Archives and Mausolea Department, Imperial Household Agency: Archives and Mausolea Department (宮内庁書陵部)

About the Imperial Household Agency:

The origin of the Imperial Household Agency dates back 701 when the Imperial Household were defined and regulated in the Taiho Code.  Since its establishment the organization has been called different names: The Ministry of the Imperial Household (701–1889), The Imperial Household Ministry (1889–1947), The Imperial Household Office (1947–1949).

Today's Imperial Household Agency was established in 1949, when the Imperial Household became an external agency of the Prime Minister's Office. In 2001, however, the Imperial Household Agency was organizationally re-positioned under the Cabinet Office.