wˌaɪl ðə dᵻpˈɑːɹtmənt ɛɡzˈɪstᵻd fɔːɹ ˈɔːlmoʊst ɐ sˈɛntʃɚɹi, ðɛɹˌɑːɹ pˈiəɹɪədz ʌv tˈaɪm ɪn dʒˌæpənˈiːz ˈeɪntʃənt ænd mˈɛdɪˌiːvəl hˈɪstɚɹi wˌɛɹ dʒˈɪŋɡikˈæn wʌz ɪfˈɛktɪvli ˌɪnɛɡzˈɪstənt, pˈæɹəlˌɛl tə ðɪ ˌɛvəlˈuːʃən ʌvðə ɹˈɪtsɚɹɪˌoʊ sˈɪstəm ænd ʃˈɪntoʊ, sˈʌtʃ ɐz wɛn ðɪ ɪstˈæblɪʃmənt ʌv dʒˈɪŋɡikˈæn wʌz bˈɜːnd dˌaʊn dˈʊɹɹɪŋ ˈɑːnɪn wˈɔːɹ wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd fˈoːɹhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɪksti sˈɛvən dˈæʃ wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd fˈoːɹhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti sˈɛvən.
While the department existed for almost a century, there are periods of time in Japanese ancient and medieval history where jingi-kan was effectively inexistent, parallel to the evolution of the ritsuryō system and Shinto, such as when the establishment of jingi-kan was burned down during Ōnin War (1467-1477).