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Walkthrough

by forweg

      __                                                            
   .~'   `---.---                .'./'                            ,~--`-.--._
  |           _.-               / /.'                            |           |
   \_.--.__.-'                 |   |                              \_     _.~'
                              /   /        .--__                    `.  /
        _-'_                 /   /         \.   \                     \ |
    _.-'    `._             /  .'          /     \                    |/
  .'           `.         .' .'           /  /\   \                   //
 /    ._  .--`.  \          /   _.---.   /  _`--   \                  \\
/   .'  `'     \  \      / /_.-'      | /  / `---   \   .`-           ||
|   |          |  |     |           .'  \ /      \   \  |  \    .-_    |
|   |          |  |     /   .__.-'.   `. '        `-.\  /   |  /   \  \\
 \  `-______--'   |    /    |      \    \              /    \.'   /   ||
  \             _/  _.'    .'       `._.'             /  |\    /| |   ||
   `--.______.-' .-'      /                         .'  /  `--/ | |   ||
                /     _.-'                       .-'  _/        !.'   ||
                `-._.'                           `---'              .-' `-_.'
                                                                   |        ',
                                                                    \._  _-_/
                                                                       `'

(Thanks to 1337mangamaster for the art!)

.==========================================================================.
|Okami FAQ/Walkthrough                                                     |
|Author: forweg                                                            |
|Version: 1.05                                                             |
|Started: 11/28/06                                                         |
|Last Updated: 6/11/08                                                     |
|E-mail: [email protected]                                  |
|http://www.goozex.com/trading/asp/join.asp?idr=559496179505               |
.==========================================================================.

              .---------------------------------------------.
              |            Table of Contents                |
              .---------------------------------------------.
              |1. Intro                                     |
              |2. Controls                                  |
              |3. Game Basics                               |
              |4. Walkthrough                               |
              |  4.1 River of the Heavens                   |
              |  4.2 Kamiki Village                         |
              |  4.3 Shinshu Field (Cursed)                 |
              |  4.4 Hana Valley                            |
              |  4.5 Shinshu Field (Restored)               |
              |  4.6 Kamiki Village (Second Time)           |
              |  4.7 Agata Forest                           |
              |  4.8 Tsuta Ruins                            |
              |  4.9 Agata Forest (Post-Tsuta Ruins)        |
              |  4.10 Taka Pass                             |
              |  4.11 Kusa Village (Cursed)                 |
              |  4.12 The Cutters and Sasa Sanctuary        |
              |  4.13 Agata Forest (Return Trip)            |
              |  4.14 Shinshu Field (Return Trip)           |
              |  4.15 Kamiki Village (Return Trip)          |
              |  4.16 Gale Shrine                           |
              |  4.17 Kusa Village (Post-Gale Shrine)       |
              |  4.18 Taka Pass (Post-Gale Shrine)          |
              |  4.19 Full Moon                             |
              |  4.20 Moon Cave                             |
              |  4.21 Festival                              |
              |  4.22 City Checkpoint                       |
              |  4.23 Ryoshima Coast                        |
              |  4.24 Sei-an City (Cursed)                  |
              |  4.25 Sunken Ship                           |
              |  4.26 Imperial Palace                       |
              |  4.27 Sei-an City (Revived)                 |
              |  4.28 There and Back Again                  |
              |  4.29 North Ryoshima Coast                  |
              |  4.30 Catcall Tower                         |
              |  4.31 Sail On, Sail On                      |
              |  4.32 Watcher's Cape                        |
              |  4.33 Dragon Palace                         |
              |  4.34 Inside the Dragon                     |
              |  4.35 Betrayal                              |
              |  4.36 Oni Island                            |
              |  4.37 Northward Bound                       |
              |  4.38 Kamui                                 |
              |  4.39 Wep'keer                              |
              |  4.40 Ezofuji                               |
              |  4.41 Yoshpet                               |
              |  4.42 Ponc'tan                              |
              |  4.43 Inner Yoshpet                         |
              |  4.44 Spirit Gate                           |
              |  4.45 Wawku Shrine                          |
              |  4.46 Backtracking through Nippon           |
              |  4.47 Ark of Yamato                         |
              |5. Bonuses, Rankings, and New Game+          |
              |6. Side Quests                               |
              |  6.1 Wanted Lists                           |
              |  6.2 Guardian Statues                       |
              |  6.3 Blockhead Grande                       |
              |7. Celestial Brush Techniques                |
              |8. Bosses                                    |
              |9. Items                                     |
              |10. FAQ                                      |
              |11. Contact Info                             |
              |12. Version History                          |
              |13. Legal Garbage                            |
              |14. Credits                                  |
              -----------------------------------------------

Note: If you want to quickly find a certain section of the guide, use the
Find function (Ctrl+F). Then, enter the title of the section you're looking
for. For example, if you wish to find the Hana Valley section of the
walkthrough, enter "4.4 Hana Valley".

Also, if you wish to know the location of a specific stray bead, type the
number symbol (#) followed by that bead's number. For example, typing "#13"
leads to the location of Stray Bead #13.

============================================================================
                                1. Intro
============================================================================

Okami follows the dazzling adventures of the wolf/goddess Amaterasu through
the land of Nippon (Japanese for Japan). She is accompanied by a tiny green
sprite named Issun, who rides on her back. Issun can be somewhat compared to
Navi from Ocarina of Time, although he takes a much more central role in the
story. He is also the "voice" of Amaterasu in a sense, since she never
speaks.

The visuals of Okami seem to garner it more praise and attention than
anything else, and rightfully so. I know it sounds horribly cliched, but
they really do have to be seen to be believed. This CANNOT be called
cel-shading. It is something entirely unique.

Okami also seems to be frequently tagged as easy, perhaps too easy. I have
no clue where this comes from. Sure, it starts out rather light on the
difficulty, but the challenge level ramps up about a third of the way
through. Don't get me wrong, Okami is never insanely hard or anything, but I
certainly wouldn't call it easy either. In fact, I personally found it
harder than any 3D Zelda game.

Speaking of Zelda, I've often heard Okami called "the PS2 version of Zelda"
or "a Zelda clone". Puh-leeze. Where does this garbage come from? Sure, they
are both adventure games. Yeah, the player explores villages and dungeons in
both. Aside from minor or vague similarities, what else is there? Just stop.

(Little side-note: Amaterasu is featured in another PS2 game as well: Shin
Megami Tensei: Nocturne. She is portrayed as a floating woman with radiant
light surrounding her. Like with all of the "demons" in Nocturne, you can
fight her plus she can join you as an ally. She may be in other SMT games as
well, but I wouldn't know.

I adore Nocturne, so I just had to get a little plug in there. Both games do
feature mythology heavily.)

One more thing: Xenophobes and racists, steer clear. Just don't play the
game. You don't deserve to.

OK, enough rambling from me. Enjoy the game, and enjoy the guide!

============================================================================
                               2. Controls
============================================================================

X: Jump; Select on the menu screen
O: Talk; Examine things; Bark; Cancel on the menu screen
Square: Headbutt or dash; Attack; Paint with the Celestial Brush
Triangle: Dig; Bite something or someone; Use sub-weapon; Paint with thicker
strokes
Left Analog Stick: Walk or run; Move the cursor on the menu screen
Right Analog Stick: Control Camera
Control Pad: Move the cursor on the menu screen
L1: Press to change camera distance; Hold to change to first-person view
L2: Display Map
R1: Use Celestial Brush
R2: Use Fleetfoot skill (You must learn it first)
R3: Reset Camera
Select: Open Options Menu
Start: Open Fan Menu (which is basically the standard Pause Menu)

============================================================================
                             3. Game Basics
============================================================================

This section is going to be quite large, because there is just *so* much to
do in Okami!

                              .-------------.
                              | Exploration |
                              .-------------.

Okami's world of Nippon is a huge one, so you better be prepared for lots of
exploring.

Amaterasu will explore large, wide open plains, villages, dungeons and lots
of other areas. Many places will be blocked initially, and you'll either
need a special brush ability or a key or another item to enter them.

Like many modern adventure games, time progresses naturally in Okami. There
are many differences between day and night. People will appear in different
places, some animals may appear only during the day, and special places to
dig appear only at night.

You may sometimes grow weary of Ammy's slow trot. To speed up, press Square
to dash. Ammy will begin running much faster. Run a bit more, and she'll
break into a full sprint. This is handy for getting to places much more
quickly.

                                .---------.
                                | Jumping |
                                .---------.

Yep, even jumping gets its own section.

You start out with the regular jump, of course, plus a Wall Jump. To Wall
Jump, perform a normal jump by pressing X, then, while in contact with a
wall, press X to jump again. This allows you to jump twice as high as a
regular jump.

You also begin with the ability to jump, then press Square to dash in
mid-air. Doing this lets you reach slightly further distances. It doesn't
have an in-game name, so I'll call be calling it my own generic name: "Super
Jump". Creative, eh?

At a certain point in the game, you will have the opportunity to buy the
Double Jump (or "Holy Eagle", but meh, Double Jump is easier to remember,
right?). It is basically the same as the Wall Jump, except you don't need a
wall to use it. Plus, you can dash after the Double Jump too, so I'll call
that the "Super Double Jump".

                            .-----------------.
                            | Celestial Brush |
                            .-----------------.

The Celestial Brush is a very unique feature present in Okami. Hopefully you
will enjoy it, because you'll be using it quite often!

Press and hold the R1 button to freeze the world around you into a painting.
Press Square to paint with the brush, or Triangle for slightly thicker
strokes.

If you're ever stuck somewhere and don't know what to do, you most likely
need to use the Celestial Brush in some way.

                               .--------.
                               | Praise |
                               .--------. 

Ammy will earn Praise for doing good deeds. Feeding animals, blooming trees,
restoring decayed environments, destroying Devil Gates, and many more
activities will earn Praise.

Praise sort of serves as the "experience points" of Okami, although it isn't
earned in battle. Praise is used to power up your four Divine Attributes.
They are health, ink, the Astral Pouch, and the purse.

Enhancing health, ink pots, or the Astral Pouch increases the maximum number
of each of these things you can have. Enhancing the purse increases the
maximum amount of money you can hold.

                             .--------------.
                             | Astral Pouch |
                             .--------------.

The Astral Pouch is an odd little implementation of 1UPs. Amaterasu can fill
the Astral Pouch by eating various types of food. Most food fills it only
one unit, but some types of food can fill it by as much as five units.

When the Astral Pouch reaches 200, it serves as an "extra life". In other
words, if Amaterasu dies with the Astral Pouch at 200, she'll be revived
with full health.

You start out with only one Astral Pouch, but can obtain more by enhancing
the appropriate Divine Attribute.

                            .-----------------.
                            | Feeding Animals |
                            .-----------------.

Amaterasu will come across a wide variety of wildlife on her adventure. The
animals can be fed Seeds, Herbs, Meat, or Fish. These portions of food can
either be bought from merchants for 500 Yen, or they can be found in jars
or other such things. Most animals prefer only one of the four types of
food, although some like more than one.

Ammy will earn Praise for feeding animals. Usually, the bigger the animal,
the more Praise earned. You can also check the Animal Tome on the Fan Menu
to see what percentage of each type of animal you've fed. If 100% is reached
for all animal types, you will obtain a nice reward.

Plus, little hearts will appear over the animals' heads after they've been
fed. Yay!

                                .---------.
                                | Digging |
                                .---------.

Ammy can dig a hole in the ground by rapidly pressing Triangle. Lights
shining onto the ground indicate where you should dig.

White lights only appear at night and indicate that a treasure chest is
below the ground. Green lights will appear at any time and mean that a Lucky
Clover (Clover Studio shoutout!) is below the ground.

Lucky Clovers need to be restored using the Bloom brush technique. Once
restored, they'll give Ammy a bit of Praise.

                             .---------------.
                             | Sun Fragments |
                             .---------------.

If you're at all familiar with the Legend of Zelda series, you should know
what Heart Pieces are. Well, Sun Fragments are extremely similar. Collect
three Sun Fragment, and Amaterasu will gain a new unit of Solar Energy.

                              .-------------.
                              | Stray Beads |
                              .-------------.

If you collect all 100 stray beads, you'll receive a very nice prize at the
end of the game. Some of them are quite far off the beaten path, so it is
quite a difficult goal to accomplish, especially if you're not using a guide
like this one.

This is their only use. If you don't plan on obtaining all 100 stray beads,
then there is no use in getting even one.

                                .--------.
                                | Saving |
                                .--------.

Saving is performed in Okami by stepping on something called the Origin
Mirror. This is a circular object on the ground with light shining out of
it. The game itself advises you to keep multiple save files, and I would
generally recommend doing this as well. You never know when you might
need a previous save for some wacky reason.

Origin Mirrors also fully restore your health and ink.

                                .--------.
                                | Combat |
                                .--------.

The vast majority of non-boss combat takes place with Demon Scrolls. They
can be found wandering all over Nippon. If Amaterasu comes into contact with
a Demon Scroll, she'll be forced into combat with multiple foes in an
arena-like environment.

These battles don't earn you any Praise. The only reward for fighting them
is Yen. You can earn more bonus Yen by defeating enemies quickly, and taking
as little damage as possible.

