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The Kalahom desired the throne for himself, however. His two chief obstacles were Yamada, and Sri Sin, a brother of the former king. The Kalahom expertly pitted the two men against one another, convincing Yamada that it was Sri Sin who was plotting a ''coup''; this led to the destruction of Sri Sin and his followers at the hands of Yamada's hundreds of Japanese warriors. King Cetthathirat was killed as well, before he had even been on the throne a full year; the circumstances of his death are left unclear by historian Cesare Polenghi. The Kalahom remained regent, reportedly with Nagamasa's agreement, as Song Tham's younger son now took the throne as the ten-year-old King [[Athittayawong]].

The Kalahom desired the throne for himself, however. His two chief obstacles were Yamada, and Sri Sin, a brother of the former king. The Kalahom expertly pitted the two men against one another, convincing Yamada that it was Sri Sin who was plotting a ''coup''; this led to the destruction of Sri Sin and his followers at the hands of Yamada's hundreds of Japanese warriors. King Cetthathirat was killed as well, before he had even been on the throne a full year; the circumstances of his death are left unclear by historian Cesare Polenghi. The Kalahom remained regent, reportedly with Nagamasa's agreement, as Song Tham's younger son now took the throne as the ten-year-old King [[Athittayawong]].

Prasat Thong still saw Nagamasa as a threat. Since he could not have him killed in the capital without risking retribution from the Japanese royal guard, some 700 or so strong, he instead attempted to rid himself of Nagamasa by appointing him to a distant province. He called Nagamasa to court, and named him king of Ligor, a semi-independent kingdom to the south which had paid [[tribute]] to Ayutthaya since the 16th century (Ligor is today Thailand's Nakhon Si Thammarat province). In order to claim his throne, however, Nagamasa had to eliminate the previous king of Ligor, a "rebel" in the eyes of the Ayutthaya court, since he refused to pay tribute. Nagamasa marched down to Ligor in summer 1629, and secured his throne by the beginning of the next year, with the help of some 300 Japanese and several thousand Siamese troops. It is unclear whether the previous "rebel" king of Ligor was killed, sent to Ayutthaya as a prisoner, or kept on as an advisor to Nagamasa. In the meantime, with Nagamasa absent, Prasat Thong had the young Athittayawong killed, and claimed the throne of Ayutthaya for himself. Prasat Thong perhaps hoped that Nagamasa would be killed in battle in Ligor, thus ridding him of Nagamasa once and for all; though this did not take place, he found an opportunity soon enough. Nagamasa led an attack on the neighboring kingdom of [[Pattani]], failing to subjugate it to Ligor's authority, and suffering a serious wound in the process. Prasat Thong then sent him ointments, as a gift, along with a number of Nagamasa's favorite women from the Ayutthaya royal harem, to serve him in his new court. However, according to most accounts, the ointment was poisoned, and it was by this, possibly with one of the court ladies aiding in the scheme, that Nagamasa was killed.

Prasat Thong still saw Nagamasa as a threat. Since he could not have him killed in the capital without risking retribution from the Japanese royal guard, some 700 or so strong, he instead attempted to rid himself of Nagamasa by appointing him to a distant province. He called Nagamasa to court, and named him king of Ligor, a semi-independent kingdom to the south which had paid [[tribute]] to Ayutthaya since the 16th century (Ligor is today Thailand's Nakhon Si Thammarat province). In order to claim his throne, however, Nagamasa had to eliminate the previous king of Ligor, a "rebel" in the eyes of the Ayutthaya court, since he refused to pay tribute. Nagamasa marched down to Ligor in summer 1629, and secured his throne by the beginning of the next year, with the help of some 300 Japanese and several thousand Siamese troops. It is unclear whether the previous "rebel" king of Ligor was killed, sent to Ayutthaya as a prisoner, or kept on as an advisor to Nagamasa. In the meantime, with Nagamasa absent, Prasat Thong had the young Athittayawong killed, and claimed the throne of Ayutthaya for himself. Prasat Thong perhaps hoped that Nagamasa would be killed in battle in Ligor, thus ridding him of Nagamasa once and for all; though this did not take place, he found an opportunity soon enough. Nagamasa led an attack on the neighboring kingdom of [[Pattani]], failing to subjugate it to Ligor's authority, and suffering a serious wound in the process. Prasat Thong then sent him ointments, as a gift, along with a number of Nagamasa's favorite women from the Ayutthaya royal harem, to serve him in his new court. However, according to most accounts, the ointment was poisoned, and it was by this, possibly with one of the court ladies aiding in the scheme, that Nagamasa was killed, eliminating the last major obstacle to Prasat Thong's reign.

 

When news reached Japan of this ''coup'', however, the [[Tokugawa shogunate]] severed all ties with Ayutthaya, calling Prasat Thong a usurper. It must be remembered that in Japan, no one had ever dared to usurp the imperial throne, changing the dynasty, and also that at this time, in 1630, the Tokugawa were themselves in the process of establishing the stability of their own succession, having gained power less than 30 years earlier. So the issue of legitimacy, stability, and rightfulness of succession was of great importance to the Tokugawa. Prasat Thong sent several missions to Japan seeking to restore relations, but all were rebuffed.

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