There are 18 Chance Encounters in the Kyoto region of Onimusha: Way of the Sword, which unlock as the story progresses. These side missions include short combat jobs, Ace Archer challenges, and five Hidden Treasure hunts. Head to the Notebook icon on the map, talk to the marked NPC, and complete the request to clear it from your map. Completing all Chance Encounters unlocks the No Job Too Small trophy or achievement in Way of the Sword. The guide shows how to unlock and complete each encounter, and what rewards you’ll earn.
All Chance Encounters in Onimusha: Way of the Sword
Chance Encounter #1: Pale Lights in a Night Sky
- Unlock Requirement: Start of the main quest A Strength in Refuge.
- Location: Eastern Kyoto, east-southeast of Rokudo-chinnoji Temple.
- Rewards: Cotton Cloth x1, Oni Stone x1, Charm of Zeal.
Speak to the distraught young female standing by the roadside in Eastern Kyoto. She reports mysterious glowing lights hovering in the dark that she suspects are mythical moon folk. Head north toward the marker near Yasaka Pagoda Spirit Mirror.
Loop around the northern side of the building to access a closed bamboo courtyard where you’ll encounter some Kubi Akari, floating Genma heads that lob ranged projectiles and detonate if you linger too close. Pick them off from a distance with your bow or close the gap quickly using reflex dodges.
Before heading back, loot the two chests in the clearing: one right at the bamboo entrance by the barrels for Whetstone, and the second is up the stone steps by the rear wall that contains Cotton Cloth. Report back to the woman to collect your reward.
Chance Encounter #2: Clear Space, Clear Mind
- Unlock Requirement: Start of the main quest A Strength in Refuge.
- Location: Eastern Kyoto, southeast section near Rokudo-chinnoji Temple.
- Rewards: Tempered Iron x2, Leather x1, Sadist’s Strength Charm.
Talk to the monk standing beside the clay jars just down the road from the previous quest giver. He will task you with purifying an abandoned compound to clear your spiritual impurities. Track the objective marker west-northwest at the previously barred gate near Kamo River.
Take down the waves of Genma in the courtyard, including heavily armored Hitotsume Gasa. Use your heavy stance strikes or Wind-Whipper art to break their guards. Once the yard is clear, crack open the two chests on the eastern wall and behind the side shed for Iron and two pieces of Hempen Cloth. Report back to the quest giver to complete the encounter.
Chance Encounter #3: Ace Archer: Kiyomizu-dera Temple
- Unlock Requirement: Complete the main mission Bloodbath on the Bridge.
- Location: Kiyomizu-zaka Slope, east of Rokudo-chinnoji Temple.
- Rewards: Whetstone x2, Tamahagane x1, Oni Stone x2.
Talk to the archer outside the shop stalls on the slope. Impressed by your archery, he asks you to purge flying fiends that have infested Kiyomizu-dera Temple.
Fast travel to the temple and eliminate the five Kubi Akari with the bow:
- Stand just north of the Nio-mon Gate and aim up at the northern roof ridge. The target bobs vertically behind the shingles.
- Head west of the large northeastern temple hall. The target floats openly above the area where you destroyed the Malice Barrier earlier. A Byakue prowls below it, so take down the guard first if it gets in your way.
- Take the northwest shortcut behind the hall near the Temple Grounds Spirit Mirror. Look east over the rooftops to spot the floating creature circling above the tiles.
- Approach the northeastern main building from the south; the target is exposed on the lower overhang of the roof.
- In the secluded courtyard, move into the garden behind the northeastern hall. The final target floats above the trees.
Return once all Kubi Akari are down to complete the encounter in your record.
Chance Encounter #4: Ace Archer: Nijo-jo Castle
- Unlock Requirement: Complete the main mission “Bloodbath on the Bridge”.
- Location: Southwestern Kyoto, near Gojo Street – West Spirit Mirror.
- Rewards: Leather x2, Fine Silk Cloth x1, Power Stone x2.
Speak with the guardsman beside the market stalls west of Gojo Street to accept the archery challenge. Fast travel to Nijo-jo Castle to hunt five more Kubi Akari:
- Stand by the market stalls northwest of the central bridge and shoot beneath its beams.
