the Meiji Restoration (1868). Meiji period The early Meiji government officially installed the on 15 August 1869. Though the names are occasionally differentiated in English as the "Imperial Household Agency", versus the former, Meiji period "Ministry of the Imperial Household", both names are rendered with no differentiation in Japanese. However, there is a convoluted history of reorganization around how the government bodies that correspond to constituent subdivisions of the current Agency were formed or empowered during this period. The and later the (1871–1872) were briefly established, having been placed in charge of, for example, the under the , one of the tasks designated to the Agency today. Meanwhile, the Meiji government created the in 1871, which was soon renamed in 1872. Also in 1872, the Ministry of Shinto Affairs was abolished, with the bulk of duties moved to the and the administration of formal ceremonial functions transferred to the aforementioned Board/Bureau of the Ceremonies. The Bureau of the Ceremonies was initially placed under the care of the , but was later transferred to the control of the Imperial Household Ministry in September 1877. The Bureau underwent yet another name change to in October 1884. Since then, the name has remained unchanged and is, today, headed by the Master of Ceremonies. An Imperial Order in 1908 confirmed that the Imperial Household Minister, as the chief official was then called, held responsible for assisting the Emperor in all matters concerning the Imperial House. The ministry also oversaw the official appointments of Imperial Household Artists and commissioned their work. Imperial Household Office, 1947–1949 The , a downgraded version of the ministry, was created pursuant to Law No. 70 of 1947 during the American Occupation of Japan. Its number of staff was downscaled from 6,200 to less than 1,500, and the Office was placed under the Prime Minister of Japan. Imperial Household Agency, 1949–present In 1949, Imperial Household Office was renamed to the Imperial Household Agency, and placed under the fold of the newly created , as an external agency attached to it. In 2001, the Imperial Household Agency was organizationally re-positioned under the . Criticism The Agency has been criticized for isolating members of the Imperial Family from the Japanese public, and for insisting on stiffly preserved customs, rather than permitting a more approachable, populist monarchy. In May 2004, Prince Naruhito criticised the then-Grand Steward of the Imperial Household, , for putting pressure