Categories of registered Cultural Properties Besides the above , there exists a , which guarantees a more modest level of protection. The existing categories are: Registered Tangible Cultural Properties Compared to designated Important Cultural Properties and National Treasures, entail fewer responsibilities for the owner. Loss, damage, change of ownership and intended changes that affect more than 25 percent of the visible surface need to be announced. On the other side, the owner is eligible for low interest loans for maintenance and repairs, subsidies for an architect and tax reductions of up to 50 percent. This new protection level is based on notification, guidance, and advice, and aims at voluntary protection of cultural properties by their owners. As of 1 February 2012, there were 8,699 registered structures and 13 registered works of art or craft. Registered Tangible Folk Cultural Properties Items particularly in need of preservation and utilization can become . There is no equivalent system for Intangible Folk Cultural Properties. As of 1 February 2012, there were 21 registered properties. Registered Monuments Monuments from the Meiji period onward which require preservation can be registered as , thereby gaining a moderate level of protection based on notification and guidance. As of 1 February 2012, 61 monuments were registered under this system. History of the preservation of cultural properties Background Most cultural properties in Japan used to belong to Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, or were handed down in aristocratic and samurai families. Feudal Japan came to an abrupt end in 1867/68 when the Tokugawa shogunate was replaced by a new system of government with the so-called Meiji Restoration. Largely because of the official policy of separation of Shinto and Buddhism and of the anti-Buddhist movements that advocated the return to Shinto, a large number of Buddhist buildings and artwork were destroyed in an event known as haibutsu kishaku (literally "abolish Buddhism and destroy Shākyamuni"). In 1871 the government confiscated the lands of temples, which were seen as a symbol of the previous ruling elite, and expropriated the properties of the feudal lords, causing the loss of historic castles and residences. It is estimated that nearly 18,000 temples closed during this time. Another factor that had a big influence on the cultural heritage was the increased industrialization and westernization, which accompanied the restoration and led to the impoverishment of Buddhist and Shinto institutions, the decay of temples and the export of valuable