岡倉天心
Starting in 1880, the government allotted funds for the preservation of ancient shrines and temples. By 1894, 539 shrines and temples had received subsidies for repairs and reconstruction Buildings that were repaired during this period include the five-storied pagoda of Daigo-ji, the "kon-dō" of Tōshōdai-ji and the "hon-dō" of Kiyomizu-dera. In a survey carried out under guidance of Okakura Kakuzō and Ernest Fenollosa from 1888 to 1897 all over Japan, about 210,000 objects of artistic or historic merit were evaluated and catalogued. The end of the 19th century saw a drastic change in political climate and cultural values: from an enthusiastic adoption of western values to a returned interest in the Japanese cultural heritage. Japanese architectural history appeared on curricula and the first books on architectural history were published, stimulated by the newly compiled inventories.