The Site of the Kan-in no Miya Residence
Throughout its history, the imperial family has periodically created cadet branches in order to support the preservation of the imperial bloodline. Founded in 1710, the Kan-in no Miya family was the youngest of the four additional imperial houses created in the Edo period. When the 118th Emperor Go-Momozono (1758–1779) passed away suddenly without any heir in the main family line, nine-year-old Emperor Kokaku (1771–1840) from the Kan-in no Miya lineage ascended to the throne in his place.
After the imperial family moved to Tokyo in 1877, the residence served as the Kyoto branch office of an association of nobles and as a court of law. It was rebuilt in 1883 to house the newly-established Kyoto branch of the Ministry of the Imperial Household.