The combat itself is generally rather easy against Demon Scroll foes. You
can escape from these battles by finding cracks in the surrounding barrier
and breaking them. You should never really need to escape, though, unless
you're really low on health or something.

Avoiding Demon Scrolls isn't difficult at all. You will indeed probably find
yourself avoiding them quite frequently, as there just isn't enough of a
reward to merit fighting them. I recommend only initiating combat with them
when you desperately need some money, want to try out a new weapon, or just
feel like fighting.

                         .-------------------------.
                         | Weapons and Sub-Weapons |
                         .-------------------------.

Amaterasu will find MANY different weapons over the course of her journey.
Generally, the later the weapons are found, the stronger they are.

Gold Dust can be used to power up weapons. It can only be used once on each
weapon.

Sub-weapons can also be equipped, and can be used in battle by pressing
Triangle. Each weapon serves a different purpose as a sub-weapon. Some shoot
ink bullets, some are used as shields etc.

                              .-------------.
                              | Devil Gates |
                              .-------------.

Devil Gates are small, crude constructions that simply look evil. If you
enter one of them, you'll have to fight a series of fiends. These battles
are only slightly more difficult than normal ones. After defeating all
enemies, the local environment will be restored, Ammy will earn some Praise,
and a group of animals will appear.

                              .-------------.
                              | Demon Fangs |
                              .-------------.

Demon Fangs can be used to trade with a few special merchants for some nice
items. There are two ways to acquire them.

After a monster dies, it will temporarily be suspended in the air before
dying. While it is in the air, use a Celestial Brush technique (There's an
excellent FAQ by theranmafan detailing this) on it to extract a Demon Fang.
Some, more powerful foes will hold more than one Demon Fang.

The other way to obtain them is screwing around with the loading screen. If
the screen is blank, rapidly tap X to make paws appear. Get enough, and
you'll receive your Demon Fang. If little paws start showing up at the
bottom of the screen, you need to press X just as they are about to appear
to make them bigger paws. Create a row of big paws, and the Demon Fang is
yours.

                                .---------.
                                | Godhood |
                                .---------.

Godhood acts as a shield, preventing Ammy from taking damage in battle.
Getting high combo counts (which are just consecutive attacks) or using
Traveler's Charms increases Godhood, while running from battles, taking
damage, drowning in water, or dying in cursed zones decreases Godhood.

The Godhood symbol appears at the lower-left corner of the screen during
combat only. A skull is the symbol for the negative Godhood level. The
positive levels appear as a wolf shape with a color surrounding it. From the
lowest to the highest, the colors are red, yellow, and green.

                            .-----------------.
                            | Mermaid Springs |
                            .-----------------.

Mermaid Spring allow you to teleport large distances instantly. A Mermaid
Spring is a small body of water with greenish-blueish light coming out. Toss
a Mermaid Coin into the spring to make the warp point appear.

Mermaid Coins can be bought from merchants for 1000 yen, but only after a
certain point in the game. Therefore, Mermaid Springs are not immediately
accessible.

============================================================================
                              4. Walkthrough
============================================================================

Yay, finally you were able to sift through all the crap to get to the good
stuff.

The purpose of this walkthrough is to provide a guide in getting through the
main game, while at the same time giving info on all possible bonuses and
side tasks. Collecting all stray beads, feeding all animals, obtaining all
unique treasures, etc.

I'll be including a handy checklist for every section of the game. These
checklists will consist of only the things that I consider important.

Things the checklists will include:

-Animals to feed (By the way, I'll be calling all animals "sets", even if it
is actually only one animal, for the sake of convenience.)
-Stray Beads
-Travel Guides
-Unique Treasures
-Rare, unique, or otherwise important items
-Divine Instruments (Weapons)
-Wanted Lists
-Devil Gates

Things the checklists won't include:

-Common items
-Common Treasures
-Maps
-Clovers
-Trees to bloom
-Miscellaneous Praise

This doesn't mean, however, that I won't include these things in the
walkthrough itself.

Lastly, if you see anything wrong with my walkthrough or anything missing
from it, don't be afraid to contact me! Spot a stray bead or animal(s) I
missed? Contact me! Find a common, crappy item or clover I missed? Contact
me! Notice a minor grammar or spelling error? Contact me! I can't stress
this enough.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Important: One more thing I need to say here, after receiving several
confused e-mails. I use compass directions throughout the walkthrough. When
I say east, I mean the actual direction on the map (hold L2). East does NOT
mean right.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                          4.1 River of the Heavens
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                      .------------------------------.
                      |River of the Heavens Checklist|
                      .------------------------------.
                      |*Astral Pouch                 |
                      |*Stray Bead #1                |
                      --------------------------------

Okami starts with a long, expository scene that explains the background of
the story. Yes, it may be a tad overly long, but if you plan on following
the story at all, you should pay attention. After a few more scenes, which
introduce Amaterasu, Issun, and Sakuya, you'll finally gain control. Go the
only way you can, through the light-filled opening. (Remember to try for
those Demon Fangs on the loading screens!)

Issun will explain some of the basic controls. This entire area is sort of
like a tutorial stage. After he's done, and after marvelling at the dazzling
environment around you, head forward towards the bridge. He'll start yapping
again, this time about Origin Mirrors, so go ahead and use this one to save.
I agree with Issun, you should keep at least two save files at all times,
just in case something goes wrong. Head on across the bridge.

Issun explains wall jumps. First, though, headbutt the jars in the area to
collect a bit of Yen. Now turn right, then north to find an unfenced area to
wall jump onto. Open the immediate treasure by headbutting it. Inside is a
Holy Bone S, the basic recovery item. Go north to a nearby broken bridge.
Issun fixes it for you, so cross.

On the other side, if you approach the stone sign, Issun will babble a bit
about the River of the Heavens. Ignore it for now, and go up the eastern
hill. A constellation shows up. Issun will explain how to use the Celestial
Brush, and commands you to fill in the missing star. Do so, it's very easy.
The god of restoration, Yomigami, appears to give you his power. Yippee!

Run down to the river, and fill it in using your new power. It helps if you
press Triangle (and press it hard!) to make thicker strokes. You'll still
probably need to fill it in multiple times. Once you're across, open the
obvious treasure chest to acquire the Astral Pouch. You can find food to
fill it with in some nearby jars. Proceed through the big, shiny opening.

You'll be at the base of a long, elevating pathway. Just follow the path
until you reach a bridge connecting the Fountain of Nagi, but don't cross
it yet. You see that big waterfall nearby? Well, swim to an alcove to the
right (east) of the waterfall. Open the treasure chest on the alcove for
your first bead (Stray Bead #1). Now you can cross the bridge. Continue
along the path, up the stairs, and into the Cave of Nagi.

After a bit of dialogue from Issun, head further into the cave. You should
notice that the big statue of Nagi's sword is broken. Come on, you should
know what to do. Fill it in using your Rejuvenation skillz! Ooh, another
constellation. Replace the one missing star again.

Tachigami, another god, will grant you the Power Slash technique. Issun
forces you to slash a boulder in half, so do it by drawing a straight,
horizontal line. After more Issun chatter, follow the magical arrow and
slash those wooden posts down.

Outside, run back down the stairs. You can cut down trees now, if you like.
Once you reach the bottom of the steps, you'll get your first dose of combat
with two Green Imps. They are laughably easy. Just slash 'em and kill 'em.
Oh, but make sure you Power Slash them while they're dying in mid-air to
glean some Demon Fangs. After you're done laughing at how pathetic they
were, head all the way back down the pathway until you get into another
fight, which is exactly same as the last one. Yep, just as easy. Proceed
through the door.

Back at the River of the Heavens area, simply swim across the river and go
all the way back through the big, light-filled door you entered at the start
of the game.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                             4.2 Kamiki Village
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                .------------------------------------------.
                |         Kamiki Village Checklist         |
                .------------------------------------------.
                |*Animals to Feed:                         |
                | *4 Sets of Sparrows (Seeds) (Day only)   |
                | *1 Set of Hares (Herbs)                  |
                | *1 Set of Dogs (Meat)                    |
                | *1 Set of Chickens (Seeds)               |
                |*Stray Bead #2                            |
                |*Rabbit Statue                            |
                --------------------------------------------

Once you're back out in Hell, Power Slash that fruit hanging from the big
tree. It makes Kamiki Village all purty again.

Advance down the hill. When you reach the intersection, you'll see a "stone
statue". Oh dear, we've all seen this in video games before. Choose the
left path and proceed until you reach the wooden deck stretching to the
left. Go onto the far end of it and Issun will make a little comment. Okay,
great. Now go back, choose the other path this time, and head into the
actual village.

Hmm, seems old Kamiki isn't quite fully restored after all. Don't bother
going into any houses or anything yet, there's no point. There's an Origin
Mirror at the far side of the village (across the bridge) if you want to
save. Examine a few of the stoned people (teh lolz!) and Issun will
recommend "going to a high place". Ugh, time to go back to the "sacred
deck".

Once you're there, Issun whines about there being no sun. If only a sun god
was around... Just draw a circle in the sky to make a WW2-era Japanese flag,
er, I mean the sun. Mr. Orange drops by to say some stuff, just when three
evil, vicious Green Imps attack! Nope, sorry guys, adding one to your
numbers still doesn't make you tough. Clobber those foos to earn your first
twenty Praise points.

Open the chest right in front of Ammy for a Feedbag (Seeds). And whaddya
know, a flock of sparrows are located right at the top of the nearby hill.
Feed them the seeds you just obtained to receive 5 Praise.

Run down the hill to the intersection. Talking to the guy in the weird mask
named Kumoso leads you into a fight. Be sure to fight his imps quickly
enough so that he congratulates you. It's important for later.

At about the starting point to the right (west) path, tilt the camera
upwards to see some wooden beams located below the deck where you met Mr.
Orange. Two treasure chests lie atop the beams.

The first one isn't too difficult to reach, but does take a bit of skill.
Wall jump off of the wall to the left of the beams, and onto a beam right
across from the lowest treasure. Then, perform a regular jump as far as
possible onto the beam with the treasure chest. Trust me, you will NOT go
too far (unless you accidently run off after reaching the beam). Open the
chest for Stray Bead #2. (Be careful not to fall off while opening it!)

Getting to the second chest is considerably harder. Get back to the first
beam you were on, the one across from the first chest. You need to wall jump
using the nearby mountain wall. The second jump needs to be directly back
from the first, to the beam right above the original beam. The reward this
time is Glass Beads.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Correction: There is actually a much, much easier way to open the two
mentioned chests. Simply Power Slash them from below. Thanks to a couple of
GameFAQs message board posters for informing me of this. I cannot remember
the names, sorry.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Progress into the actual village. You can play a little mini-game here in
the turnip field. Dig up a turnip, and Mushi's Mama will slowly come over
and try to beat you! Cover her with ink to delay her, and continue to dig up
turnips. You need to get all ten before either getting hit or leaving the
field. Pick up the last one and give it to Mushi, who is located to the
right of the field with his dog. He'll reward Ammy with 7 Praise.

You can now enter the houses on the other side of the street. There isn't
much in them, though, other than a bit of food and Yen. Talk to Kushi, who
is working in a field between two houses. Speak to her multiple times, and
she'll babble about Susano.

To the left of the village bridge Mrs. Orange is doing her laundry. Speak to
her a few times and she'll complain that her drying pole is missing. Well,
that looks like a perfect job for us. Draw a line connecting the two posts
and she'll hang the laundry. But now she whines that the sun isn't shining
brightly. Gee, hard to figure out what to do, eh? Make her a sun. She will
reward you with 7 Praise, plus she'll invite you to her house for some
cherry cakes at night. They really fill the old Astral Pouch.

Now cross the bridge, and continue along the path until you reach (what
would be) the village exit. Speak to the merchant trying to remove the giant
boulders, and a Red Imp, along with two of his green buddies, will attack!
Red Imps are slightly trickier than the green ones, because they'll often
block you with their instruments. Just Power Slash them when they do this,
though, and the Red Imps aren't much of a problem.

30 Praise, nice! Looks like you can enhance a Divine Attribute now. I
strongly suggest Solar Energy (health). The merchant will ask for you to
retrieve Susano. Let the magical arrow guide you to him (Go into his house,
break the big jar to the far right, and drop down into the basement).
Headbutt the buffoon and listen to his nonsense.

It seems Susano enjoys riding Ammy. Carry him back to the merchant by the
boulders for a scene. Follow the coward to his training ground behind his
house. He'll mumble something about sake, so go back and talk to Kushi, the
sake brewer, still working in her field. She's upset that her water mill is
broken.

The water mill is located a bit to the east of Kushi. Just use rejuvenation
to fill in the top half. Follow Kushi into her house (right beside the water
mill) and speak to her again. She'll offer Ammy some sake, so pick it up and
head back to Susano.

After he drinks his sake, talk to Susano again. Slash the dummies and the
rock with your brush right after Susano does the same with his sword. He'll
gain the courage to slash the boulders blocking the exit, so do the same
thing here. Susano takes all the credit for what you did. Get used to it,
you'll be dealing with this nuisance a lot. Sakuya shows up as well, and
marks some Gaurdian Saplings on your map.

