Act Four:
 

Dramatis Personae:

Hara G?emon - leader of the foot soldiers under Enya
Ôboshi Rikiya - son of Yuranosuke
Ono Kuday? - retainer of Enya, father of Sadakur?
Kaoyo - Enya's wife
Ishid? Umanoj? - envoy of the Shogun
Yakushiji Jirozaemon - envoy of the Shogun, close friend of Moronao
Enya Hangan Takasada - lord of the castle of H?ki, husband to Kaoyo
Ôboshi Yuranosuke - chief retainer of Enya, father of Rikiya
Senzaki Yagor? - retainer of Enya
Ono Sadakur? - retainer of Enya, son of Kuday?
 

Summary:

The mood is grim at Enya's estate in Kamakura. Kaoyo and Rikiya arrange cherry blossoms throughout the mansion in an attempt to cheep up Enya, who has been subject to house arrest since his attack on Moronao.

G?emon and Kuday? enter. G?emon commends Rikiya and Kaoyo for working so hard to keep a positive atmosphere, likening the opening of the flowers to the hope that the gates of the mansion will be unbarred and Enya set free. Scoffing at G?emon's optimism, Kuday? is extremely critical of his lord's behavior at the palace and even suggests that G?emon was at fault for not placating Moronao with a gift. G?emon hotly denies this and maintains that such an act would be beneath a true samurai. Kaoyo ends the argument by holding herself responsible for what happened - it had been her reply to Moronao that had set the event in motion.

Their discussion is interrupted by the arrival of the shogun's envoy, Ishid? and Yakushiji, bearing Enya sentence. Enya enters and listens with a calm courtesy to the pronouncement: he is ordered to commit seppuku and all of his lands are to be confiscated. Kaoyo and the samurai present are visible shaken but Enya remains self-possessed, even offering the two envoys a cup of sake. When Yakushiji proceeds to berate Enya for not hastening to make preparations, Enya simply removes his decorative outer robe to reveal both the proper death robes underneath and his expectation that he would receive such a sentence. He states that his only regret is that Honz? prevented him from finishing the deed.

As Enya begins the ritual, he asks his son, Rikiya, whether there is any word of Yuranosuke's arrival from the their home province. Yuranosuke's whereabouts are unknown and Enya expresses deep regret at not being able to see his chief retainer one last time. Unable to wait any longer, Enya plunges the ceremonial dagger into his abdomen just as Yuranosuke comes rushing into the room. In his final moments, Enya passes the dagger to Yuranosuke and asks him to avenge his death.

The two envoys depart, leaving the household to make the necessary arrangements for the funeral, and a group of samurai gathers in the room and proceeds to discuss what they should do now that their master has left this world. After driving off the greedy and self-serving Kuday? and Sadakur? by suggesting that the now master-less samurai die defending their home from Ashikaga troops, Yuranosuke proceeds to lay plans for taking the head of Moronao.