Onimusha Way of the Sword Mysteries of Kyoto are 8 optional but reward-heavy quests that unlock as you progress through the main story. Finish all 8 and you earn the Demystified trophy (Silver). Each Mystery tells its own small story, sends you across Kyoto to different locations, and throws a wave of enemies your way. Several of them also reward you with Charms that genuinely help in combat. This guide covers every Mystery – where to start it, what the unlock condition is, and exactly what you need to do to finish it. If you want the full picture of every collectible in the game, check out our complete collectibles guide which covers all 273 items.
TL;DR – Quick Summary
- There are 8 Mysteries of Kyoto in total.
- Completing all 8 earns the Demystified Silver trophy.
- They unlock after completing the mission “What Lurks in the Shadows.”
- Look for a butterfly icon on the map – that marks where each Mystery starts.
- Track them in the Curious Cases menu under Observations.
- The best time to do all 8 is after completing “The Demon on the Mount” – most of them become available from that point.
- They do not carry over into New Game+, so finish them in your first playthrough.
- Four Mysteries reward you with Charms when you complete them.
- Mystery #1 (The Light of Vengeance) is tied to the main story and cannot be missed.
Before You Start – What You Need to Know
Mysteries of Kyoto do not show up right from the beginning. They only become available after you complete the main mission “What Lurks in the Shadows.” Once that is done, butterfly icons appear on your map showing where each Mystery begins. You track your progress through the Curious Cases menu as Observations.
Some Mysteries have additional unlock conditions tied to specific story missions. The easiest approach is to play through the main story until you finish “The Demon on the Mount.” At that point, all 8 Mysteries are accessible and you can knock them out in any order you like.
Keep one important thing in mind: Mysteries of Kyoto do not carry over into New Game+. If you plan to do a second playthrough on Carnage difficulty, you will need to complete all 8 again from scratch. Do them all before you start NG+ to save yourself the extra work.
Also save a manual file before accepting “The Clash at Rendaino” – that is the Point of No Return. If you hit that without finishing your Mysteries, the manual save lets you go back and clean them up.
All 8 Mysteries of Kyoto – Full List with Unlock Conditions
- Mystery #1: The Light of Vengeance – Available as soon as Mysteries unlock (tied to main story, unmissable)
- Mystery #2: A Wife’s Prayer – Available after completing “Bloodbath on the Bridge”
- Mystery #3: Something in the Water – Available after completing “A Tempest at the Temple”
- Mystery #4: The Blessed Man – Available as soon as Mysteries unlock
- Mystery #5: The Night Parade – Available after completing “The Demon on the Mount”
- Mystery #6: The Faceless – Available after completing “Okuni’s Kabuki Dance”
- Mystery #7: The Three Worms (Worm-ly Ways) – Available after completing “Okuni’s Kabuki Dance”
- Mystery #8: Hanging Monkeys (Some Unfinished Monkey Business) – Available after completing “The Demon on the Mount”
Mystery #1 – The Light of Vengeance
Location: Kiyomizu-dera Temple
Unlock: Available as soon as Mysteries of Kyoto are unlocked
This is the only Mystery tied directly to the main story, which means you cannot miss it. It will trigger naturally as you progress through the Kiyomizu-dera Temple area. Follow the main quest markers, deal with the enemies in your way, and the mystery resolves itself as part of the story. There is nothing extra you need to hunt down for this one – just keep playing.
Mystery #2 – A Wife’s Prayer
Location: Starts in Kyoto, takes you to Kiyomizu-dera Temple
Unlock: Available after “Bloodbath on the Bridge”
Look for an ill man inside a house. Talk to him to start the quest. This Mystery sends you back to the Kiyomizu-dera Temple – fast travel to the Nio-mon Gate Spirit Mirror to get close. Head up the large stairs and speak to a woman at the top for a cutscene. Follow the waypoints from there.
The next stop is a couple on a balcony. Talk to the man there, then continue to the next waypoint which leads to a shrine. A cutscene plays, and after that you need to seal a Rift by defeating the enemies around it. Once that is done, head back to the shrine for the final set of cutscenes and the Mystery is complete.
Mystery #3 – Something in the Water
Location: Starts in Kyoto, takes you to Kiyomizu-dera Temple
Unlock: Available after “A Tempest at the Temple”
Find and talk to a boy inside a house to kick this one off. Head to the Kiyomizu-dera Temple and fast travel to the central Spirit Mirror. Make your way over the large balcony area and follow the waypoint down to a woman at the bottom of the stairs near the waterfall. Speak to her for a cutscene, then head back up to the same shrine from Mystery #2.
Here is the slightly tricky part. After the cutscene showing Genma binds on the altar, you need to shoot down spiders with your bow to remove the binds. The first spider is on a roof – look behind you after stepping out from under the canopy and aim at the roof. The second spider is on the water near the base of the waterfall – head down the stairs, turn right, and look through the fencing.
Once both spiders are dealt with, return to the altar for another cutscene. Then head back down to the waterfall area where Dokyo will appear with some enemies. Clear them, then test the water in the waterfall. A final cutscene completes the Mystery.
Mystery #4 – The Blessed Man
Location: Eastern Kyoto
Unlock: Available as soon as Mysteries of Kyoto are unlocked
Find and talk to a man to start the quest, then follow the waypoints. Go into the building at the first waypoint to trigger a cutscene. When you come out, enemies are waiting – clear them. Head to the next waypoint where the man is standing in the back right corner of the area. Talk to him, fight more enemies, then follow the path around to the right and pass under two Torii gates (one red, one black).
In the final area, the man is in the back left corner. Talk to him, watch the cutscene, then fight one last wave of enemies. The final cutscene plays and the Mystery wraps up. Use your Oni Vision between waypoints to follow the sparkle trail if you are unsure of the route.
Mystery #5 – The Night Parade
Location: Northwest Kyoto
Unlock: Available after completing “The Demon on the Mount”
Reward: Charm of Protection
Head to the northwest part of the map and talk to a woman there to begin. The quest sends you to three different waypoint locations. At each one, you need to hunt down a group of Genma that are parading around and kill them all. The first two are fairly standard enemy fights.
The third location is where it gets tougher. There is a Byakue boss mixed in with the parading Genma. Stock up on Hozuki berries before heading into this one. Once you take down the Byakue and the rest of the group, a cutscene plays and the Mystery is done. If you need help with the Byakue fight, our guide on how to beat Byakue has you covered.
Mystery #6 – The Faceless (Worm-ly Ways)
Location: Eastern Kyoto
Unlock: Available after “Okuni’s Kabuki Dance”
Reward: Fencer’s Strength Charm
Find the blindfolded woman and talk to her to start. Head out under the Torii arch and go straight until you reach a corner full of enemies. Take them out, then turn the corner to deal with archers above and a ground enemy. Blow up the wall behind the ground enemy to open the path forward.
There is a treasure chest here if you want to grab it. Climb the boxes on the right, head left along the path, and find the tall ladder leaning against bamboo scaffolding at the end – climb it. Crawl through the gap at the top, drop down, and head outside. Open the large gate on the left and pass through.
In the area with distressed townspeople, go past them over the boxes at the back and into the next zone. Clear the enemies. Follow the path to a corruption wall and use your Oni Power to break through it. Head into the building on the left where two Faceless enemies are waiting. After killing them, exit through the other side for one more Faceless enemy. Kill it, watch the cutscene, and the Mystery is complete.
Mystery #7 – The Three Worms (Worm-ly Ways)
Location: Eastern Kyoto
Unlock: Available after “Okuni’s Kabuki Dance”
Reward: Blazing Charm
Find and talk to the woman who starts this quest. Follow the waypoints and look for several barn-type buildings on the right side of the path after crossing a small bridge. Enter the building just past the bridge to trigger a cutscene and fight scene. Deal with the enemies there.