You may now exit Kamiki and continue on your quest, but there's lots still
left to do in the village. First off, the merchant has opened up his shop
right beside the exit. Sell the Glass Beads if you got them, because
treasures never, ever have any other purpose than to be sold. Buy some
Feedbags. Buy at least 4 Seeds, 1 Herb, and one Meat. You don't need any
Fish for now.

We'll start out by feeding the animals in the village. Run a bit northwest
of the merchant stand to find some hares wandering around a plant-filled
area. Feed them herbs. Now go behind Susano's house to the right of his
training ground to find some sparrows. They like seeds, and also note that
sparrows appear only during the day.

Next, return to Mushi beside the turnip field and feed his dog some meat.
You'll also find some sparrows in the turnip field itself, so feed them too.
Now go directly west from the turnip field to find some chickens in between
two houses. Feed them seeds. Finally, go back to the intersection with the
weird mask guy to find more sparrows to feed. Whew, that's all the animals
in Kamiki Village.

Now I'll list the buried treasures, as well as other miscellaneous
treasures. Please remember, the buried ones only show up at night! They
appear as white lights shining down onto the ground. You need to dig them
up.

Important Note: I actually realized later that I was incorrect about this.
The buried treasures can be dug up at any time, but are just much easier to
see at night.

Traveler's Charm (Buried): Near Kumoso, at the intersection

Dragonfly Bead (Buried): Located on the turnip field

Wooden Bear (Buried): Located on the western island, away from the village

Dragonfly Bead: It's located on the same island, behind the big rock

Vase: Underwater, beside Kushi's field. Power Slash the chest to open it.

Glass Beads: Underwater, just north of the village bridge

Rabbit Statue: Underwater, right beside the Glass Beads

Coral Fragment: Inside Mr. and Mrs. Orange's house. (from Jennifer)

Okay, that's all there is to do in Kamiki for now. It may be a wise idea to
buy more feedbags before leaving, especially seeds. Exit the village.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                        4.3 Shinshu Field (Cursed)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                     .--------------------------------.
                     |Shinshu Field (Cursed) Checklist|
                     .--------------------------------.
                     |*Nothing yet                    |
                     ----------------------------------

This place is in bad shape right now. Don't step in the evil-looking areas,
because you'll die if you stay there long at all.

Advance down the linear pathway and Issun will comment on the pathetic state
of the Guardian Sapling in the area. Nothing can be done about it now,
though. Personally, I always try to avoid the Demon Scrolls wandering
around. The extra Yen just isn't worth the annoyance. Your choice, though.

When you reach an intersection of the path, go left (north). Just keep
following this path until you reach the Nameless Man's house. Talk to him if
you like, and continue across the little wooden bridge. On the other side,
turn left (northwest) into what looks like a big cave opening.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              4.4 Hana Valley
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

               .-------------------------------------------.              
               |           Hana Valley Checklist           |
               .-------------------------------------------.
               |*Animals to feed:                          |
               | *1 Set of Boars (Seeds)                   |
               | *1 Set of Boar Piglets (Seeds)            |
               | *1 Set of Monkeys (Anything but Herbs)    |
               |*Stray Bead #11                            |
               |*Sun Fragment                              |
               |*Travel Guide: Greensprout Tips            |
               |*Travel Guide: Digging Tips                |
               ---------------------------------------------

There's an Origin Mirror right there at the beginning, so save. Progress
down the linear path, pick up a Traveler's Charm from the chest, and cross
the log bridge. You'll find some imps partying. Kill the hooligans.

Head through the small tunnel, and on the other side you'll run into your
first Evil Tree. They throw fruit at you, which takes away some health.
Power Slash their fruit right back at them, and run by while they're
stunned. Continue along the path, fighting off more evil trees on the way,
and cross the long, wooden bridge.

Turn right at the junction to run into a Yellow Imp and friends. You have to
wait until he comes above ground to hurt him. Finish them off. Great, the
charming Susano is here, too. Examine the big mural to the north. Issun
points out that something is missing. Indeed. Draw a sun where the sun
should be in the picture. The path to Susano's hiding place opens.

Go the same way Susano did, wall jumping when necessary. Head into the room
with the tiny sapling. Nothing to do here yet, so cut down the posts barring
the western entrance. Enter, and save at the Origin Mirror. Advance further
to find Susano and a foul beast. Cut the four torches and the beast, just as
you did last time when dealing with Susano. Sweet justice, foul beast!

After Susano leaves, you should notice a crystal sphere. Roll it all the way
into the room with the tiny sapling. You should see a little pool of water
above and to the north of the sapling. Roll the sphere up one of the ramps
leading up there, and into the pool of water. It will begin elevating like a
fountain.

Go north as far as possible to see a small chunk of sky. Draw a sun there
and tada! the sapling grows, plus a constellation appears. Fill out the
constellation (two missing stars this time).

Sakigami grants you the power to Bloom. So, draw a circle around the
withered Guardian Sapling to restore the whole Hana Valley. Lotsa nice
Praise, too. Return through the south exit, and down the path to area with
the mural.

After disposing of some imps, feed the boar and boar piglets seeds. If you
don't have any seeds, remember to feed them later. Exit south, past the
waterfalls. As Issun advises, after stunning the Evil Trees, you may now
finish them off by Blooming them. Be sure to do so.

Continue along until you come across a gloomy patch of grass. Try fill most
of it in, but especially the darker black areas. You'll receive Travel
Guide: Greensprout Tips for your efforts. Ignore the bridge, and go north to
find an Evil Tree in the corner. Bloom it.

Now cross the bridge. Progress down the path, making sure you bloom all Evil
Trees AND all regular withered trees along the way. Beat down some imps
through the cave tunnel, and feed the monkeys that appear in their place.
Monkeys will eat anything but herbs. Be sure to bloom all of the trees in
this area, too.

"Super jump" over to the little western island. The chest contains Travel
Guide: Digging Tips. Now, dig up the area where the green light is shining
down and bloom the clover for some Praise. Also, remember to bloom the
solitary tree on this island.

When you bloom all of the trees, a chest will appear in the mural area. It's
quite easy to miss a tree or two, so let's review. Along with the four Evil
Trees, there are:

-2 trees near the entrance
-1 tree on the western island
-6 trees around the campfire
-3 trees along the pathway leading to the long, wooden bridge

Open the chest for a Sun Fragment.

Before leaving Hana Valley, there's one more important item to retrieve. At
night, go to the northern side of the cave tunnel to see a dig spot. Dig up
the chest and open it to receive Stray Bead #11.

There's also a clover across the river from the first Origin Mirror. It's on
the narrow eastern shore. Now we've picked Hana Valley clean, so leave.

From Tyrryal Faelad: "i noticed that in hana valley, there is one clover you
missed. It's like, after you cross the large wooden bridge and there's the
evil tree to your left, right behind the evil tree is a little...bump sort
of thing you can jump on, and there's a little cave/cliff if you double jump
up to it. It's just one clover but it's kinda cool scenery as you're above
like everything in the valley."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                       4.5 Shinshu Field (Restored)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                  .-------------------------------------.
                  | Shinshu Field (Restored) Checklist  |
                  .-------------------------------------.
                  |*Animals to feed:                    |
                  | *3 Sets of Hares                    |
                  | *1 Set of Horses (Herbs)            |
                  | *1 Set of Pigs (Seeds)              |
                  | *2 Sets of Boar Piglets             |
                  | *1 Set of Boars                     |
                  | *1 Set of Sparrows                  |
                  |*Stray Bead #5                       |
                  |*Stray Bead #6                       |
                  |*Stray Bead #7                       |
                  |*Stray Bead #8                       |
                  |*Shinshu Field Wanted List           |
                  |*Rat Statue                          |
                  |*Travel Guide: Fleeing Battle        |
                  |*Travel Guide: Legend of Orochi      |
                  |*Travel Guide: Feeding               |
                  |*4 Devil Gates to destroy            |
                  ---------------------------------------

(Before I begin this section, I'd like to note that you'll almost certainly
notice some statues around Shinshu Field. Issun will suggest making an
offering to them. You *cannot* do anything with them yet. Wait until later
in the game.)

Well, Shinshu Field isn't quite restored yet, but it will be soon. Issun
points out the (mostly) useless journal. Make your way back to the dead
Shinshu Field sapling. Bloom it for more nature power! As Issey Ogata says,
it's time to explore Shinshu Field. Obviously, open the chest right in front
of the revived sapling for Travel Guide: Fleeing Battle. Also note an Origin
Mirror that shows up near the tree.

Shinshu Field is a very large area, and there's quite a bit to do here.
You'll be feeding many animals, so buy a decent amount of feedbags from the
merchant just southwest of the Guardian Sapling, especially focusing on
seeds and herbs. Sell your treasures while you're there.

I'm going to start covering tasks around the Nameless Man and go sort of
clockwise around the map. Be sure you start beside him as well.

First, cross the bridge to encounter a Devil Gate. Enter it and kill a pack
of Red and Green Imps inside to restore the area. Feed the hares that appear
on the hill between the houses. Also, just past the left (west) house is a
buried treasure in the corner. Grab Stray Bead #8 inside.

Now go past the houses east along the new path and you'll run into Ida. He
takes your Traveler's Charm and rewards you with some Praise. Next, turn
southwest off of the path and run along the river edge (behind the sapling)
until you reach another Devil Gate. All three Imp varieties in this one.

After the gate is destroyed, feed the hares that show up in its place. Just
south of this area, up past a little ledge, is a buried treasure with Stray
Bead #7 inside.

Go directly east to find a buried Clover. Wall jump up the wall directly
beside the Clover to find some more hares to feed. From the hares, follow
the southern path until you reach a sign that reads "To Pyrotechnist's
House". Go the direction the sign indicates, down the bridge. At the bottom,
a Dead Fish blocks the way. Power Slash it to knock it down, and pummel it
on the ground.

Tama the pyrotechnist's house is down here. Right in front of his house is a
chest containing Travel Guide: Legend of Orochi. If it's currently daytime,
feed some sparrows just west of Tama's house. You must wait until night to
gain entrance to Tama's residence. When you can, go ahead and enter.

Make note of the design on the far wall before speaking to Tama. Talk to him
a few times and he'll throw some explosives into a pot. Mimic the design on
the wall with your brush, which is a circle with a small slash through the
upper-right corner. Appreciate the purty fireworks and fill in the two
missing stars on the constellation. Bakugami gives ya Cherry Bomb.

Cherry Bomb the cracked wall Issun points out. The chest inside contains Rat
Statue. Now head back up the upwards, stairs-like bridge, and then across
the normal bridge. Go left down the steep path, just past the stone sign
that says "Lake Harami".

When you reach the bottom, make an immediate U-turn right (southwest). At
the end of this little path is a buried treasure. Dig it up for Stray Bead
#5.

Turn back and enter the close-by Moon Shrine. Speak to Priest Mika inside.
He gives Ammy a wanted list of monsters. Exit the shrine. Outside, you'll
automatically run into Toya of the Short Temper, so kill him. Go ahead and
cross out Mr. Short Temper.

You *could* hunt the other four wanted monsters of Shinshu Field now, but I
strongly advise you to wait until later in the game when it becomes much
easier with a new brush technique. Remember, they only appear at night.

While you're here, go down the narrow strip of land to a new area. Issun
is surprised that the Moon Cave isn't here. Continue along the linear path
and intentionally run into the purple barrier. Looks like you can't get in.
Okay...

Exit this evil-looking place and Issun will say it's time to head back to
Kamiki Village. Yeah right, bug. There's still more to do in Shinshu Field.

Moving on, head back up the steep path. From here, run straight ahead (west)
and to the Dojo. Ignore the Dojo itself for now, and go behind it to find a
buried treasure. Stray Bead #6 waits inside.

Go back in front of the Dojo to find a Devil Gate. Kill the yellow and green
imps to eradicate it and reveal some pigs beside the dojo. Feed them, of
course. Now you can finally enter the dojo.

Inside, talk to yet another annoying Okami character, Onigiri Sensei.
He can teach Amaterasu new techniques. The bottom two are unavailable for
now (most likely). If you can afford both Fleetfoot and 4 Winds, then I
recommend buying both. If you can only afford one, though, get 4 Winds. By
the way, when the Sensei is teaching you the new techniques, you don't
actually have to wait until he says it's okay to leave. You can leave at any
time after performing them at least once.

Back outside the dojo, run straight ahead, just past the training equipment,
to find some horses to feed. Now make your way back to the gate leading down
to the Moon Shrine, but don't go down there. Go southwest, past the gate, to
find a sign that says "Agata Forest Port".

Open the chest beside the sign for Travel Guide: Feeding. Right beside this
is a group of boar piglets and boars to feed. On the other side of the little
pond is some gloomy grass to restore. Cherry Bomb the crack that appears in
the ground to find a chest containing Coral Fragment.

There's nothing left to do in this little area, so head down the winding
path past the dojo (the one leading back to Kamiki). A Devil Gate in between
Kamiki and the Guardian Sapling stands out obviously. As usual, murder the
imps inside to destroy it. A treasure chest appears in the middle of an odd
circle, so open it to receive a Vengeance Slip.

