Those days, there already was a museum under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Household Ministry (the predecessor of the Tokyo National Museum) in Ueno in Tokyo, however, in 1889, it was determined by the notification of the Imperial Household Minister that the name of the museum in Tokyo would be renamed to the 'Imperial Museum,' and that an imperial museum would also be established in Kyoto and Nara respectively.
当時、東京上野にはすでに宮内省所管の博物館（東京国立博物館の前身）があったが、1889年（明治22年）、宮内大臣通達により東京の博物館の名称を「帝国博物館」に改めるとともに、京都と奈良にもそれぞれ帝国博物館を設置することが決まった。