In 1994, to commemorate the twelve-hundredth (1200th) anniversary of the establishment of the ancient capital of Heian-kyō (平安京), there was growing momentum toward building a Japanese-style guest house in Kyoto.

In October 1994, approval was obtained from the Cabinet of Japan for "the construction of a guest house facility."

The government decided to build a state guest house within the Kyoto Gyoen National Garden (京都御苑).

In March 2002, construction of the Kyoto State Guest House (main structure) started.

Since July 2016 the Kyoto State Guest House's all-year public opening started.