From where you're standing, you should see a patch of gloomy grass to the
north, so hightail it over there and clean it up. Feed the boar piglets that
show up.

Here is a listing of miscellaneous goodies that I didn't feel were important
enough to include in the walkthrough:

Vase (Buried): Right beside a dock of the big lake, on the same side Tama's
house is on.

Clover: Down a little path directly behind the merchant

Wooden Bear (Buried): Just west of the above clover

Traveler's Charm: Right behind the Guardian Sapling

Exorcism Slip S: Inside of a cracked wall to the far east

Whew, finally done with Shinshu Field! Now it's time to get your buttocks
back to Kamiki Village.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                     4.6 Kamiki Village (Second Time)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                 .---------------------------------------.
                 |Kamiki Village (Second Time) Checklist |
                 .---------------------------------------.
                 |*Stray Bead #3                         |
                 |*Sun Fragment                          |
                 -----------------------------------------

Hmm, seems the village is bustling again. If you haven't saved in a while,
then of course do so. Near the Origin Mirror a dancing Kumoso (weird mask
guy) will basically inform you that you need to bloom all 15 of the trees in
the village. He'll also keep track of how many you have left, so talk to him
when you want to know. Start out by blooming the tree right beside him.

The location of the remaining fourteen trees will be provided on this handy
list below.

-1 to the left of Susano's house
-2 near Mrs. Orange's laundry pole
-3 mixed in with the main line of houses
-4 up the winding path to where Kumoso usually stands
-4 by the little pond near Mr. Orange's sacred deck

When you bloom all fifteen, and you should know by the dramatic change in
music, go up and talk to Mr. Orange on his sacred deck. Bloom the blossoms
on the tree. It can actually be mildly difficult if you're not good at
making circles.

Sakuya joins the party to give Ammy some free praise. Plus, another
constellation shows up. Two missing stars again on this one. Hasugami awards
Ammy the Water Lily brush stroke.

Do as Issun says, and draw some circles on the water to make lily pads.
Issey interrupts to mark a spot on the map. After he shuts up, "super jump"
to the treasure and open it for a Sun Fragment.

There's a further island past the one you're standing on. Make several lily
pads in the water to reach it. An obvious clover is buried in front of the
big rock, while there are two buried treasures right beside the clover. One
contains Stray Bead #3, the other an Inkfinity Stone. Nice loot.

Head back to the mainland and go to where Sakuya and her Guardian Sapling
are located, which is the north-most part of the village. After the
dialogue, cut down her Guardian Fruit to receive a Bull Horn. As Sakuya
explained, you can come back here for a new fruit each time you revive a
Guardian Sapling. They never disappear or anything, though, so it isn't
urgent.

You may want to stock up on more Feedbags before leaving. Personally, I
always try to keep at least ten units of seeds, meat, and herbs, while maybe
five units of fish. When you're ready, exit Kamiki Village.

Back out on Shinshu Field, go to the area Issun marked on the map. It's near
the dojo, in the southwest corner. Make a long line of lily pads down
through the water tunnel. When you reach the cracked wall at the other end,
do what you always do to cracked walls. Cherry Bomb it and head into the new
land.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              4.7 Agata Forest
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

              .---------------------------------------------.
              |           Agata Forest Checklist            |
              .---------------------------------------------.
              |*Animals to feed:                            |
              | *3 Sets of Hares                            |
              | *5 Sets of Deer (Herbs)                     |
              | *1 Set of Monkeys                           |
              | *2 Sets of Sparrows                         |
              | *1 Set of Nightingales (Seeds) (Day only)   |
              |*Stray Bead #12                              |
              |*Stray Bead #13                              |
              |*Stray Bead #14                              |
              |*Divine Instrument: Devout Beads             |
              |*2 Gold Dusts (Must be bought)               |
              |*2 Devil Gates to destroy                    |
              |*Travel Guide: Battle Tips                   |
              |*Travel Guide: Enhancing Weapons             |
              -----------------------------------------------

This place is cursed, too. :(

Run down the narrow ledge and take the left (southwest) stairs down to a
beach. Go into the cave to the right (west). Ignore those flaaaaaming
treasures, they can't be opened now, and use the Origin Mirror to save. Now
enter the lone house down here.

Inside, open the chest for Stray Bead #12. The fortune teller, Madame Fawn,
resides here. She'll give you vague hints about what to do next at any time
for 500 Yen. Kinda pointless when you have this sucker you're reading right
now, huh? Exit back out to Agata Forest.

Go the direction directly opposite of Madame Fawn's place, which is east, to
find a very narrow ledge alongside a body of water. Run along this ledge
until you find a small cave behind a waterfall. Enter and Cherry Bomb the
cracked wall inside. Ah, there's that pesky sapling. Naturally, bloom it.
Captain Planet!

Open the chest to obtain Devout Beads. Issun gives an explanation about
weapons and sub-weapons. I suggest equipping Devout Beads as your main and
Divine Retribution as your sub. There are some hares to feed to the right of
the sapling and a clover lies behind it.

Exit the cave and swim or hop south a bit to run into *another* major
annoyance, Waka. No, he doesn't have a Jamaican accent. Uh oh, this Waka may
not be so friendly...

****************************************************************************
*                                Boss: Waka                                *
*                                                                          *
* Yen Earned: 2000                                                         *
*                                                                          *
* Waka will occasionally either try a combo or charge attack with his      *
* sword, Pillow Talk, but most frequently fires little red daggers(?) as   *
* projectiles. Don't let Waka get close enough to use Pillow Talk. Always  *
* keep your distance, so that Waka is continuously throwing his daggers.   *
*                                                                          *
* The trick to winning this battle easily is Power Slashing his daggers    *
* back at him. He'll fall down, stunned for a few moments, giving you free *
* reign to beat him madly. This strategy pretty much makes Waka a          *
* cakewalk.                                                                *
*                                                                          *
* One more thing: Try to keep both yourself and Waka on the central        *
* island. It's hard to maneuver in the water.                              *
****************************************************************************

After the battle, Waka chats about Orochi and prophecizes a truly horrifying
future event: "a log and big thrills". Ugh, I shudder just thinking about
it.

Anyway, it's time to explore Agata Forest. This is another sizable area,
although maybe not quite as large as Shinshu. From the island you're
standing, jump west to another island with a big tree. You'll find a Giant
Bud. Bloom it to receive Glass Beads.

Hop south to a bigger island with two Giant Buds. They contain Holy Bone S
and Lacquerware Set. Just west of this island is yet another island with a
Giant Bud. The prize this time is Coral Fragment. On the southwestern most
island is *yet another* Giant Bud, this one containing Steel Fist Sake.

Now head to southeastern most island and talk to the boy in the rabbit ears.
(Hey, he reminds me of Gummo. I'm sure nobody reading this has any idea of
what that is. Okay, I'll shut up now.) His name is Kokari, and his dog Ume
is apparently missing in Tsuta Ruins. Talk to him until he starts crying,
then give him a good headbutt.

Thus begins the fishing mini-game. The game explains things just fine, I
don't really think my input is needed here. When you catch two of the small
fish swimming around a bigger one shows up alone. Reel it on in. The Giant
Salmon spits out the Ruins Key. Just drop it and let Kokari steal it, we'll
return to take it back later.

Now it's time to complete all of the various tasks in Agata Forest. Return
to Madame Fawn's to find some hares to feed beside her house. Exit the cave
and go up the nearby stairs.

Take the western path until you come across a merchant. Do any business you
like with him (I recommend buying at least one Gold Dust), and take the
northern path leading upwards. Hitoshio Spring is at the top. Feed the deer
standing to the right of the big tree behind Hitoshio Spring.

There's also an easier path leading back to Shinshu Field up here, but you
certainly don't want to go back there now, so return to the merchant.

East of the merchant is Kokari's father, Karude, to speak to, and a Devil
Gate near him. Slaughter the Dead Fish and Yellow Imp to reveal some monkeys
for you to feed. Near them is a Giant Bud with an Inkfinity Stone inside.

Now go south until you come across a fenced path with some signs at the
entrance. At the beginning of this path are some sparrows to feed. If you go
further down the path you'll just find a broken bridge you can't do anything
about right now.

Just south of the fenced path is a chest containing Travel Guide: Battle
Tips, plus the fang trader, Kiba. This guy will trade you items for your
Demon Fangs.

I strongly recommend not trading for anything until you save up fifty Demon
Fangs to get the Golden Lucky Cat. It's a very useful item that works like a
magnet in attracting goodies to Ammy. Of course, it's possible that you may
have fifty Demon Fangs already, so if that's the case, buy the Golden Lucky
Cat and don't forget to equip it!

Head southeast from the fang trader to find some deer to feed, and continue
along the same way to find more deer. Further along, again in the same
direction, is Susano, and just past him is a Devil Gate. Annihilate the imps
inside to make some sparrows appear.

Past this point are yet more deer to feed, plus a chest with Travel Guide:
Enhancing Weapons. The entrance to Tsuta Ruins is also located here, but we
aren't entering just yet.

North of Tsuta Ruins are, believe it or not, yet more deer to feed. Continue
north until you come to a ledge to your right. U-turn onto it. Up here,
you'll find a buried treasure with Stray Bead #14, plus a cracked wall you
can Cherry Bomb. Unfortunately, nothing can be done in there yet.

Go back down to the lower level and west a bit and you'll see a house. Go
behind the house to find a buried treasure with Stray Bead #13, with a group
of Nightingales back there as well. There's nothing interesting in the abode
itself other than some food.

A bit north of the house is a dead patch of grass to restore, which in turn
makes some hares appear. Right beside them are two Giant Buds containing
Exorcism Slip S and Wooden Bear.

The only other two random treasures I've found around Agata Forest so far
are...

Dragonfly Bead (Buried): Beside the small set of step leading down to Madame
Fawn's cave

Steel Soul Sake (Buried): On one of the middle islands in the water

Lizbeth Ulrey e-mailed me another one:

"I just wanted to let you know that I've found something you missed. In
Agata Forest, by the Hitoshio Spring, you can go behind the waterfall. Make
a path using lilly pads and there's a small cave back there. There's some
bad land you have to revive, and then you get a giant bud with an incence
burner inside."

...And you're *finally* ready to enter Tsuta Ruins, so go snatch that key
back from Kokari! Remember, he's on the southeast most island of the chain
of them. Headbutt him to dislodge it. Once you have the key, head southeast
and enter Tsuta Ruins!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              4.8 Tsuta Ruins
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                 .----------------------------------------.
                 |         Tsuta Ruins Checklist          |
                 .----------------------------------------.
                 |*Divine Instrument: Snarling Beast      |
                 |*Stray Bead #18                         |
                 |*Stray Bead #19                         |
                 |*Stray Bead #20                         |
                 |*Travel Guide: Enhancing Divinity       |
                 |*Travel Guide: Godhood Tips             |
                 |*3 Devil Gates to destroy               |
                 ------------------------------------------

As Issun warns, the water in here is nasty. Don't jump in if you don't wanna
get hurt. Near the entrance is an Origin Mirror, so go ahead and save.

Right at the beginning is a junction, with paths leading left and right. The
left (west) path leads to a dead end, though, so take the right (east) one.
Open the impossible to miss chest and Giant Bud to obtain Travel Guide:
Enhancing Divinity and Traveler's Charm. There's another Giant Bud further
along (past an Evil Tree) with a Steel Soul Sake inside. Progress into the
new room.

There are two Evil Trees to fight off in here. The one on the tall island
has a clover beside it. Continue east, through another door.

Run along the linear pathway, grab the Incense Burner from the Giant Bud,
and wall jump up to a higher level. Look back from where you just came and
you will see a path of high, narrow walkways. A clover is waiting at the end
of them.

Go back to the body of water and cross it using lily pads to reach northern
land. A "round stone" is perched on top of a hill. Bloom the Giant Bud to
the left of it for a Steel Fist Sake. Now go down the hill to meet a new
foe, Bud Ogre. Beat it until a circle appears around the bud, then bloom the
bud. Attack the exposed core to finish off the Bud Ogre.

The sphere changes colors and is now moveable. Push it down onto the switch
at the bottom of the hill. A door in the vicinity will open and stay open,
so head on through.

This time, two Bud Ogres ambush. Rinse and repeat. If they give you trouble,
try Power Slashing their fruit back at them. A large log appears in their
place. Examine it and Issun will pine for some sunshine. Obey thy master.

Whoa, dem's some big mushrooms. Use them as platforms to reach a higher
plane. Cherry Bomb the cracked wall up here, and run down a long, linear
path through a cave and across a bridge. You'll come across a long, elevated
pathway.

That punk Issun sneezes, and the walkway starts crumbling from behind. Dash
and run, run, run without ever stopping and you should make it. Advance
further to find an odd eye (well, I don't mean Oddeye from Shining Force 2)
hanging from a door. This is called a Lockjaw, and is basically a locked
door you need a key for.

