The Ministry was reorganized in the Meiji period and existed until 1947, before being replaced by the Imperial Household Agency.

The ambit of the Ministry's activities encompassed, for example: When this government agency was initially established in 645, it functioned as a tax collector on Imperial land.

[3] The organization and functions of the Imperial Household were refined and regulated in the Taiho Code, which was promulgated in 701–702 during the reign of Emperor Monmu.

The fundamental elements of this system evolved over the course of centuries, but the basic structures remained in place until the Meiji Restoration.

[6] Among the ritsuryō officials within this ministry structure were: The deliberate redundancies at the top are features of each position in this remarkably stable hierarchic schema.