On 23 May 1914, to gain access to the rich forestry and mineral resources of eastern Taiwan, the Japanese launched a military expedition into Taroko to subdue the local aborigines. A force of over 10,000 Japanese police and soldiers, aboriginal soldiers and Han Chinese coolies entered the mountains. This marked the beginning of the Hohuan Trail's life as a military road.
一九一四年三月二十五日，日本人為了獲取東部豐富的林礦資源，發動了「太魯閣征伐的軍事行動」，共動員一萬名警察、陸軍部隊、蕃人隊、漢人苦力等進入山區征討原住民，同時也進入了軍用道路時期。