Just take a leap right off the edge of the platform. Introduce yourself to
Blockhead. When he's finished, tackle him. His body will flash momentarily
and two dots will appear in succession. Reproduce the dots with your brush
in the order they appeared. Blockhead crumbles, and an Exercising Arrow
appears, which serves as the key you need.

Go up some platforms to the east, then go across viny logs leading upwards.
On the third ledge between the logs stands a black wall behind some statues.
Cherry Bomb it to reveal Stray Bead #18 inside of a bud.

Continue up the logs and stab the eye. It looks pretty gross. Inside the new
room is a Giant Bud containing Exorcism Slip S, plus a lonely, wandering
Demon Scroll. Head east to find a broken bridge. Rejuvenate it, honeydoll.

On the other side, save at the much-needed Origin Mirror. Jump up a few
levels north of the Origin Mirror to find a clover on a ledge. Return to
where you were and go through the eastern door.

In this room, destroy the three Devil Gates surrounding the central mound.
There are also a couple of buds containing Holy Bone S and Lacquerware Set
to the north of the room.

When the Devil Gates are gone, another 'shroomy log appears on the mound.
Make another sun in the sky and the mushrooms shall grow again. Use them to
leap up to a higher level, and run along the ledge to find some gnarly,
poison-spouting statues. Headbutt these evil fiends to clean up the water.
Just behind the statues is the Tsuta Ruins Map, by the way.

Take a dive into the water and down the waterfall. As soon as you fall down
to the base of the waterfall, turn around and swim into it to find a small
alcove. Cherry Bomb the wall and grab Stray Bead #19 from the bud inside.
Now return to the unpolluted water and continue swimming down the stream,
occasionally using lily pads to prevent drowning.

You'll wind up back in the starting room of Tsuta Ruins. Now you can go down
the left (western) path to find two close-by islands in the water. One is
home to an Evil Tree and a clover, the other has an Exorcism Slip S inside
of a bud.

Go back to the entrance of the entire Tsuta Ruins, and you should see some
newly formed islands to the north. Hop across them to the big, shiny light.

Inside, cheer up the three patches of gloomy grass to reveal a new
constellation. Fill in the two missing stars. Tsuta, the final flora god,
gives Ammy the power of Vine (creative title, eh?). Draw a line from the
Konohana Blossom to Ammy's body to pull her up to it.

If you want to collect another stray bead, I actually recommend you to stop
what you're doing right now and go all the way back to the room where you
had to roll the ball down the hill. It's really not as bothersome as it may
seem. As soon as you enter the room, look up to see a Konohana Blossom. Drag
yourself up there to reach an elevated pathway.

Go north to find Stray Bead #20 inside of a bud. Turn back and head south
from the Blossom to find a clover.

A mysterious Vase also appears on the eastern side of the large beginning
room.

Okay, time to head back where you were, the room with all the blossoms. Pull
Ammy from blossom to blossom, higher and higher, until you come to a door
leading to a new room.

Ignore the first two blossoms in here, and pull Ammy up to the third one you
come across. Now keep pulling Ammy to progressively higher blossoms and
eventually you'll reach a weird structure. Pull vines from each of the four
surrounding blossoms and attach them to the four yellow hooks. Jump into the
bottomless hole. Is Amaterasu's real name James Sunderland?

Be sure to save down here. Smash the one hundred million statues for food
and Yen if you want. Go down the long, northern path, which is the only way
you can go. Open the two obvious chests for Holy Bone S and Travel Guide:
Godhood Tips. Up the steps and through the Golden Gate we go. Uh oh, I hope
nobody playing Okami has arachnophobia...

****************************************************************************
*                          Boss: Spider Queen                              *
*                                                                          *
* Yen Earned: 5000                                                         *
*                                                                          *
* The Spider Queen has three offensive attacks that I know of. She'll hurl *
* several strands of webbing, throw purple spheres, or melee attack with   *
* her legs up close. All of these are easy to avoid by employing an        *
* incredibly simple strategy: Constantly run around her and never stop     *
* moving.                                                                  *
*                                                                          *
* How to damage the Spider Queen, you ask? Well, she has four small hooks  *
* located on her posterior. Attach two vines from the surrounding Konohana *
* Blossoms to her hooks to make her "open up". Smash the revealed eyeballs *
* as fast as you can before she recovers. Watch out, though, because you   *
* will get hurt if you're still inside of her when she closes back up.     *
* (Geez, this is starting to sound dirty.)                                 *
*                                                                          *
* Also, occasionally an odd brown thing will appear on top of the Spider   *
* Queen. Power Slash it to stun her. This just makes it easier to connect  *
* the vines to her hooks.                                                  *
*                                                                          *
* Destroy all of the eyeballs to vanquish the beauty. Overall, a long, but *
* not very difficult battle.                                               *
****************************************************************************

Snarling Beast is yours.

"But first", said Issun, doing his best Julie Chen impression.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                      4.9 Agata Forest (Post-Tsuta Ruins)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                .-----------------------------------------.
                |Agata Forest (Post-Tsuta Ruins) Checklist|
                .-----------------------------------------.
                |*Animals to feed:                        |
                | *1 Set of Dogs                          |
                | *1 Set of Hares                         |
                |*Stray Bead #15                          |
                |*Stray Bead #16                          |
                |*Travel Guide: Ink Bullet Tips           |
                -------------------------------------------

After Kokari and Ume leave, head for the small chain of islands. All of the
Giant Buds have been replenished for some reason, so you can take their loot
again. Tilt the camera up to spot Konohana Blossoms in the air above the
islands. An eastern one leads to Bull Horn, while a western one leads to
Stray Bead #15.

Head further north now, up to the Hitoshio Spring. It's in the northwest
corner of the map, if you forgot. Look up to the top of the tree spitting
out water. Vine up using the Konohana Blossom and open the chest to obtain
Stray Bead #16. (It's easier to Vine up from the right side.)

Now it's time to follow Kokari and Ume to the broken bridge. It's located to
the far south. Here, you'll be introduced to quite possibly the worst
mini-game in video game history.

You'll be atop a tree trunk rapidly flowing down a river. Your goal is to
connect all six of the hooks on the log to Konohana Blossoms on the river
banks. You are given three minutes to accomplish the objective. There are
several problems with this.

First of all, the blossoms go by so ridiculously fast that it is extremely
difficult to react in time to freeze them on the canvas. But much worse, the
STUPID vines don't usually connect to the STUPID ****ing hooks, even if you
put them RIGHT ON ****ING TARGET!

Honestly, I love the vast majority of Okami, but this part is just horrid,
wretched, disgusting design.

...Well, that was my rant before I discovered a much easier method in
getting through this. Just drag the vines to the vicinity of the hooks and
they will automatically be magnetized to the right spot. In other words,
just let the game do the work for you. I wish I had known this my first time
through.

Andrew e-mailed me a better description, although this is basically what I
meant:

"You mention that you can just draw the line into the vicinity of the 
hooks... well, I tried that, just letting the lines fall near the hooks.. 
and ya, no go. I think I get what you're trying to say, but I noticed the 
real trick behind it, and it could be described better, perhaps.
 
Seems to me the real catch is that the Celestial Brush is actually kinda 
"smart", as in - it knows what abilities can be used where and what the 
obvious targets are, and changes accordingly. Where you can perform the the 
floral abilities, like Vines and stuff, and over ground that can be Bloomed 
or where you can sprout trees/flowers, the brush gives off green "holy 
smoke". (hehe...)
 
After failing badly a few times on the log sequence, I found all I had to do 
was whip the brush out at the right moment while passing one of the Konohana 
blossoms, then drag it from the blossom (the brush will smoke green over it 
when you're at the right spot) in a neat line over to one of the hooks, and 
stop it where the green smoke re-appears, indicating that the end-point of 
the technique is a valid target, so to speak.
 
Worked like a charm each time and finished the sequence as soon as I noticed 
that. The trick is just to pay attention to where you can use the technique 
by watching for the green smoke.
 
Maybe that's what you meant, but in case you hadn't noticed it that way, 
hopefully that'll help."

After that ordeal is over, a log bridge will form, allowing you passage to
new lands. First, though, feed Ume. Now cross the bridge and feed the hares
on the other side. Open the chest to receive Travel Guide: Ink Bullet Tips,
and head south to Taka Pass.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              4.10 Taka Pass
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                     .------------------------------.
                     |     Taka Pass Checklist      |
                     .------------------------------.
                     |*Animals to feed:             |
                     | *1 Set of Nightingales       |
                     | *3 Sets of Deer              |
                     | *2 Sets of Horses            |
                     | *1 Set of Tigers (Meat)      |
                     | *2 Sets of Dogs              |
                     | *1 Set of Boar Piglets       |
                     | *1 Set of Sparrows           |
                     | *2 Sets of Foxes (Meat)      |
                     | *1 Set of Monkeys            |
                     |*Stray Bead #21               |
                     |*Stray Bead #22               |
                     |*Stray Bead #23               |
                     |*Tiger Statue                 |
                     |*3 Devil Gates to destroy     |
                     --------------------------------

Oh dear, this place is cursed, too.

Speak to the two stressed out guys to the left if you like, one is upset
about some mischievous moles. A merchant has his shop set up right beside
them. You should have lots of treasures to sell, and again, if you're low on
feedbags, resupply.

Also, there's a buried chest with Glass Beads right inside Taka Pass to the
left of the hut where the two "stressed out guys" are standing. It's between
the rock and the patch of bamboo trees. (submitted by Lizbeth Ulrey)

Advance past the merchant and save at the Origin Mirror to the right. Now
continue to follow the only path, and Cherry Bomb the cracked wall to the
west (left). It's right beside a sign. Advance into the cave until you meet
up with Herr Frenchie again.

Wait, he may have been the one behind that evil log? BRUTALIZE HIM!

****************************************************************************
*                          Boss: Waka (Rematch)                            *
*                                                                          *
* Yen Earned: 3000                                                         *
*                                                                          *
* Waka is quite a bit harder than the last time you fought him, mostly due *
* to his massively increased health bar. I swear, it seems at least five   *
* times bigger.                                                            *
*                                                                          *
* He has all the same attacks as last time, with one new addition: a       *
* floating torpedo charge that goes back and forth, attempting to strike   *
* Ammy multiple times. Simply jump over him when he gets near.             *
*                                                                          *
* Just use the same tactics against Waka you did previously. Keep your     *
* distance and Power Slash his red daggers back at him. Sure, Waka doesn't *
* fire them quite as much this time, but he still does it enough to use it *
* against him.                                                             *
****************************************************************************

After the clash, Waka spouts out a prophecy about something "DOG-gone" or
other. Har...har.

Examine the right-most body of water closely and you should spot some
bubbles slowly rising out. Power Slash the water precisely where the bubbles
are coming out and you will release a stray bead from a hidden chest. Swim
over and grab Stray Bead #21. Also, feed some foxes near the area you fought
Waka.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Correction: Actually, the foxes don't show up until after the Guardian
Sapling has been revived. As with all animals. Also, there's a clover behind
the tree in the same area. Thanks to TyrannisUmbra for both the correction
and the omission.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Run up the wooden ramp, and run all the way through the long cave at the
top. Again, there's nothing you can do about those flaming treasures yet.
Outside, head all the way down the long path to reach a broken bridge. You
can bloom some withered trees on the way for a pittance of Praise.

Do what you always do to broken bridges, rejuvenate it. Bloom the
all-powerful Guardian Sapling on the other side. Ah, these scenes never get
old.

Beside the revived Sapling are some nightingales you can feed. Head back
down the path, and beside the second tree to the right are some deer to
feed. Now go back until you reach the cave tunnel again, but instead of
entering, go a bit right (west) of it to find some horses.

Run north from the horses to a wooden fence and tilt the camera up. A
Konohana Blossom is floating above. Vine up to it and from this blossom,
look east to see many more. Vine to each subsequently higher blossom until
you come to a choice between two blossoms. Choose the one pointing down
above a ledge with three clovers.

Once you've revived the clovers, vine back to the last upward pointing
blossom you were on, and from there, choose the higher blossom you didn't
last time. Continue up yet more blossoms and you will eventually be dropped
onto a big boulder with a chest. Open it to find the the Tiger Statue.

Jump off of the boulder, then make a big leap over the fence to return to
the lower level. Go back to the Origin Mirror down here and save if you
desire.

Just southwest of the Origin Mirror is a Devil Gate with some Dead Fish and
a Bud Ogre inside. Kill them and feed the tigers that appear a bit north.
Run southwest from the tigers, back towards the main path, to find a rather
friendly dog behind a big rock.

From the dog, go northwest to find those mischievous moles. They'll pop up
and down from the circle of holes. You need to attack the leader, Moley, who
is the only one wearing blue. It basically just comes down to luck. Wait
beside a hole and hope Moley pops out of that one. Once he's been hit three
times (Hou shoutout!) he'll relay his sad, sad story, plus throw out a
yellow object. Pick it up and feed some nearby boar piglets while you're
here.

Take the yellow thing back to the Tea Mastah by the entrance to Taka Pass.
He trades a Golden Mushroom for his Teacup. The Golden Mushroom won't be
used until much later.

