Onimusha: Way of the Sword has 8 Mysteries of Kyoto, a set of side investigations that send Musashi across the city to deal with strange incidents, missing people, Genma attacks, and supernatural trouble. They are tracked as Observations in the Curious Cases menu and appear as a butterfly icon on the map once unlocked. Complete all Mysteries of Kyoto to unlock the Demystified trophy or achievement.
However, you must first complete What Lurks in the Shadows to unlock these side missions. Some become available later as the story progresses, so don’t worry if you don’t see them all right away. You can also finish them during exploration up to the Point of No Return before the final mission, “The Clash at Rendaino.” Keep a manual save before this point if you plan to complete Kyoto’s Mysteries later.
- Mystery of Kyoto #1: The Light of Vengeance
- Mystery of Kyoto #2: A Wife's Prayer
- Mystery of Kyoto #3: Something in the Water
- Mystery of Kyoto #4: The Blessed Man
- Mystery of Kyoto #5: The Night Parade
- Mystery of Kyoto #6: The Faceless
- Mystery of Kyoto #7: Worm-ly Ways
- Mystery of Kyoto #8: Some Unfinished Monkey Business
Mystery of Kyoto #1: The Light of Vengeance
- Unlock Requirement: Complete main mission “What Lurks in the Shadows“.
- Starting Location: Kiyomizu-zaka Slope.
- Rewards: Whetstone x2, Tempered Iron x1, Tamahagane x1.
Head to the butterfly marker at Kiyomizu-zaka Slope and speak with the anxious boy standing by a ladder. Follow the road southeast toward the Kiyomizu-dera checkpoint you passed through near the beginning of the game. As you reach the marked area, a cutscene will trigger. Follow the updated marker into the central courtyard to find the man. Eliminate the Genma group, then hold the Gauntlet button to absorb and clear the Rift. Watch the scene with Lady Murasaki to complete the case and log the Observation.
Mystery of Kyoto #2: A Wife’s Prayer
- Unlock Requirement: Complete the main mission “Bloodbath on the Bridge” (available after you start “Shadows Fall“).
- Starting Location: Southeastern Kyoto, inside a house near the Kiyomizu-zaka Slope Spirit Mirror.
- Rewards: Iron x2, Cotton Cloth x1, Power Stone x2.
Fast travel to the Kiyomizu-zaka Slope Spirit Mirror in Southeastern Kyoto. Enter the roadside house right across the street and talk to the ill man on the bed. Fast travel via Spirit Mirror from Kiyomizu-dera Temple to Nio-mon Gate.
Run up the front stairs and speak to the woman standing left of the gate. Continue up the path to the Temple Grounds balcony and talk to the couple overlooking the valley. Head around the eastern wooden walkway behind the main hall to find the wife standing before a small shrine. Speak with her to trigger a cutscene.
Go north into the ruined grounds to find a Rift. Defeat the Genma guards, absorb the Rift to seal it, and return to the same woman in the shrine. Speak to her and a scene will play, showing her husband consumed by Malice back at the house, followed by Lady Murasaki’s debrief.
Mystery of Kyoto #3: Something in the Water
- Unlock Requirement: Complete main mission “A Tempest at the Temple” (available after you start “To Live is to Suffer“) and finish Mystery #2: A Wife’s Prayer.
- Starting Location: Southeastern Kyoto, inside the same house near the Kiyomizu-zaka Slope Spirit Mirror.
- Rewards: Iron x2, Leather x1, Oni Stone x2, Inner Strength Charm.
Return to the house near the Kiyomizu-zaka Slope Spirit Mirror and speak with the family inside to start the case. Leave the house, go to the Spirit Mirror, and teleport to the Temple Grounds Spirit Mirror. From the Temple Grounds balcony, move across the deck and down the long steps into the lower gorge. Run all the way down to the bottom where the stream and waterfall pool are. Speak with the woman standing by the edge of the water dressed in the yellow kimono.
Turn around and run all the way back up the stairs from the gorge. Go to Yashajin Hall (the same place where the wife prayed in Mystery #2). A cutscene will play out that shows the shrine is sealed by a thick Malice barrier anchored by two Weaver spiders:
- Weaver #1: Look up at the temple roof to the north and shoot the spider with your bow.
- Weaver #2: Go downstream along the lower cliff path and look across the rock face near the waterfall. Shoot the spider clinging to the stone to break the barrier.
Return to the same shrine area to trigger another cutscene in which Lady Murasaki confirms that the hall has been unsealed. Head back down to the waterfall pool, and a cutscene plays where the floating Dokyo mask taunts Musashi and summons an ambush. Eliminate all the Genma and spear-wielders in the pool area.
Once the enemies are dead, approach the waterfall and interact with the prompt to Examine the Sacred Water. Shizuka will confirm the water has returned to normal. Watch the cutscene showing the cured family back in their house. Lady Murasaki writes her notes, logs the Something in the Water mission, and gives you rewards.
Mystery of Kyoto #4: The Blessed Man
- Unlock Requirement: Complete main mission “What Lurks in the Shadows” (available after you reach “The Roots of All Evil“).
- Starting Location: Southeast of Eastern Kyoto, street near Kiyomizu-zaka Slope.
- Rewards: Leather x2, Fine Silk Cloth x1, Charm of Purification.
Follow the Mystery marker on the street near Kiyomizu-zaka Slope and speak with the blessed man. Continue to the waypoint east of Rokudo-chinnoji Temple into an open building. Check inside, then step outside to eliminate the Genma patrol. Next, track the blessed man east along the Kamo River toward Nenbutsu Temple and speak to him near the wooden fence.
Red Malice mist will fill the area. Destroy the Malice-emitting plants and eliminate all Genma. Follow the marker to the northwest compound, walk along the north wall, and enter through the gate on the left. Find the blessed man standing by the shrine, then kill the final Genma group. Next, a cutscene plays in which a parasite Genma bursts from the man’s chest. Finish the case by watching the final scene with Lady Murasaki.
Mystery of Kyoto #5: The Night Parade
- Unlock Requirement: Complete the main mission “The Demon on the Mount” (unlocks after you start “A Haunted Distraction“).
- Starting Location: Northern sandbar/riverbank in northwestern Kyoto, near the river stage.
- Rewards: Iron x2, Leather x2, Power Stone x2, Charm of Protection.
Talk to the female Troupe Member standing outside the stall on the northern sandbar. Fast travel to Shijo Street or move southwest of Yasaka Shrine to reach the first search zone. Eliminate the first Genma night paraders marching through the market stalls. Follow the waypoint west toward the riverbank to find and kill the second Genma patrol.
Head north into the open fields and farmlands. The third parade is a large formation led by a Byakue (beast boss). Take down the smaller Genma to give yourself room, then focus down the Byakue. Return to the sandbar stage and speak with the women to deliver the charm. Lady Murasaki will log the Observation.
Mystery of Kyoto #6: The Faceless
- Unlock Requirement: Complete the main mission “Okuni’s Kabuki Dance” (available after you start “The Demon on the Mount“).
- Starting Location: Northwestern Eastern Kyoto, north of Rokudo-chinnoji Temple near Yorimasa’s altar.
- Rewards: Iron x2, Oni Stone x2, Fencer’s Strength Charm.
North of Rokudo-chinnoji Temple, talk to the blindfolded Calm Woman sitting on a bench outside the shop. Head to the marked compound in the southeastern sector of Kyoto’s northwestern district. The main compound gates are locked from the inside. Go to the southwestern corner of the exterior wall to find bamboo scaffolding. Climb the ladder, crawl through the open second-story window, and drop down into the inner courtyard.
Unbar the gate from the inside to open the shortcut. Hop over the wooden boxes, clear the roaming Genma in the alleyway, and open the chest to collect Cotton Cloth x2. Use Oni Power to break the Malice barrier blocking the building door. Enter the building to trigger a cutscene revealing two “Faceless” Genma with squashed heads. Kill both of them, then step back into the courtyard to defeat a third Faceless creature. Return to the Calm Woman by the temple to complete The Faceless case.
Mystery of Kyoto #7: Worm-ly Ways
- Unlock Requirement: Complete main mission “Okuni’s Kabuki Dance” (available after starting “The Demon on the Mount“).
- Starting Location: East of Rokudo-chinnoji Temple.
- Rewards: Whetstone x2, Oni Stone x2, Blazing Charm.
Speak with the Three Worms Devotee standing in the street east of Rokudo-chinnoji Temple. Head to the first search area and enter the marked house. A cutscene shows the floating Dokyo mask preaching to corrupted worshippers. Defeat the Genma inside the room.
Follow the waypoint northeast to the second congregation hall. The main road is fenced off; find the gap in the broken wooden fence on the right and crawl through. Watch the cutscene with Dokyo and defeat the second Genma wave in the courtyard. Follow the marker north to the final congregation hall and speak with the Three Worms Priest standing outside. Clear the Genma ambush there, and see Lady Murasaki’s debrief on the cult to finish the case.
Mystery of Kyoto #8: Some Unfinished Monkey Business
- Unlock Requirement: Complete main mission “The Demon on the Mount” (becomes available after starting “A Haunted Distraction“).
- Starting Location: East of Rokudo-chinnoji Temple.
- Rewards: Whetstone x2, Iron x1, Tempered Iron x2, Oni Strength Charm.
Speak with the young boy standing with a girl and a dog in the street east of Rokudo-chinnoji Temple. Travel north to the abandoned Yoshioka School training grounds (visited during the start of Prologue). Climb the long stone staircase up to the dojo gate. A cutscene plays with surviving Yoshioka followers waiting in the courtyard. Defeat the first wave of possessed Yoshioka swordsmen.
The Dokyo mask appears overhead in a cutscene and incites the remaining fighters. Beat the second group of swordsmen, then watch the cutscene with the dying follower, followed by Lady Murasaki examining the preserved green fruit. Wait a few seconds in the courtyard until the dialogue ends. The final Mystery of Kyoto Observation will update and unlock the Demystified trophy and achievement.