- Turn west from the bridge. The creature floats over the high roof, bobbing up and down.
- Climb the tall ladder in the western yard and aim directly toward the roof at the explosive archer Genma’s place to find the third target.
- Head to the northeastern cart ramp. Look up toward the elevated rafters while dodging incoming Genma fire to pick off the Akari drifting behind them.
- Leave from the north courtyard exit, turn left, and look down the tight alley beside the ladder. Catch the blue glow between the walls and loose an arrow.
Head back to Gojo Street and inform the samurai to complete the contract.
Chance Encounter #5: The Growling Ghost
- Unlock Requirement: Complete A Tempest at the Temple / Start of To Live is to Suffer.
- Location: Kiyomizu-zaka Slope.
- Rewards: Tempered Iron x1, Power Stone x2, Charm of Stamina.
Find the villager huddled under a shed on Kiyomizu-zaka Slope. He will warn you of Genma performing some kind of ritual around a beast.
Follow the marker south toward the rural fields bordering Toribeno. Squeeze under the collapsed wooden barricade to enter a clearing and cut down the first mob of Genma foot soldiers. Shortly after, a Nue – Legendary Chimera miniboss will crash into the arena. Keep mobile to avoid its lightning strikes and sweeping tail whips. Punish its recovery windows with jump attacks and gauntlet enhancements. After the beast falls, speak with the villager again to wrap up the quest.
Chance Encounter #6: Ace Archer: Kyoto Imperial Palace
- Unlock Requirement: Complete A Tempest at the Temple / Start of To Live is to Suffer.
- Location: Gojo Street – West.
- Rewards: Tempered Iron x2, Tamahagane x1, Power Stone x2.
Talk to the shame-faced palace guard near the Gojo Street stalls. He couldn’t hit the aerial Genma overrunning the Imperial Palace and wants you to get rid of them. Fast travel to the Palace Entrance and begin your kill spree, but before that, open the chest inside to the right of the entrance for two Cotton Cloth.
- Northwest Boundary: Look past the western palace courtyard columns into the non-playable exterior to see the target float between the pillars.
- Courtyard Window: Enter the main hall corridor and peek through the barred window facing south to shoot the head floating outside.
- Crawlspace Entry: Above the collapsed crawlspace entry, watch the roofline for a target dipping in and out of view.
- Malice Arches: Climb onto the rooftops heading toward the inner courtyard. Before dropping down to the Spirit Mirror, aim your bow through the twisted Malice brambles to hit the target hovering above the far eaves.
- Greater Nue Arena: Go north into the boss courtyard. The final target floats high in the center of the yard.
Return to guard and report your success.
Chance Encounter #7: Hidden Treasure No. 1
- Unlock Requirement: Complete A Tempest at the Temple / Start of To Live is to Suffer.
- Location: Gojo Street – West.
- Rewards: Fine Silk Cloth x1, Oni Stone x2.
Speak to the woman inside a small residence courtyard west of Gojo Street – West. She gives you Old Drawing No. 1, a sketch provided by General Yorimasa that leads you to the Oni treasure in Kiyomizu-zaka.
Travel to Kiyomizu-zaka Slope, go slightly southeast of the Spirit Mirror, and climb the ladder mounted to the side of the two-story house, followed by the second roof ladder. Once at the rooftop ridge, your Oni Gauntlet will start to react. Interact with the glowing Oni Glyph to reveal the Treasure Chest. Crack it open to complete the mission.
Chance Encounter #8: Hidden Treasure No. 2
- Unlock Requirement: Complete Hidden Treasure No. 1 and start Okuni’s Kabuki Dance quest.
- Location: Kiyomizu-zaka Slope.
- Rewards: Fine Silk Cloth x1, Oni Stone x2.
A messenger standing along Kiyomizu-zaka Slope hands you Old Drawing No. 2. The riddle in the note depicts a ladder beside a waterfall with the inscription “Where the Buddhas overlook the flow.”
Fast travel to the Yasaka Pagoda Spirit Mirror. Move west-northwest through the alleys toward the cliffside waterfall just past the ladders. Stand at the base of the pool near the Jizo statues and trigger the Oni Glyph on the wet rock face. Open the Treasure Chest to finish the encounter.