Follow straight along the dirt path to reach another lone dog at a junction.
After feeding it, head northwest at the junction to the Cutters' House. Not
exactly friendly folks. Avoid the wrath of Mrs. Cutter and run to the left
side of their house. Beside the murky pond is a buried chest with Stray Bead
#22 inside. Leave this hellhole.

Take the west path past the dog to come immediately to another junction. The
left path had a sign next to it that says "Kusa Village". That's where you
need to go to advance the game, but there's still more left to do in Taka
Pass, so take the right path.

Cross the bridge over the stone river and you'll come to another junction.
Take the path labelled "To Sasa Gate". To the right of the gate are some
sparrows. You can go through the gate to enter Sasa Sanctuary, but you won't
be permitted to enter, so there's no point.

Go directly south from Sasa Gate, off of the paths, and wall jump up a
ledge. Head left (east) up here and you'll come to a sign that reads
"Mermaid Spring", along with a distressed Spring Girl. The Mermaid Spring
has been turned to stone. Right beside the sign is the source of the
problem, a Devil Gate. Enter and murder the Ogre Bud and Yellow Imp. Mermaid
Spring revived.

Mermaid Springs serve as warp points, but can't be used just yet. Feed some
deer a little east of this one.

Go back to path and progress westward. North of the path, somewhat near Sasa
Gate, are some black horses to feed. Continue west and you'll spot a Devil
Gate to the left (south). Mutilate the Dead Fish and Yellow Imp inside and
feed the deer that appear afterwards. Now cross the path directly north from
the deer to find a buried chest containing Stray Bead #23.

Go further north to meet a guy named Bingo, with some foxes near him. If you
go all the way west you'll find the entrance to City Checkpoint. There are
actually treasures and other things to find there now, but going there is
mandatory later, so those things can be left for then.

Head back to the "Kusa Village" sign and go up the path it indicates. Go all
the way up the path into Kusa Village, feeding some monkeys along the way.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                         4.11 Kusa Village (Cursed)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

         .-------------------------------------------------------.
         |          Kusa Village (Cursed) Checklist              |
         .-------------------------------------------------------.
         |*Animals to feed:                                      |
         | *2 Sets of Monkeys                                    |
         | *2 Sets of Chickens                                   |
         | *2 Sets of Sparrows                                   |
         | *5 Sets of Dogs                                       |
         | *1 Set of Raccoons (Meat or Fish)                     |
         | *1 Set of Pigs                                        |
         |*Divine Instrument: Infinity Judge (must be bought)    |
         |*Pinwheel (must be bought)                             |
         |*2 Gold Dusts (must be bought)                         |
         |*Stray Bead #27                                        |
         |*Stray Bead #28                                        |
         |*Taka Pass Wanted List                                 |
         ---------------------------------------------------------

Geez, why can't any place in Nippon start out healthy? The evil state Kusa
Village is currently in prevents usage of the Celestial Brush, which is
certainly rather debilitating.

Head into the village and use the Origin Mirror to the left to save. The
merchant here has a few items of interest. The Infinity Judge is quite
expensive at 50,000 Yen, but I recommend buying it if you can. He also sells
two Gold Dusts at 10,000 Yen a piece, plus a Pinwheel you should buy for
1000 Yen.

Past the merchant, the place isn't exactly happenin'. Speak to the villagers
to hear the obvious: Kusa Village isn't looking too healthy. Take the
western, upward path and take it all the way until you reach a choice of two
paths. Take the west one up the stone steps and talk to a possessed Princess
Fuse on top.

A Blue Imp and his pals attack. You can't use the Celestial Brush for this
battle, but you shouldn't need it anyway. These guys aren't tough by any
means.

After the battle, talk to Princess Fuse. She explains that you need to find
the 5 Satomi Canine Warriors, and gives you a Canine Tracker to aid this
mission. It always faces the direction of the nearest Canine Warrior, so
follow it.

Before taking off to find them, though, there's a bit more to do in this
area. Go left of Princess Fuse's house. Just past the bridge leading to her
house is a buried chest with Stray Bead #27 inside. Now go behind her house
and follow a path to the Gale Shrine. You can't enter the shrine just yet,
but you can feed some monkeys and revive a clover just outside of it.

Go back to Princess Fuse, and down the steps past her. Some chickens are
waiting to be fed near the bottom. Now take the path the chickens are near,
the one you didn't take before, and feed some sparrows at the end.

Cross the bridge close-by and use Konohana Blossoms to reach a high
platform. Feed more monkeys on top. Cross the skinny log. Be careful and
walk slowly to reach the other end. Blockhead is waiting to play his stupid
game again. Remember, make the dots in the order they appeared. Two clovers
and a Bull Horn are the rewards for defeating him. Kinda disappointing.

Nick tells me of another clover in the area: "there is also another clover
in Kusa Village above the overhang where you encounter Blockhead in addition
to the two found behind him.  I didn't notice it until I exited across the
narrow log and saw the green sprites coming out of the ground on the
hillside."

Go all the way back to the base of the stone steps leading to Princess Fuse.
Instead of going up them, cross the northeast bridge to a Konohana Blossom.
Vine up to it, then the wooden platform. Feed some chickens up here and go
to the end of the platform to find a chest with Glass Beads inside.

Go back a little jump to an elevated cave between the chest and chickens.
Canine Warrior Ko waits inside. Feed him some meat from the Fan Menu to send
him on his merry way. Exit the cave and head west, off of the platform.

Continue back west and as you start walking onto the bridge, you should
notice the Canine Tracker spinning wildly off the left side. Leap off that
way.

Feed the raccoons below and revive the nearby clover. Kumoso is here as
well. Again, fight his monsters until he congratulates you. After that,
Cherry Bomb the obvious cracked wall to reveal Canine Warrior Rei. Feed him
meat too.

Leave this area by dropping off the little ledge by the clover. Go left
(west), feed some sparrows, and continue down the winding path to meet the
eccentric Mr. Bamboo. Head past him to come to his house. Just left of that
is a bamboo tree marked by a big, sparkling spot. Cut it down to reveal
Canine Warrior Chi. Feed this mutt his meat, too.

While you're here, enter Mr. Bamboo's house. Dig up a buried chest near the
entrance door to receive Stray Bead #28. Not much else of interest in here,
so exit.

Head back to the main part of the village, where most of the villagers and
houses are. Go north to find a sad little girl you've probably already
spoken to. Right beside her is a dead patch of grass, so obviously revive
it. Canine Warrior Shin pops out. As usual, feed him some meat.

Issun says you should return to Princess Fuse now. First, though, there's a
couple more things to do here. Feed some pigs in a garden between two
houses.

Next, enter the inn, which is the biggest building, next to the upward path.
Head up to the second floor and headbutt the door in the back. A woman named
Haruka doesn't enjoy such invasions of privacy.

Leave the entire inn, and go right back in and up to the second floor.
Haruka is now standing in the room to the right, so bust down the sliding
doors and talk to her a few times. She'll give you the Taka Pass Wanted
List. Fair enough. Now you should indeed go back to Princess Fuse.

Canine Warrior Tei stands in her place. Pick a fight with the fleabag.

****************************************************************************
*                      Mini-boss: Canine Warrior Tei                       *
*                                                                          *
* Yen Earned: 1500                                                         *
*                                                                          *
* Get of his way when a light begins shining on his chest, as that's when  *
* he starts unleashing his attacks. I don't believe he *ever* attacks      *
* without having that light shine on his chest first.                      *
*                                                                          *
* Other than that, just get behind him and beat him. I can't imagine Tei   *
* giving anyone much trouble.                                              *
****************************************************************************

After the battle, Princess Fuse says there are still 3 Canine Warriors
unaccounted for, and marks the locations of the stupid mutts on your map.

These are four other goodies I know of in Kusa Village:

Incense Burner (Buried): Near the path leading to Gale Shrine.

Clover: Behind the fence near a sleeping Susano.

Lacquerware Set: "There's an underwater chest in the pond next to Princess
Fuse's house." (from Lizbeth Ulrey)

Ezorcism Slip S: "Dot eye on giant head inside inn." (from Lizbeth Ulrey)

You fed lots of animals, so you may need to stock up on food again. When
you're ready, leave the village.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                    4.12 The Cutters and Sasa Sanctuary
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                 .----------------------------------------.                    
                 |The Cutters and Sasa Sanctuary Checklist|
                 .----------------------------------------.
                 |*Animals to feed:                       |
                 | *4 Sets of Sparrows                    |
                 | *2 Sets of Mice (Anything but herbs)   |
                 | *2 Sets of Tigers                      |
                 | *1 Set of Dogs                         |
                 | *1 Set of Hares                        |
                 |*Stray Bead #30                         |
                 |*Stray Bead #31                         |
                 |*Stray Bead #32                         |
                 ------------------------------------------

(Note: Everything on this checklist is located in Sasa Sanctuary.)

Much like with Shinshu Field, it is possible to slay the monsters on the
Taka Pass Wanted List, but I don't recommend doing so until later.

The three remaining Canine Warriors are located in Sasa Sanctuary, Agata
Forest, and Kamiki Village. We'll start with the one in Sasa Sanctuary, as
it's the closest. First, though, you need to pay a visit to the Cutters. You
should remember where their house is from being there previously. It's right
about in the middle of the map.

Make sure it's night before attempting this, otherwise it won't work. Go to
back of the house and up a log. Cherry Bomb the floor with wooden boards
covering it and drop down.

Bite Mrs. Cutter with Triangle and drag her into the nearby circle of
moonlight. Secret revealed! Wait for symbols to rapidly appear around the
Cutters (as Crow Tengus) and get out of the way. Their dive-bomb will miss
and leave them stunned, stuck into the ground. This is your opportunity to
strike and kill them.

Chun of the Sparrow Tribe is set free, so it's time to set out for Sasa
Sanctuary. You should remember where the Sasa Gate is, too. It's in the
western area of Taka Pass, to the north. Chun tags along with you there.

(A little oddity: I was able to feed the deer by the Mermaid Spring again. I
have no idea whether this is a glitch, normal, a different set of deer, or a
hallucination of mine. Just thought I should note it.)

After Chun is safely returned, dig up a buried treasure containing Stray
Bead #30 left of the entrance gate, and save at the Origin Mirror, of
course. Jump up two ledges south of the Origin Mirror to find a clover.

Before entering the big building, feed two separate flocks of sparrows on
each side of it. Enter. Talk to the sparrows inside of the Sparrow Inn if
you feel like it, and go behind the steps to feed some mice.

Go up the steps, and then up the left set of steps when you have the choice.
Enter the first door in this hallway. A merchant is doing business inside.
At the back of the room, behind the merchant, is a big, weird head. You may
recognize these from Katamari games. Regardless, dot its white eye with the
brush, and pick up Stray Bead #31 when it pops out. Exit the room.

Now enter the second room in this hallway. Bust open the watermelon at the
bottom-right corner and feed the forced out mouse. Exit this room, too.

There's not much in rooms at the right hallway, other than some nice food,
so go up the elevator in between the staircases. Treasures galore! Open up
all ten of them. Nothing amazing, but hey, you can't have quantity and
quality. Approach fat old Jamba and watch the scene. Something about the hot
springs? Okay, that's where we're headed next.

To get there, go to the only place you haven't been yet, which is the
passage just east of the entrance. Speak to the dancing sparrow in the dried
up spring. Mr. Bamboo arrives to save the day! Agree to help, of course.
Ugh, another stupid mini-game...

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Digging Game: Sasa Hot Springs

Time: 3:00

The game explains the basic mechanics well enough. Your goal is to guide
your partner (Mr. Bamboo) down to the bottom with you. Whenever you see a
bud, bloom it to receive an additional twenty seconds to the clock. There
are several different types of blocks you'll need to navigate your way
through. They are:

Light, whitish blocks: Headbutt or dig at them once to destroy them.

Darker, brownish-red blocks: Headbutt or dig at them twice to destroy them.

Cracked, blackish blocks: Power Slash them to destroy.

Black blocks: Cannot be destroyed.

Spiky, red blocks: Cannot be destroyed. If you or your partner run into
them, five seconds are taken from the clock.

In addition, all but the spiked, red blocks and black blocks can be
destroyed by Cherry Bombs.

I'll provide the route that I find to be best. This is by no means the only
way to the bottom, just the one I've found to be quickest. As with all of
these digging games, the real annoyance is your partner. Try to get him to
stick with you whenever possible.

Start by dropping down to the bud to the right and blooming it for a time
bonus. Destroy the left-hand white block, followed by the one beneath it.
Power Slash the block you're standing on. Come out of the water to the
right, destroy the two white blocks below, then a cracked and a brown to the
left, then a cracked and a white below, followed by two cracked blocks to
the right. Destroy the white block to the right of the water to reach the
bottom level. Go right down here to lead Mr. Bamboo to the correct dig spot.
Dig there and You're Winner!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Look, Ammy! It's happening again! Fill in the three missing stars. Nuregami,
a bizarre snake-in-a-ball, grants Ammy the power of Waterspout. Do exactly
as Issun commands, and draw a line of water to the sparrow. Now draw a line
up from the power spring. Revive the clover up here and head back down.

There's a big bamboo tube located left of the spring. Draw a line from the
water to the opening of the tube to open up a new passage. Obviously, go
this way.

