Thus the Emperor was at the mercy of a power struggle within the Fujiwara clan, and he abdicated and passed the throne to Emperor Kazan in 984 after Imperial Prince Yasuhito became the crown prince.
かように藤原氏の勢力争いに翻弄され、永観2年（984年）、懐仁親王の立太子を条件に花山天皇に譲位。