| Originally, 
	  the solicitation of great numbers of people to help construct Zen temple 
	  buildings. By the 14c, fushin had come to mean the gathering of donations 
	  for such building projects. Eventually, these meanings were lost, and fushin 
	  came to mean construction or engineering work. The word sakuji 作事 
	  had also become a popular expression for building and construction work 
	  as early as the 13c and continued to be used during the following centuries. 
	  By the last quarter of the 17c, fushin and sakuji were used 
	  interchangeably for the construction of residences of the elite and dwellings 
	  for farmers and merchants. Throughout the Muromachi period and 
	  after, government offices in control of building projects began to distinguish 
	  between the word fushin and sakuji: the former referred only 
	  to engineering projects and the latter to architectural works. Gradually, 
	  the use of fushin returned to its earlier meaning referring to both 
	  engineering and architectural works. It retains that meaning today. |