Okuni's Kabuki Dance

Okuni's Kabuki Dance begins after To Live is to Suffer. Okuni wants to perform on the Kamo River sandbar, but the route leads through a corrupted festival area with two Rifts. You must clear both, destroy the Malice-emitting plant and finish the conversations after the performance.

This route covers the main task, its traversal puzzles and practical tactics for Byakue and Dohatsu-ten. Inputs use the displayed PlayStation bindings: Cross (×) for interactions, Square (□) for attacks and Circle (○) for evasion. Nearby independent stories and treasure collection are outside this route.

Speak with Okuni and reach the sandbar

Return inside Rokudo-chinnoji Temple and approach Okuni near the open side of the room. Finish the conversation until the objective becomes Head for the sandbar.

At a Spirit Mirror, choose Travel → Eastern Kyoto → Kamo River - East. From the destination mirror, round the thatched building and follow the bank with the river on your left and the long plaster wall on your right. Continue past the small thatched hut. If the floating enemies engage you here, clear them before continuing along the bank.

Find the stone lantern beside the steps down to the water. Descend and cross the low stone causeway through the shallows toward Okuni and the torch at the far end.

Select the image for a larger view.

Approach Okuni to continue the conversation. The following boat scene takes you to a wooden landing on the sandbar. When control returns in the corrupted area, check for Seal the Rifts — 0/2.

Open the first barrier in the lantern street

Follow the wooden landing into the street decorated with banners and lanterns. Defeat the Genma blocking the way. A ranged enemy attacks from the roof beside the red growth; use the ladder below the white cloth with a black character to reach that roof and deal with the threat.

Descend the ladder again and approach the pair of twisted faces with red strands stretched between them. Stand at Use Oni Power and hold Cross until Musashi tears the barrier apart. Keep holding through the progress ring; the strands remain visible during the early part of the action.

Select the image for a larger view.

Pass through the opened gap to the next street with tables, crates and ladders. Clear its enemies, then continue toward the far end. The narrow route directly into the large roots is blocked. Turn back to the red parasols and wooden scaffolding and take the adjacent narrow lane down toward the river, beneath the hanging lanterns.

The people by the water lead into another encounter. Deal with the enemies on the bank and use the bow against those beyond sword range: hold R2 to aim, then release it to shoot.

Follow the golden walls to the rooftops

At the water's edge, take the short steps onto the wooden deck beside the pavilion. Follow the deck along the cloth-covered wall to the golden surface above the water. Press Cross beside it to use Oni Agility and wall run to the opposite ledge.

Clear the enemies on the landing, then take the next golden wall around the bend. Land by the wooden steps and climb into the lantern-lined street.

Select the image for a larger view.

Continue past the rubble and handcart to the yard. Defeat the enemies, then climb the ladder against the side of the house. Cross the roofs and clear the rooftop enemies. Drop to the base of the tall wooden scaffold, where a second ladder climbs above the nearby rooftops.

Select the image for a larger view.

Climb that ladder, cross the sloping roof and continue onto the wooden walkway beneath the large root arch. Farther along, thick red threads block the passage.

Shoot the Weaver beneath the shed

From the red threads, turn back along the walkway and take the golden wall over the water to the side yard. Look beneath the low, dark shed roof: a red Weaver hangs from the ceiling.

Hold R2, aim at the hanging creature and release to shoot it. Killing the Weaver clears the threads on the route you just left.

Select the image for a larger view.

There is a Spirit Mirror in this side yard. Replenish before continuing, then return over the same golden wall. Go through the formerly blocked passage, follow the wooden walkway under the roots and use the next golden wall to reach the jetty.

Clear the enemies along the jetty. Continue through the banner posts into the narrow street beneath the first red Rift.

Defeat Byakue and absorb the first Rift

Clear the initial Genma around the Rift. If Musashi catches fire, the Dealing with Fire (Burning) tutorial gives the response: evade repeatedly with Circle to put it out.

Byakue — Hundred Defilements then appears. Keep its upper body and long blades in view. Its close-range swings can continue into further sweeps, so hold L1 to guard or evade with Circle, then take a short Square counter after the sequence ends. When it raises its blades for a downward strike, move out of the descending attack before trying to retaliate.

With Earth-Shakers equipped and enough Oni Power, use R1 during a recovery opening to damage its stamina. Absorb nearby blue souls with L2 when you have room. When a Square weak-point prompt appears, approach the exposed point and press Square for the attack.

Later, Byakue becomes heavily covered in red Malice and can spread red energy across the ground. Give that attack space rather than standing in the glowing area to finish a combo. Reset your position, heal when separated from its blades and resume short counters after its next attack ends.

When Byakue falls, the Rift remains. Approach the red sphere and hold L2 at Absorb Rift until it collapses. The roots blocking the exit disappear and the objective advances to 1/2.

Select the image for a larger view.

Cross the waterfront walls to the stage

Leave through the newly opened root passage and follow the street to the wooden flooring beside the tables and parasols. Continue along the waterfront deck to the next golden wall.

Use Cross to start wall running. Through this stretch, press Cross again to switch to a facing golden wall and keep progressing across the water. If a floating enemy attacks along the wall, L1 while wall running blocks; time the block just before impact to counter.

Select the image for a larger view.

Land on the wooden platform, round the corner and pass through the lantern-and-banner opening. This brings you to the stage and second Rift arena.

Defeat Dohatsu-ten and absorb the second Rift

Clear the first group of enemies at the stage. Dohatsu-ten — Heaven's Bane then joins the fight.

His sword attacks advance toward you and can continue through several slashes. Keep L1 held to guard, or hold L1 and press Cross just before a hit to Deflect. Stay ready for the next swing. Counter with a short Square string once he finishes the sequence and pulls back.

Use Earth-Shakers with R1 during the longer recovery windows to wear down his stamina, and take exposed Square weak-point attacks when their prompts appear. He can recover and resume attacking after a weak-point sequence, so prepare to defend again.

When his blades glow red and he prepares a ranged slash or a rushing attack, move sideways with Circle out of its path. Keep open ground behind you; retreating straight into the stage or root wall makes the follow-up harder to avoid. Heal after creating space, then face him again before he closes the distance.

After his health is depleted, approach the remaining red sphere and hold L2 at Absorb Rift. Wait for the sphere to disappear and the blocked path to open. The objective changes to Destroy the Malice-emitting plants.

Select the image for a larger view.

Destroy the plant beyond the stage

Stand in the arena facing the stage. Take the newly opened passage on the right of the stage, beside the banner post. Climb the stone path between the building and the large roots.

Continue around the building along the raised stone route. A chest sits beside the path, but your objective is the red plant core farther ahead. Approach the core and attack it with Square until it breaks.

Select the image for a larger view.

The resulting scene restores the festival area. Once control returns, the objective becomes Go and take a look at the stage.

Watch the performance and speak with Okuni on the bridge

Return along the lantern street. Take the stone path through the bannered red gateway beside the buildings, then continue toward the gathered audience. Approach the crowd in front of the colorful stage to begin Okuni's performance.

Select the image for a larger view.

After the performance and its conversation, the objective changes to Speak with Okuni. Follow the lantern-lined route onto the bridge, where she is standing beside two young sisters. Approach and finish their conversation.

Wait for Story Complete — Okuni's Kabuki Dance. The next task is The Demon on the Mount, beginning with Speak with Takamura. The bridge conversation finishes this story; the trip to Takamura belongs to the next one.