How did the Meiji Restoration change Japanese architecture?

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The main building (kondo) at Horyu-ji Temple in Ikaruga, Nara, Japan, features multi-tiered, tiled roofs and wooden architectural details on a stone base. — Japanese architecture Main building at Hōryū Temple, Ikaruga, Nara prefecture, Japan.

The Meiji Restoration (beginning in 1868) initiated a period of rapid modernization in Japan, characterized by a calculated effort to adopt Western industrial standards and culture. This shift fundamentally transformed Japanese architecture, moving away from traditional wooden construction toward Western-influenced designs and technologies.1

Key changes included:

Material Innovation: Large-scale public and official buildings transitioned from wood to reinforced brick, often faced with stone, to emulate European styles.1
Foreign Expertise: The government invited Western architects to teach and practice in Japan. Notable influences included the English architect Josiah Conder and German architects Hermann Ende and Wilhelm Böckmann, who helped design government ministry buildings in Tokyo.1
Monumentality: Architects sought to achieve a sense of "stately monumentality" through Western modes, seen in landmarks like the Bank of Japan and Tokyo Station.1
Hybridization: Some architects attempted to blend grand Western scales with traditional Japanese elements, such as tiled hip-gabled roofs and curved eaves.1

This era marked the beginning of Japan's ongoing process of integrating international architectural forms with its own cultural sensibilities.1