Sensing Ieyasu's move to overthrow the Toyotomi family, Hidetada sends a letter to Hideyori to ask him to work together for the sake of building a peaceful nation. Meanwhile, Ieyasu raises a protest against the Toyotomi family saying that they put a malediction against the Tokugawa family on the hanging bell cast at the Hoko Castle. Despite Toyotomi's denial, Ieyasu unreasonably demands Toyotomi to either surrender the Osaka Castle or to send Hideyori or Yodo to Edo as a hostage. As Toyotomi refuses Ieyasu's demand, Ieyasu orders feudal lords to advance their troops to Osaka.
秀忠（向井理）は、家康（北大路欣也）の打倒・豊臣の動きを察し、秀頼（太賀）に「共に手を携え、泰平の世を築こう」と文を書く。家康は、豊臣が方広寺に鋳造した鐘に刻んだ文字に「徳川に対する呪詛（じゅそ）が込められている」と言いがかりをつけ、弁明する豊臣方に「大坂城を明け渡すか、秀頼もしくは淀（宮沢りえ）を人質として江戸に送るか」という無理難題を突きつけ、それを拒んだのを理由に諸大名に出陣を命じる。
