The Way of the Shamisen

Return to the Red Crane Inn and speak with Oyuki to begin the quest. Follow her upstairs, enter the hidden passage, and eavesdrop on Commander Fujita.

After Oyuki leaves, wait for the conversation to end, then enter Commander Fujita’s room. Read the letters until Oyuki reappears, then follow her out of the inn.

Mount your horse and follow Oyuki to the Nakajima Sake House. Inside, play a note on your shamisen, eavesdrop on patrons, and then head upstairs to talk to Chosuke.

Interact with sake bottles until you find the correct one to trigger a scene. Follow Chosuke outside for another scene, then ride with Oyuki to the Black Dye House.

Black Dye House Puzzle: Enter the smaller building uphill. You will find three wooden platforms with symbols. The left platform has the "left" symbol and points to the door. The right platform has the "right" symbol and points left. The middle platform has the "engage" symbol. Opposite the entrance are two pedestals and two fox statues. Place the fox statue furthest from the door on the left pedestal, and the closer statue on the right pedestal. Rotate the left platform so its arrow points left, and the right platform so its arrow points left. Interact with the middle platform to reveal a hidden passage.

Pit-Rope Puzzle: In the tunnels below the dye house, follow the linear path. Assassinate two guards to free the dye merchant. Loot the cells. Find a fox statue with the "right" symbol near a chasm. Rotate it to face right to deploy a rope and cross the pit.

Dead End Puzzle: Continue deeper into the tunnel. At a fork, the right passage is marked with the "death" symbol. Squeeze under the boulder to the left, marked with a "forward" symbol. After crawling under the boulder, pull down an obstruction with your grapple. Slide through a narrow cleft. At the next fork, continue forward, ignoring the right passage. Cross a beam over a pit, then turn right and jump and grapple across another pit. Use platforms to traverse another pit to reach the next puzzle area.

Cavern Building Puzzle: You will eventually drop down a ledge and reach another fork. The left path leads to a door with the "engage" symbol. The right path has stairs leading up with climbable ledges. Climb the ledges, being wary of Nine Nails enemies. Search the area for fox statues with symbols. Outside the building are four statues on pedestals with symbols. Ignore the leftmost statue with the "death" symbol. Focus on the other three:

A howling fox with its right leg raised.

A lying down fox.

A fox standing on all fours.

Find the corresponding fox statues throughout the chamber, noting the directional symbols on the walls behind them:

The lying fox statue is found by turning nearly 180 degrees left from the building. The "right" symbol is on the wall behind it.

Facing the building, turn left, go up the stairs, and follow the wall to your right to find the paw-up fox statue. The wall behind it has the "right" symbol.

From the building, turn right nearly 180 degrees to find a passage. Follow it to find the standing fox statue near a cell with a yellow light. The "left" symbol is on the wall.

Rotate the statues in front of the building to match the directions indicated by the symbols found:

Paw up fox statue: Right

Lying fox statue: Right

Standing fox statue: Left

Once all statues are facing the correct way, you can enter the building. After the scene, head to the tunnel ahead, grapple-pull a wall down, and return to the dye house for another scene. This quest will end, and the follow-up quest, Poison and Lies, will begin.