After he stepped down from his position as the head of the family and Imperial Prince Taruhito officially succeeded the family on September 9, 1871, he still held various positions such as the governor of Shinto and the controller general of the Research Institute for the Japanese Classics (the forerunner of present-day Kokugakuin University).
明治4年（1871年）7月25日、家督を熾仁親王に譲り正式に隠居した後も、神道総裁や皇典講究所（國學院大學の前身）総裁などを歴任した。