At a grand banquet in the mansion of Kudō Suketsune, the Soga brothers — Jūrō and Gorō — are summoned and brought before him. The hot-blooded Gorō is ready to attack at any moment, but Jūrō holds him back, and Kobayashi Asahina and others intervene to mediate.

Kudō tells the brothers to bide their time and presents them with a hunting-ground pass for the upcoming grand hunt at the foot of Mount Fuji. The pass is also an implicit promise of a future encounter on the hunting grounds. The brothers accept, compose themselves, and take their leave.

Equally impressive is the unshakable composure of their enemy Kudō Suketsune. Even with two men bent on killing him standing right before him, he remains utterly unfazed — indeed, he goes so far as to promise them a future meeting at the hunt. This commanding poise elevates the stature of the villain.

The ceremonial tension that fills the confrontation scene is another attraction. Condensing the formal beauty and stylized kata of kabuki into a single scene, this play has long been cherished as the perfect piece to adorn the stage during the New Year season.