Nonetheless, the shrine merger policy was gradually brought to an end by fierce opposition from intellectuals including Kumagusu MINAKATA, a natural historian and ethnologist known for his studies in slime mould.
とはいうものの、この合祀政策は、博物学者・民俗学者で変形菌の研究で知られる南方熊楠ら知識人が言論によって強い反対を示すことによって次第に収束した。