He defeated Prince Otomo (the Emperor Kobun), the son of Emperor Tenchi, in the Jinshin War, and ascended the throne at the Asuka Kiyohara no miya Imperial residence.
壬申の乱で天智天皇の息子である大友皇子（弘文天皇）を破り、飛鳥浄御原宮で即位する。