Go up the steps and feed the sparrows. Go up the steps and feed the
sparrows. (That was intentional, in case you didn't notice.) Talk to Crybaby
Tai beside the second group of sparrows. The Canine appears and points to
the north, upward path, so follow it.

Feed the tigers roaming around the bamboo trees, and advance further to the
left to feed more tigers. Now you're supposed to cut down the bamboo tree
that lights up among the circle of them. I think you have to cut down
whichever tree is lit up when you freeze the picture, but I'm not entirely
sure. The correct tree was the left-most one for me, if that helps.

Pick a fight with Canine Warrior Gi.

****************************************************************************
*                     Mini-boss: Canine Warrior Gi                         *
*                                                                          *
* Yen Earned: 1600                                                         *
*                                                                          *
* Canine Warrior Gi is pretty much exactly like Canine Warrior Tei, except *
* he's quicker, more agile, and can leap off of walls. Use the same        *
* strategy, too: Avoid him when he shines, and attack him from behind.     *
* What a pushover.                                                         *
****************************************************************************

Take/Gi hands over the Duty Orb. After the scene, feed Take some meat from
the Fan Menu. Head past these fellows and into a small "room" to the far
north. Feed the hares inside. Past them are two buried chests. Open them to
receive Stray Bead #32 and a delicious Golden Peach.

Head back to the hot spring and Mr. Bamboo will toss you a Mermaid Coin.
You can now use the Mermaid Springs. Our next destination is Agata Forest,
so you can either use the Mermaid Spring to warp there, or go the long way.
It's honestly not that long at all, so I just tend to run there the regular
way. By the way, if you take the long way, you can give the guy beside the
Tea Master the Pinwheel you (possibly) bought in Kusa Village for ten measly
Praise.

Oh, and before I forget, two other miscellaneous treasures in Sasa:

Lacquerware Set (Buried): At the hot spring, near the big bamboo tube.

Incense Burner (Buried): Near Crybaby Tai, to the left of the upward-leading
stairs. (submitted by Lizbeth Ulrey)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                       4.13 Agata Forest (Return Trip)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                   .------------------------------------.
                   |Agata Forest (Return Trip) Checklist|
                   .------------------------------------.
                   |*Stray Bead #17                     |
                   --------------------------------------

Regardless of which way you took to get here, go to the northern Mermaid
Spring. After chatting with Kushi, draw a line from the water to the top of
her sake barrel to fill it. Do it three times and Power Slash the six
multiracial imps during the Susano scene.

After the hubbub is over, the Canine Tracker appears. Ignore it for the time
being, and head to Madame Fawn's place. Put out the fires guarding the chest
by using the pool of water nearby. Open them to receive Holy Bone M, Bull
Horn, and Stray Bead #17.

Create a power spring from the jutting water to gain access to a high ledge.
"Super jump" up to it and open the chest for a Lacquerware Set. Bleh.

Follow the Canine Tracker out of the cave and to Kokari, who's fishing at
his usual spot. Agree to help catch the legendary Whopper. Catch two fish,
then Whopper. Power Slash him twice to reel him in. Another constellation
appears, so fill in the three missing stars. Yumigami gives Ammy the power
of Crescent. About time.

Draw a crescent in the sky, making sure the "mouth" is facing left. Pick a
fight with Canine Warrior Jin.

****************************************************************************
*                    Mini-boss: Canine Warrior Jin                         *
*                                                                          *
* Yen Earned: 1500                                                         *
*                                                                          *
* Canine Warrior Jin is just like the two previous Canine Warriors, but    *
* with two new moves.                                                      *
*                                                                          *
* One of them is planting land mines on the battlefield. They look like    *
* little yellow things. Simply avoid getting near them and you should be   *
* fine. His other new move is digging holes in the ground. If you come     *
* into contact with a hole, Ammy will get stuck in the ground, defenseless *
* for a period of time. Simply avoid them, and if you see him digging one, *
* back off.                                                                *
*                                                                          *
* Jin also has a slightly bigger health bar than his previous comrades, so *
* he is tougher than them. Still, he shouldn't too much of an obstacle.    *
****************************************************************************

The Justice Orb is yours. You can't feed Ume/Jin, as you've already fed him.
Head north to Shinshu Field.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                      4.14 Shinshu Field (Return Trip)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                 .---------------------------------------.
                 | Shinshu Field (Return Trip) Checklist |
                 .---------------------------------------.
                 |*Gold Dust (must complete Wanted List) |
                 -----------------------------------------

Now is a good time to complete the Wanted List here. While you're hunting
the wanted monsters down, don't forget to occasionally draw a crescent in
the sky to keep the sun at bay.

I believe the names are random, but I'm not entirely sure. For example,
Onimaru the Incorrigible appeared outside of the pyrotechnist's house for
me, but Izo the String Cutter may appear there for someone else. Regardless,
I'll list them as I found them.

-Toyo of the Short Temper: Outside of the Moon Shrine. You automatically
fight him as part of the game.

-Onimaru the Incorrigible: Near the pyrotechnist's house.

-Biwamaru the Vandal: Southwest from the Guardian Sapling, near the sign
that reads "To Hana Valley".

-Akuzo the Interloper: East of the Nameless Man's kiln, on the road behind
the Guardian Sapling.

-Izo the String Cutter: South of the Nameless Man's house. (Not his kiln!)

Return to Priest Mika in the Moon Shrine for your reward, a single Gold
Dust.

You can also race Ida the postman for some Praise. He'll be running along a
road somewhere. When the race begins, simply catch up to Ida and headbutt
him to win. You can only race him once for now.

You may also offer vases to the Guardian Statues now. Talk to the Nameless
Man beside his kiln to acquire them. (He works only during the day.) There
are a total of five Guardian Statues, but the Nameless Man only presently
offers three vases. (He'll only make one vase a day, so advance the time by
using Sunrise and Crescent.)

Here are the locations of four of the five Guardian Statues (the fifth one
isn't accessible right now):

-South from where the Nameless Man is located, across the river.

-Along the winding path that leads to Agata Forest and the dojo.

-Inside of a cracked wall to the east, beside a cat statue.

-In the area leading to the Moon Temple (to the left when you run down the
slope).

When you're ready to advance the story, head into Kamiki Village.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                     4.15 Kamiki Village (Return Trip)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                  .--------------------------------------.                 
                  |Kamiki Village (Return Trip) Checklist|
                  .--------------------------------------.
                  |*Animals to feed:                     |
                  | *1 Set of Dogs (In Kusa Village)     |
                  |*Stray Bead #4                        |
                  ----------------------------------------

The Canine Tracker pops out soon after entering, but first, there's a stray
bead to be collected. Head along a southern ledge past the Origin Mirror,
and look up. Vine up to the Konohana Blossom and revive a clover on the
nearby ledge. Vine to another blossom, across the waterfall. Go along the
path behind the waterfall to find Stray Bead #4.

Let the Canine Tracker lead you to Hayabusa aka Canine Warrior Chu. As
usual, pick a fight. (He'll only fight at night, though. Also, Paige Finn
informs me that you have to beat the turnip mini-game (at some point) before
Chu is willing to do battle.)

****************************************************************************
*                     Mini-boss: Canine Warrior Chu                        *
*                                                                          *
* Yen Earned: 15,000                                                       *
*                                                                          *
* Chu is exactly like Jin except a) he doesn't lay land mines, b) he digs  *
* holes more frequently, and c) he flings harmful debris while digging his *
* holes.                                                                   *
*                                                                          *
* Just use the same strategy against Chu as you did against the other      *
* three Canine Warriors.                                                   *
*                                                                          *
* Lizbeth Ulrey adds: "Canine Warrior Chu does lay landmines, just not     *
* often. Also, I don't know about the others, but if you get stuck in one  *
* of Chu's holes he will urinate on you and you lose all of your equipment *
* temporarily."                                                            *
****************************************************************************

Chu hands over the Loyalty Orb after his defeat. You can pay another visit
to Sakuya's sapling now to obtain a Golden Peach and a Crystal.

As Issun said, it's time to return to Kusa Village. (The nearest Mermaid
Spring is outside of the dojo in Shinshu Field.)

In Kusa Village, speak to Princess Fuse in her house. Ooh, I didn't know
Ammy liked jewelry. You may now feed Tei, the big, brown dog to the
lower-right.

Head into the Gale Shrine, which is behind Princess Fuse's house. You'll
gain entry after chats with Susano and Yatsu.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                             4.16 Gale Shrine
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                    .---------------------------------.
                    |      Gale Shrine Checklist      |
                    .---------------------------------.
                    |*Animals to feed:                |
                    | *3 Sets of Mice                 |
                    |*Stray Bead #33                  |
                    |*Stray Bead #34                  |
                    |*Rabbit Statue                   |
                    |*Sun Fragment                    |
                    |*Divine Instrument: Life Beads   |
                    |*Travel Guide: Brush Tips        |
                    |*1 Devil Gate to destroy         |
                    -----------------------------------

Head down the path into a circular room. Three treasure chests are submerged
in the central pool of water. Power Slash them to collect Holy Bone S,
Dragonfly Bead, and Bull Horn. Check the map to see two unexplored paths; a
western one and a northern one. Choose the northern path and enter the Devil
Gate at the end. Slay the lone Chimera inside by beating until it turns
gray, then beating it some more.

Pick up the Exercising Arrow, return to the circular room, and take the
western path now. Head past some windmills and open the Lockjaw in the next
room. Use the Origin Mirror beside it to save. Head into the elevator.

Examine the symbol in the middle. Look familiar? It's the Cherry Bomb
symbol, so place a Cherry Bomb there. Step off at the second floor, but
don't actually enter. Place another Cherry Bomb on the elevator, sending it
up to the third floor.

Jump down beneath the elevator. There's a group of mice to feed, two
clovers, and best of all, three chests containing Holy Bone S, Rabbit
Statue, and Stray Bead #33. Go back up using the shining light in the
center.

Actually enter the second floor now and kill the Demon Scroll here. Take the
Exercising Arrow and return to the elevator. It's back down on the first
floor, so Cherry Bomb it twice to ascend to the third floor. Enter through
the formerly locked door.

Ascend many counter-clockwise stairways to reach a big windmill. Looks like
evil, black air is blowing. Paint over the black wind with your brush in the
opposite direction it is blowing, which is left the first two times and
right the last one. Predictably, another constellation appears, so fill in
the three missing stars. Kazegami grants Ammy the power of Galestorm.

Draw the same shape, going right, to make the little windmill blow too.
We've tidied things up here, so start heading back. As you begin down the
steps, stop and look across. There's a hidden passage above them. "Super
jump" to it and open the chest to receive a Sun Fragment.

Head back down the stairways. You may now use Galestorm to put out fires
around chests. Do so to open the chest outside of the elevator and take Gale
Shrine Map.

Use the elevator to return to the second floor. Go out onto the balcony and
douse the flames around the chest to receive Stray Bead #34. Go back to the
first floor.

Head north into the room with two windmills. Blow the wind *towards* the
first windmill you come to. In other words, don't blow the windmill itself
left or right; rather, blow the wind into it. A new path appears back where
the elevator was. You may not even realize it at first, but it does.

Take this path and open an immediate chest for Travel Guide: Brush Tips.
Progress further into the hallway and open another flaming chest to obtain
Pearl. Run back a little and look up. Vine to the Konohana Blossom.

Open another flaming chest behind a nearby pillar for Lacquerware Set. Go
across the western beam and Vine up to another blossom. Grab the Steel Soul
Sake from the chest and Vine to another blossom below, further to the west.
Yet another flaming chest awaits here, containing an Inkfinity Stone. Go
further west, across more beams, to feed a set of mice.

Drop down and return to the first blossom you Vined to. Vine up to a
different blossom than the one you did before, to the west. Up here, cross
the beam to reach some banners hanging down. Blow them up and jump across
them to another beam. Grab the Wooden Bear from a chest and cross more
banners to reach another chest, this one containing Exorcism Slip S. Drop
down off the ledge to the west.

Feed a group of mice down here, and be sure to use the Origin Mirror before
advancing through the door. Blow away the pyres of fire using Galestorm, and
continue through another door.

Ah, that crimson fellow we've been hearing about...

****************************************************************************
*                          Boss: Crimson Helm                              *
*                                                                          *
* Yen Earned: 7000                                                         *
*                                                                          *
* Crimson Helm has three main attacks that I know of: Simple slashes of    *
* his two huge swords, breathing big waves of fire, and charging forward.  *
* Try to position yourself behind him or to his side to avoid all of       *
* these.                                                                   *
*                                                                          *
* You can't directly damage Crimson Helm at first, so simply hit him until *
* his outer shell breaks off. His body is consumed by flames. Use          *
* Galestorm to douse them, then rapidly attack his fossil-like body before *
* his shell returns.                                                       *
*                                                                          *
* Mr. Helm can't take much punishment at all, and should go down quickly.  *
* To top it off, the eight Satomi Power Orbs protect Ammy throughout this  *
* battle, meaning you can take up to eight hits without damage to your     *
* health. All of this taken together makes Crimson Helm one of the easiest *
* bosses in the game. And after all that build up, too.                    *
****************************************************************************

Do the usual Power Slash stuff with Susano, and make three gusts of wind
when he asks for them. After more Susano fun, Ammy obtains Divine
Instrument: Life Beads and converses with Divine Tool: Waka. Save when
asked. (Why wouldn't you?)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                    4.17 Kusa Village (Post-Gale Shrine)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                .-----------------------------------------.
                |Kusa Village (Post-Gale Shrine) Checklist|
                .-----------------------------------------.
                |*Animals to feed:                        |
                | *1 Set of Chickens                      |
                |*Stray Bead #29                          |
                |*Sun Fragment                            |
                -------------------------------------------

Issun says it's time to head back to Kamiki Village. Not yet, buddy boy.