Chance Encounter #9: An Ugly Business
- Unlock Requirement: Available starting from Shadows Fall / Bloodbath on the Bridge.
- Location: Gojo Street – West.
- Rewards: Leather x2, Power Stone x2, Reaper’s Charm.
Talk to the craftsman standing by his storefront on Gojo Street. Genma have overrun his workshop in the southern fields. Follow the marker down to the southern compound.
As you enter the workshop, a dark Malice Rift will open. Slay the two groups of frontline Genma, and during the third wave, a Byakue boss will spawn from the rift. Watch out for its heavy overhead cleaves and status inflicting bursts. Parry its normal strikes, burn down the boss health bar, and hold your interact button to absorb and seal the rift. Return to the merchant to claim your fee.
Chance Encounter #10: Noisy Neighbors
- Unlock Requirement: Start of the main quest Okuni’s Kabuki Dance.
- Location: Gojo Street – West.
- Rewards: Leather x2, Oni Stone x1, Charm of Dexterity.
Find the woman complaining about the racket down the street northwest of the main Gojo intersection. She’s fed up with the monsters partying near Yasaka Pagoda and wants them silenced for good.
Use the Gojo Street – West Spirit Mirror to travel to Yasaka Pagoda. The compound’s front gate is locked from the inside, so run around to the southern exterior wall and climb the ladder over the rice sacks. Drop into the courtyard and clear the Genma having a party inside. Head up the temple steps to wipe out the remaining reinforcements and unlock the inner gate latch. There’s a chest beside the rugs you can loot for Power Stones. Return to the woman to collect your reward.
Chance Encounter #11: Hidden Treasure No. 3
- Unlock Requirement: Complete Hidden Treasure No. 2 and start The Demon on the Mount.
- Location: Northwestern Kyoto, west of Shijo Street.
- Rewards: Fine Silk Cloth x1, Power Stone x2.
Talk to the woman on Shijo Street to receive Old Drawing No. 3, which notes “At the temple where dragons soar.” Go to Kennin-ji Temple directly to the southeastern exterior gate of the temple grounds.
Approach the large wooden doors and use the Oni Gauntlet in front of it to reveal and open the Treasure Chest to complete the hunt.
Chance Encounter #12: The Odd Couples
- Unlock Requirement: Start of the main quest The Demon on the Mount.
- Location: Northwestern Kyoto, west of Shijo Street.
- Rewards: Tempered Iron x2, Oni Stone x2, Charm of Enticement.
Speak to the citizen standing by the bridge on Shijo Street. He thinks it’s weird that romantic couples are still lining up along the riverbank even though Genma have plagued the city.
Sprint down to the southwestern sandbar beach. The “couples” are corpses being dragged into the river by Genma. Eliminate the ground troops, then draw your bow and snipe the Hirehime lurking in the water. Once the riverbank is secure, return to the quest giver on Shijo Street to clear the 12th Chance Encounter.
Chance Encounter #13: A Fishy Story
- Unlock Requirement: Complete The Demon on the Mount / Start of A Haunted Distraction.
- Location: Shijo Street.
- Rewards: Whetstone x2, Oni Stone x2, Charm of Awakening.
Talk to the fishmonger on Shijo Street, and she will claim her prized fish have grown to monstrous sizes—or worse, were devoured by water beasts.
Go down to the riverbank southeast of the sandbar in northwestern Kyoto. A pack of Hirehime will burst from the shallows. Use quick stance combos or charged arrows to dispatch them before they can retreat into deep water. Report back to the fishmonger once the waters are calm to complete the mission.
Chance Encounter #14: Ace Archer: Mount Oe
- Unlock Requirement: Complete The Demon on the Mount.
- Location: Shijo Street.
- Rewards: Hempen Cloth x2, Leather x2, Oni Stone x2.
Talk to the traveler wearing a woven straw hat on Shijo Street. He wants to pray for the dead at Mount Oe but needs the skies cleared of fiends first. Head to Mount Oe to eliminate five Kubi Akari split across two areas:
Mountain Trail:
- From the Mountain Trail Spirit Mirror, look straight north up the mountain stairs, and you’ll find the first target floats above the path.
