Leaving various ideas, such as reinforcing the power of the bakufu, and the alliance of major clans, as they were, a council meeting was held on December 1863 by Yoshinobu TOKUGAWA, Shungaku MATSUDAIRA, Katamori MATSUDAIRA, Munenari DATE (the lord of Uwajima clan), and Hisamitsu SHIMAZU to discuss the condition of the port of Kanagawa, the treatment of the Choshu clan, and strengthening the defences of the port of Osaka, but it failed as early as in March 1864, when Shungaku and Hisamitsu became upset with Yoshino TOKUGAWA, a guardian of the shogun, who was not cooperative at all.
いっぽう幕権強化・雄藩連合などの様々な思惑を孕みつつ、文久3年12月に徳川慶喜・松平春嶽・松平容保・伊達宗城（宇和島藩主）・島津久光による参預会議が開催され、神奈川鎖港談判、長州藩の処置、大坂港の防備強化などの議題が話し合われたが、将軍後見職の徳川慶喜の非協力的態度に春嶽・久光らが反撥して帰国したため、早くも翌年3月には崩壊。