Onimusha: Way of the Sword - Stout Pillar locations

Early on in Onimusha: Way of the Sword, you'll be tasked with finding three sentient idols that have been stolen from Hachidai Rikison Shrine in eastern Kyoto. These idols, dubbed the Stout Pillars, are hidden in different spots around the city, and you'll need to track them down in order to finish the "Careful What You Wish For" quest.

In this guide, we'll reveal the locations of the three Stout Pillars and tell you everything that you need to do in order to locate all of them and advance the quest.

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All Stout Pillar locations

You'll learn about the missing Stout Pillars when you reach Hachidai Rikison Shrine for the first time and investigate Yorimasa's monument. The approximate locations of each Stout Pillar are revealed on your map, so trekking to the general area where they're located is no problem. Finding them, however, takes a little bit of exploration.

Stout Pillar No. One

The first missing Pillar of three. | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Capcom

Stout Pillar No. One is a lonesome soul located on a pile of rubble far away from his brothers. You'll need to navigate through a house complex to reach him and climb a ladder into an attic, where a single Genma lurks. Dispatch the Genma (sneak up behind it to get off a smooth assassination) and crawl under the junk and other rafters of the attic to reach a courtyard.

The first Stout Pillar takes the most effort to find. Climb the ladder, then crawl through the blockage in the attic. Drop down into a courtyard and defeat the Genma in the area to safely grab the idol.

As you approach, you'll hear the Pillar moaning about its lonely state. Dropping down into the courtyard reveals that it's not so lonely, however - as a whole host of Genma emerge! Defeat them and then walk over to the roof rubble to pick up this little guy.

Stout Pillar No. Three

The second stolen Pillar. Dazzlingly beautiful, indeed! | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Capcom

Stout Pillar No. Three is in another courtyard laden with vases and boxes. Numerous Genma are lurking about the nearby buildings, and you'll need to fight your way to this location.

Don't let the Pillar's floating voice confuse you. Smash up the vases and it's yours. | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Capcom

When you step into the area, the Pillar remarks that it can't see a thing. It seems like its voice is coming from nowhere, but this is actually a hint that it's hidden in one of the vases. Smash 'em with your blade to free it from confinement.

Stout Pillar No. Seven

The final Pillar. This one's supposedly very gentle, but what's up with the "hear no evil" pose? | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Capcom

Stout Pillar No. Seven can be found above the ground on a rooftop. Reaching it requires you to ascend a ladder and walk across a bamboo walkway. You'll know that you're in the right place once you reach the vicinity of the area and hear the Stout Pillar remarking that it's so high up.

Head up the ladder as soon as you hear the Pillar moan about being too high above ground. | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Capcom

After finding all three Stout Pillars, return to Hachidai Rikison Shrine to reunite them with their brothers. Doing so will reveal a dark mass that's been polluting the area, as well as the secret behind why so many locals have been sacrificing their body parts at the shrine. Get ready for a boss fight!

That finishes up this guide on how to find all of the Stout Pillars in Onimusha: Way of the Sword and progress the "Careful What You Wish For" quest. This is just the beginning of Miyamoto Musashi's mission to master the powers of the Oni and defeat the fiends attacking Kyoto - for more help, check out our combat guides on how to parry and deflect and how to Issen. For the solution to another tricky puzzle, see our guide on how to solve the mask puzzle in the Underground Laboratory.