Go to the big wooden platform. You found one of the Canine Warriors in a
cave up here previously. Blow the carp streamers (I recognize these from
Katamari Damacy) up and cross them to reach another platform. Feed the
chickens and open the two chests to collect Stray Bead #29 and a Sun
Fragment.

You can now return to Kamiki Village if you want to advance the plot.
However, I find this a very convenient time to explore Taka Pass further,
and I advise you to follow along. If you really don't want to, just skip the
next section.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                    4.18 Taka Pass (Post-Gale Shrine)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                .----------------------------------------.
                | Taka Pass (Post-Gale Shrine) Checklist |
                .----------------------------------------.
                |*Stray Bead #24                         |
                |*Stray Bead #25                         |
                |*Gold Dust (must complete Wanted List)  |
                |*Sun Fragment                           |
                ------------------------------------------

First and foremost, it's a good time to tackle the Taka Pass Wanted List.
Here are the locations of the murderous fiends:

-Curse Gill the Repulsive: Southwest of the Cutters, near the bridge leading
to western Taka Pass.

-Weirdo the Abhorrent: Right beside Bingo, near the entrance to City
Checkpoint.

-Red Devil the Detested: Northwest from the tea master and merchant, near
some tigers. (I wonder if he supports Manchester United or South Korea?)

-Bulging Eyes the Despised: Near the cave leading to the Guardian Sapling,
also near the tea master and merchant.

-Death Fin the Repugnant: On the other side of the cave, near the beginning
of the path leading to the Guardian Sapling. Also near some horses.

Return the completed list to the girl on the second floor of the Kusa
Village Inn (Haruka) to be rewarded Gold Dust.

Two more stray beads are waiting to be collected in Taka Pass. Go into the
cave leading to the Guardian Sapling. You'll find two fiery chests. One
contains Crystal, the other Stray Bead #25. Next, go to the Taka Pass
Mermaid Spring. Just to the left of it is a pile of leaves. Blow them away
and open the chest to receive Stray Bead #24.

While you're at the Mermaid Spring, head west a bit to find some banners
hanging between two tall, wooden platform. Use Konohana Blossoms to reach
the top of one platform, then blow the banners up to reach the other one. A
Golden Peach is waiting in the chest.

Go to the far west of Taka Pass to find Bingo, the treasure hunter. Blow
away the pile of leaves beside him and agree to dig for treasure.

This one is really difficult, and it would be even harder for me to explain.
So you're on your own. I'm really sorry about this, but I just don't have
the ability to describe something so complicated. A Sun Fragment is the
reward for success.

...Good news! theranmafan has kindly allowed me to link to his expert
YouTube video of this game. His video is from New Game+, and you may not be
able to follow him exactly, but it certainly should be more helpful than
my laziness. Here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5eJOTaDXrs

There are new miscellaneous treasures in Taka Pass, too:

Coral Fragment (Buried): Just east of the Cutters' house. Blow away some
leaves to reveal it.

Vase: Play another game with Moley and the Molesters. Win three rounds and
Moley will award you the treasure.

Lacquerware Set (Buried): Beside the Origin Mirror. Blow away some leaves to
reveal it.

Incense Burner (Buried): Right beside (my) Death Fin the Repugnant. Blow
away leaves to reveal it.

Pearl (Buried): Under a pile of leaves, slightly northeast of the above
Incense Burner. It is more towards the fence, below the cliff along the path
towards the guardian sapling. (From Drako Crowley)

Vengeance Slip (Buried): "Under pile of leaves behind sapling." (from
Lizbeth Ulrey)

Glass Beads: "In chest on top of Cutter's house - use bud to vine up." (from
Lizbeth Ulrey)

Holy Bone S (Buried): "Under pile of leaves west of mermaid spring (sort of
south of bingo)" (from Lizbeth Ulrey)

Clover: "On ledge above Cutter's house - use spring in pond to get to it."
(from Lizbeth Ulrey)

Now it is time to go back to Kamiki Village, so return one way or the other.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              4.19 Full Moon
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                           .-------------------.
                           |Full Moon Checklist|
                           .-------------------.
                           |*Nothing           |
                           ---------------------

Watch the long scene, in which Susano manages to be even more irritating
than usual. Be sure to save here in Kamiki. Follow Kushi out of the village
and carry her all the way down to the Moon Cave. Watch the scene with Waka.
Set up again...

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              4.20 Moon Cave
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                     .-------------------------------.
                     |      Moon Cave Checklist      |
                     .-------------------------------.
                     |*6 Devil Gates to destroy      |
                     |*Divine Instrument: Tsumugari  |
                     ---------------------------------

Don't be fooled by the tiny checklist, this place is massive. Go up the
stairs and leap into the big hole. Wow, emulating James Sunderland again.

Run the opposite direction of the ignorant imps, and pick up the Thunder
Brew. Head through the Golden Gate, and go left past the layers of ice. Grab
Holy Bone S from a chest. Head directly south to find a Devil Gate. Kill the
Black Imp inside. Just clobber him a few times, he's not difficult by any
measure.

Open the new chest to receive Mask. You now have the opportunity to draw on
it whatever you like. Be artistic! Be creative! Or just draw whatever.
(Personally, I just drew two Xs for eyes and a big frown for the mouth. Ya,
I'm not much of an artist.)

Head back to the unimaginably stupid imps. They'll let you through. Run
forward into a rather large room. From here, go into the kitchen, which is
located to the east. Go up the kitchen stairs and save using the Origin
Mirror. I recommend keeping one file from outside of the Moon Cave, as
you're trapped here for a while.

There's a big pot in the center of the kitchen. Connect the Konohana
Blossoms floating above to the hooks on the pot. Head Chef Ajimi is saved.
How does he repay this altruistic act of kindness? He demands that you
retrieve the four secret ingredients: Ogre Liver, Lips of Ice, Eyeball of
Fire, and Black Demon Horn.

He also gives you an Exercising Arrow key, so exit and unlock the western
door directly across from the kitchen. Head forward in this area and you'll
come to a big canyon. Vine up to the first Konohana Blossom.

As the camera tries to show you, the second blossom is pointing down,
meaning you can't stand on it. Vine to it, and as soon as you reach the
blossom, freeze the world into a canvas. From here, there are two blossoms
to choose from; one continuing forward, one off to the right. Choose the one
to the right.

After you land on the ledge, Cherry Bomb the partially hidden cracked wall.
Take the Vengeance Slip from the giant bud and exit. Vine back to the second
blossom, then choose the one you didn't previously (to the north). Quickly
Vine along the series of downward-pointing blossoms to reach a door and an
odd eyeball lantern.

Simply Power Slash the eyeball and continue through the door. Enter the
Devil Gate and vanquish Ogre Bud and friends. Open the chest to make
Ogre Liver yours. Exit this room and Vine back across the canyon.

The camera points out a new power spring in a small puddle. Use it to reach
higher ground, and go through the cave tunnel. Out in the main room, use
another power spring, this one in a bowl of water, to reach even higher
ground. Go left through the first door you see.

Cross the bridge, ignore the ice-covered door, and try to go back across the
bridge. It shall collapse, sending Ammy to a land far below. Enter the
immediate Devil Gate and slay the black and red imps inside. Head past the
new pool of water and up to a bamboo fountain. Fill the end of the bamboo
fountain with water. The whole joint floods.

Cross the water and open a chest on a southwestern ledge to receive Exorcism
Slip S. Swim south and use a power spring to reach a tunnel. Go through and
drop down into a small, round room. Power Slash the eyeball lantern. A hole
in the middle of the room opens. Don't go pulling a James Sunderland here,
though; instead, use the nearby power spring to elevate yourself back to the
main room.

Now that the elevator shaft is clear, talk to the imp controlling the
elevator. He tells you not to disturb him. Yeah, right. Power Slash the
fool. When he tries to crank the elevator back up, Power Slash him again.
And again. And again. When you reach the bottom, "super jump" onto the only
available land. (You can't super jump if you have no ink pots, though.)

The imp here says he made some sort of super-duper contraption to lock a
door or something. Whatevia, continue onward to find four eyeball lanterns.
Position yourself so that all four eyeballs are lined up and Power Slash all
of them in one go. Voila. Head through the door.

Examine the big chunk of ice in the middle of this room. You'll get your
first taste of an Ice Mouth. These things can be really freaking hard. I
suggest avoiding it until its barrier of ice evaporates, then attacking.
(naudasd tells me Cherry Bombs are an especially effective weapons against
Ice Mouths.)

Fill the three missing stars of the new constellation, not forgetting the
one in the middle. Moegami gives Ammy the power of Inferno. Do as Issun
says, draw a line from the fire to the ice. Enter the new room, ignore the
elevator, draw a line from a nearby torch to the block of ice, and Cherry
Bomb the cracked wall. Grab an Inkfinity Stone from the chest inside.

Exit and talk to the elevator imp. He'll take you up to a new area, so
enter. Kill the Ice Mouths inside the Devil Gate. This time, use the torches
around the battlefield to burn away their ice. Open the chest after the
battle to obtain Lips of Ice. Two down, two to go.

Burn down the three big chunks of ice to arrive back in the kitchen. Exit
out into the main room, and go west to find a clover buried in a dirt patch.
Near the clover is a blue flower that acts as a springboard. Use it to
spring yourself up to a familiar area. Use the power spring in the bowl of
water again, and enter the first door up here.

You broke the bridge, remember, so rejuvenate it back. Run across, burn the
chunk of ice away, and enter the Devil Gate. You'll have to contend with an
Ice Mouth and a Fire Eye. First, use the Fire Eye's fire to melt away the
Ice Mouth's ice. After the Ice Mouth is dead, blow away the Fire Eye's fire
using Galestorm to easily eliminate him. Open the chest to retrieve the Eye
of Fire.

Inferno the chunk of ice in the back of the room to reveal another door.
Inside is an Exercising Arrow key, along with three chests protected by ice.
The only way to open them is to use the torches in the previous room, right
beside the door. It's very difficult to position yourself just right to melt
them, especially the center chest. The prizes are Steel Fist Sake, Bull
Horn, and Exorcism Slip L. They certainly aren't necessary, so don't worry
if you can't do it.

From "Ass:Kazinhu":

"you said in the faq that in order to melt the 3 chests protected by ice, it
was needed to position yourself right to melt them using the torches from
the other room. I found out a much easier way: proceed with the game and
when reach the skull dunes, proceed normally, headbutting the ball till it's
on the switch. By activating the switch you activate all the "ball torches"
in the moon shrine. Now just go back to the room of the Fire of Eye and use
the "ball torch" that is in the same room as the frozen chests and melt
them."

Head backwards through three doors, and remember to take the key with you.
On the high ledge in the main room, head left and open the locked door.

Inside the Skull Dunes, head forward until you come across a ball. Headbutt
it to move it, and roll it along the narrow western ledge. Power Slash the
eyeball lantern, and look closely at the transparent path that appears.
Guide yourself and the ball across the now-invisible path, which leads
directly to another visible land on the other side. (Update: You may use
Galestorm to make the path visible again, making this portion a tad easier.)
You can revive a clover to the far left (west) over here. (Don't take the
ball with you.)

Advance by rolling the ball to the east. Open the chest to obtain Moon Cave
Map, and roll the ball onto a round switch. This lights up all of the
torches in the Moon Cave. Exit through the door.

Go up the steps and open the ice-covered chest to collect Incense Burner.
Shop with the imp merchant here if you like. Look up, high above and past
the merchant, to spot a Konohana Blossom. Vine up to it and proceed along
the ledge to reach some banners. Blow them up and cross them. (Do *not*
super jump, regular jumps only.)

You'll find a rotating cannon. Light its fuse, and it will fire a moment
later. Try to time it so that it fires out into the main room. This creates
a hole in the wall, so go back across the banners and the ledge to enter the
new hole.

Beat down the pointless Black Imp inside, and run forward a bit. Soon you
should see a platform holding a great ball of fire. Yes, it hurts, but knock
it down anyway. Roll it ahead, further down the path. If you take too much
damage, heal with a holy bone.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Correction: I got a flood of e-mails informing me that you can simply blow
the ball off (and along the path) with Galestorm. Well, duh, am I ignorant
or what? I can't credit any one person since so many people e-mailed me
this.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

At the far end are several blocks of ice. Melt away the two on higher
platforms first. Take Holy Bone M and Lacquerware Set from the chests, then
melt the remaining line of ice chunks.

Go through the new opening. