During the fourth visit to Kyoto in 1867 (left Kagoshima on April 29 and arrived at Kyoto on May 15), he held a meeting with the four lords of Shungaku MATSUDAIRA, Yodo YAMAUCHI, and Munenari DATE and confirmed to hold talks with Shogun Yoshinobu cooperated with the four lords over the problems of the opening Hyogo (present Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture) port which was pressing the time to announce the schedule of opening and the punishment against the Choshu Domain which had been left pending after the ceasefire of the second conquest (virtual defeat of the Shogunate) in October of the previous year.
慶応3年（1867年）の4回目の上京（3月25日鹿児島発、4月12日京都着）では、松平春嶽、山内容堂、伊達宗城と四侯会議を開き、開港予定の布告期限が迫っていた兵庫（現兵庫県神戸市）開港問題や、前年9月の再征の休戦（事実上の幕府の敗北）後保留されたままの長州藩処分問題をめぐり、四侯連携のもとで将軍慶喜と協議することを確認する。