During his reign he tried to control the court nobles in order to abolish the politics; and after the Kamakura bakufu (Japanese feudal government headed by a shogun) started getting involved in politics, he passed the throne to Emperor Gofushimi in 1298 and started ruling the cloister government.
治世中門閥貴族による政治の打破などに力を入れるが、鎌倉幕府の干渉が強まると1298年、後伏見天皇に譲位して院政を執り行った。