincheng Township | |
| Aboriginal Area | 蕃地 | Today Xiulin Township | |
| Karenkō town | 花蓮港街 | Upgraded to a city in 1940. Today Hualien City | |
| Hōrin 鳳林郡 | Hōrin town | 鳳林街 | Today Fenglin Township and part of Guangfu Township |
| Mizuho village | 瑞穗庄 | Today Ruisui Township and part of Guangfu Township | |
| Shinsha village | 新社庄 | Today Fengbin Township | |
| Aboriginal Area | 蕃地 | Today Wanrong Township | |
| Tamazato 玉里郡 | Tamazato town | 玉里街 | Today Yuli Township |
| Tomizato village | 富里庄 | Today Fuli Township | |
| Aboriginal Area | 蕃地 | Today Zhuoxi Township |
See main article: Karenkō Shrine. Karenkō Shrine was a Shinto shrine located in Hualien City, Hualien County (formerly Karenkō city, in Taiwan during Japanese colonial rule. It was ranked as a Prefectural Shrine and was the central shrine in Karenkō Prefecture.
The shrine was built on August 19, 1915 (Taishō 4). Prince Yoshihisa and the Three Kami Deities of Cultivation no Mikoto, Ōnamuchi no Mikoto, no Mikoto were enshrined. On March 2, 1921 the shrine was classified as a Prefectural Shrine.
After World War II, the shrine became a martyrs' shrine honoring Taiwan's heroes such as Tei Seikō, Liu Yongfu, and Qiu Fengjia. In 1981, the shrine was demolished to make way for the Hualien Martyrs' Shrine which was built in the Northern Palace Architecture style.