At the time, there was no precedent where an Imperial member entered priesthood and then returned to a secular life to become enthroned as emperor, Emperor Gomizunoo, who used to rule the cloistered government, tried to have his nineteenth Prince, Ade no Miya (the later Emperor Reigen) succeed the throne, however the Prince Ade no Miya had just been born, so, it was decided that Imperial Prince Nagahito who belonged to the Arisugawa no Miya, one of the four hereditary Imperial families, would temporarily succeed the throne and be named Emperor Gosai until Ade no Miya was old enough to become Emperor.
都が平安京に移って以降、いったん出家した皇族が還俗して践祚した例はなく、この時院政を敷いていた後水尾天皇はその第19皇子である高貴宮（後の霊元天皇）を践祚させようとしたが、高貴宮は生後間もなかったので、四世襲親王家の一つである有栖川宮を継承していた良仁親王が高貴宮が成長するまでの間の中継ぎとして践祚して後西天皇となった。