- Walk to the pit where the Weaver barrier was located. Climb the scaffolding ladder to the top watchtower platform and shoot the creature hovering above the main roof.
Futasegawa Mountain Stream:
- From the stream trail, climb the way and hop onto the eastern deck. Look under the bridge planks to find the head floating near the falls.
- Move into the fortified courtyard at the top of the slope and look at the southwestern corner above the stockade to spot the fourth Kubi Akari.
- Rocky Bend: Drop down to the stream bed northeast of the courtyard. Face southeast and see up through the rock crags to nail the final target.
Return to the monk to finish the mission and claim your rewards.
Chance Encounter #15: Hidden Treasure No. 4
- Unlock Requirement: Complete Hidden Treasure No. 3 and trigger A Haunted Distraction.
- Location: Shijo Street.
- Rewards: Fine Silk Cloth x1, Power Stone x2, Tamahagane x1.
Speak to the man along the market lane on Shijo Street to take Old Drawing No. 4 that mentions “The mountain temple of the dead.”
Head over to Toribeno and follow the canyon east until you reach the elevated mountain temple. Wall run across the marked cliff carvings using your Oni Gauntlet to cross the chasm. Once you make it up to the temple terrace, go to the outer railing on the northwest side and activate the Oni Glyph to reveal the hidden Treasure Chest in the corner.
Chance Encounter #16: Ace Archer: Arashiyama
- Unlock Requirement: Complete In the Light of an Icy Moon / Start of The Clash at Rendaino.
- Location: Shijo Street.
- Rewards: Tamahagane x1, Oni Stone x2.
Speak to the amateur poet on the street who was chased out of Arashiyama while admiring the moon.
Fast travel to the Bamboo Path Spirit Mirror in Arashiyama and kill the five targets:
- Run west toward the swamp. Stop at the curve before the water and shoot the target bobbing behind a Malice branch to your left.
- Continue into the swamp. You will spot a head high up, but you must reach higher ground to hit it. Follow the trail northeast, wall run up to the high ridge, and trace the upper platforms east to line up a clean shot.
- From that same elevated central platform, watch out over the center of the swamp waters to tag the third target.
- Drop into the northeast swamp sector and enter the ruined house. Look up into the broken ceiling beams to spot the creature tucked inside.
- Wall run along the northeastern cliff path to reach the northernmost hill. Climb to the high rocks and look over the forest canopy to drop the final target.
Return to Shijo Street and talk to the poet to conclude the encounter.
Chance Encounter #17: Hidden Treasure No. 5
- Unlock Requirement: Complete Hidden Treasure No. 4 and reach The Clash at Rendaino.
- Location: Shijo Street.
- Rewards: Fine Silk Cloth x1, Oni Stone x2, Skeleton Hozuki x1.
Talk to a woman caught stealing near the Shijo Street shops. She will give you Old Drawing No. 5 (“The highest place in the capital“) if you promise to let her off the hook.
Head to Yasaka Pagoda, enter the base of the five-story pagoda, and climb all the interior ladders until you are at the top floor. Step out of the window hatch onto the roof railing, destroy the talisman hanging under the eaves, and interact with the Oni Glyph to reveal the chest.
Chance Encounter #18: Restless Spirits
- Unlock Requirement: Complete In the Light of an Icy Moon and all prior Hidden Treasure encounters.
- Location: Shijo Street.
- Rewards: Whetstone x2, Hempen Cloth x2, Tempered Iron x2, Charm of Oni Power.
Talk to the man standing by the tea stall on Shijo Street. Vengeful spirits and Genma have broken into the locked cemetery fort in southwestern Kyoto.
Travel to the far southwestern part of Kyoto. The fortified graveyard gates are now wide open, so step inside to trigger a heavy battle against multiple waves of Genma and Kubi Akari. Rely on large sweeping weapon arts and gauntlet attacks to keep from getting surrounded. Once the ground mobs are eradicated, interact with the red Malice Rift over the cemetery to absorb and seal it. Return to the man to complete the final mission.
If you have completed every other side mission on this list, you will immediately receive the No Job Too Small trophy and achievement.
