The present Martyrs' Shrine is built on the site of the Takao Kotohira Shrine built in 1910 during the Japanese rule of Taiwan. The original shrine was dedicated to Omononushi-no-Mikoto and Emperor Sutoku. In 1946 after the handover of Taiwan from Japan to the Republic of China, the shrine was slightly renovated to make it a martyrs' shrine. In 1972, Japan switched diplomatic relations from the Republic of China to the People's Republic of China, triggering an outcry and the demolition of the shrine. In 1973, Kaohsiung Mayor Wang Yu-yuin initiated the rebuilding of the shrine and it was completed in 1978 with the name Kaohsiung Martyrs' Shrine.