After the following cutscene, go to the next waypoint and through the large gates. Take a left and you will find two enemies standing near a broken fence – kill them. Crawl through the gap in the fence to trigger another cutscene and another enemy wave. Clear them, then follow the final waypoint inside the gate to find a bald man to talk to. Clear the remaining enemies in the area, watch the cutscenes, and the Mystery finishes.
Mystery #8 – Hanging Monkeys (Some Unfinished Monkey Business)
Location: Eastern Kyoto
Unlock: Available after completing “The Demon on the Mount”
Reward: Oni Strength Charm
Find the children on the map and talk to them to start the final Mystery. After the opening cutscene, head up the large stairway to the waypoint. Two waves of enemies are waiting. Clear the first wave, then clear the second. Once both waves are down, a final cutscene plays and – if this is your last Mystery – the Demystified trophy unlocks. This is one of the shorter Mysteries and a good one to save for last as a satisfying close.
Mystery of Kyoto Rewards – What You Get
Four of the Mysteries reward you with Charms on completion. These are not cosmetic – they give real buffs to Musashi in combat. Here is what each one provides:
- The Night Parade – Charm of Protection
- The Faceless – Fencer’s Strength Charm
- Worm-ly Ways – Blazing Charm
- Some Unfinished Monkey Business – Oni Strength Charm
These four Charms are also required for the Charmed Life trophy (collect and fully upgrade all 15 Charms). So doing the Mysteries is not just about the Demystified trophy – it directly helps you toward another Silver trophy too. Check our Charms guide and best builds to see how these fit into the best loadouts, and our full Charms locations guide for the other 11.
Tips for Completing All Mysteries of Kyoto
Do Them After “The Demon on the Mount”
Mysteries 5, 7, and 8 are locked until you complete specific story missions, with the last blocker being “The Demon on the Mount.” If you wait until after that mission to tackle the Mysteries, they will all be available at once and you can finish them in a single session without needing to backtrack.
Use Oni Vision Between Waypoints
Several Mysteries move you across multiple zones and the next step is not always obvious. Hold L2/LT and press R2/RT to activate Oni Vision – the sparkle trail it leaves behind points you toward the next objective. It saves a lot of wandering around.
Stock Up Before The Night Parade
Mystery #5 ends with a Byakue boss fight mixed into the final wave. This is not a scripted boss arena fight – it catches people off guard. Bring Hozuki berries and make sure your Charms are equipped and upgraded before heading into the third location of that quest.
Fast Travel Using Spirit Mirrors
Mysteries #2 and #3 both take you back to Kiyomizu-dera Temple from Kyoto. Do not run the whole way – use the Spirit Mirror fast travel system to jump straight to the Nio-mon Gate or the central mirror in the Temple area. Check our Spirit Mirrors guide for how fast travel works if you have not fully unlocked the network yet.
Complete Them Before Starting NG+
If you are going for the Platinum and need to do a Carnage run, remember that Mysteries reset and do not carry over. Finish all 8 before you start NG+ so you are not repeating work. See our Platinum trophy roadmap for the most efficient order to tackle everything.
Related Guides
The Mysteries often send you into areas with tough enemies and bosses. These guides will help:
- How to Beat Dokyo – appears during Mystery #3
- How to Beat Byakue – appears during Mystery #5
- All Bosses Guide
- Mastering Combat – Issen, Parry, Deflect
- Combat and Controls Guide
- Soul Farming Guide – for upgrading Charms after completing Mysteries
- Tips and Tricks for Beginners
- Complete Collectibles Guide – All 273 Locations
Onimusha Way of the Sword is available on PC via Steam, PlayStation, and Xbox. For more on the game, visit the official Onimusha Way of the Sword site.
