 In fact, they make stealthy but meticulous preparations and, in the depths of winter, storm Moronō's Edo mansion and kill him.Aware, however, that this deed is itself an offense, the retainers then carry Moronō's head to the grave of their lord at Sengaku-ji temple in Edo, where they all commit seppuku.Act I, Tsurugaoka kabuto aratame ("The Helmet Selection at Hachiman Shrine")

This play has a unique opening, in which the curtain is pulled open slowly over several minutes, accompanied by forty-seven individual beats of the ki, one for each of the heroic "rōnin".