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The complex was divided in three by the [[Meiji government]] in [[1871]] - Tôshôgu and [[Futaarasan Shrine]] as Shinto shrines, and [[Rinno-ji|Rinnô-ji]] as a [[Buddhist temple]].<ref name=unesco>"[http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/913 Shrines and Temples of Nikko]." UNESCO World Heritage Sites official webpage. UNESCO, 2012.</ref> This came at a time when a nationalist/Imperial cult of Shinto was being constructed, and the "foreign" religion of Buddhism was losing favor in the government. [[Matsudaira Katamori]] became the chief priest of the shrine in [[1880]].
The complex was divided in three by the [[Meiji government]] in [[1871]] - Tôshôgu and [[Futaarasan Shrine]] as Shinto shrines, and [[Rinno-ji|Rinnô-ji]] as a [[Buddhist temple]].<ref name=unesco>"[http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/913 Shrines and Temples of Nikko]." UNESCO World Heritage Sites official webpage. UNESCO, 2012.</ref> This came at a time when a nationalist/Imperial cult of Shinto was being constructed, and the "foreign" religion of Buddhism was losing favor in the government. [[Matsudaira Katamori]] became the chief priest of the shrine in [[1880]].
In connection with the 300th anniversary of the shrine, a new structure called the Butokuden 武徳殿 was constructed in 1915. It was designed by master shrine carpenter [[Oe Shintaro|Ôe Shintarô]] ([[1879]]-1935) to match and fit in with the historical buildings. Though originally intended to be a rest area for visitors to the shrine, in 1917 it was modified to become a hall for martial arts including ''[[kendo|kendô]'', ''[[judo|jûdô]]'', and ''[[kyudo|kyûdô]]'' (archery). After World War II, the Allied Occupation authorities banned ''kendô'' and various other martial arts as part of their efforts to suppress the martial and militarist culture of Imperial Japan. When national-level ''kendô'' tournaments first began to be held again, the Butokuden was one of the venues where this took place; today, a stone outside the building marks it as the "site of the revival of kendô."
The "Shrines and Temples of Nikko [sic]" were named a [[World Heritage Site]] in 1999.<ref name=unesco/>
The "Shrines and Temples of Nikko [sic]" were named a [[World Heritage Site]] in 1999.<ref name=unesco/>