In Onimusha: Way of the Sword not only are your skills tested in combat and puzzle solving, but you also need to help certain NPCs during their quests. After wandering around Enma’s Hall as part of the Careful What You Wish For quest, you will find people who whisper about the magical powers of the Yasui Konpiragu Shrine. But what is alarming is Shizuka’s warning about what’s actually happening in the village.
This will set you off on a path to purify the shrine, and for that, you need to find three stolen Stout Pillars for the Hachidai Rikison shrine first. The objective might seem easy enough, but it actually isn’t. Plus, it doesn’t help that Shizuka’s tracker isn’t too accurate at locating all the pillars quickly. Since it will take a while to find them, here is a quick way to locate them all in no time.
How to Find the Hachidai Rikison Shrine
Just after triggering the Careful What You Wish For quest, you can check your map to find a quest marker towards Enma’s Hall. Go through the large wooden gates of the village to the next area and head up the path on your left. Defeat the Kubi Akarai along the way and keep going until your quest marker points at a person sitting in front of the hut.
Speak to the Calm Woman, who mentions the powers of the Yasui Konpiragu Shrine and suggests Musashi visit it as well. While the Malice from the shrine can be sensed from miles away, you still need to gather clues to figure out how to stop it from spreading. This will lead you to finding clues first, which will ultimately lead you to the missing statues at the Hachidai Rikison Shrine.
Gather Clues (2)
Head further up the path away from the Calm Woman and go through the Torii Gate on your left. The scenery will instantly transform, and you can speak to the Cheerful Old Timer in front of you. This will be your first clue. Then, go past the old man and head right towards the shack.
You will find two dolls with a red rope tying them together. This will be your second clue. After that, make your way to the shrine just opposite the shack and investigate the Yorimasa monument in front of it. Your next task is to make your way to the right, around the shrine, and check out the Hachidai Rikison shrine.
Finding the Stout Pillars
There were supposed to be 8 Stout Pillars, but only 5 pillars remain. This is where you need to find the remaining pillars and return them to the shrine to complete the task. I suggest not relying on the tracker for the exact location, but using it as a general direction for where you need to go.
Seventh Stout Pillar Location
Exit the Torii Gate and take a turn left. Enter the archway on your right leading into a house. Take the path on the left and go around the house until you find a ladder on your right. Climb up the ladder and pick up Stout Pillar No. Seven.
First Stout Pillar Location
Head back down the ladder and make your way back to the archway. A few enemies will burst through the walls of the house on your left. Get rid of them and enter the house. Go left and get up the ladder, then defeat the enemy up here. There will be a crawlspace just beyond the enemy; go through it, and you will find Stout Pillar No. One on top of the broken roof below.
Third Stout Pillar Location
Break the lock on the gate next to where you picked up the First Stout Pillar, then head left. Continue to go straight ahead until you find a clearing filled with bamboo shoots on your right. Follow this path and go left while following the quest marker. The path will soon turn right, then left. Keep an eye on the marker until you are taken to another archway that leads to another house. Take the left path and go around the house.
Optional: You will find a villager attacked by two genma enemies in front of the archway. Defeat them to save the villager and get a random reward.
Don’t forget to pick up the Lesser Defense Talisman on the ground here. Enter the doorway beyond where you picked up the talisman and open the door on your right. Fight off all the enemies in the room and take the exit on the left. As soon as you reach the clearing ahead, you will hear the voice of Stout Pillar No. Three. Break the large vase near the tree on your left to release the statue.
Return to the Hachidai Rikison shrine and return all the Stout Pillars to their rightful places, which will end this quest objective and start the next objective in the questline.
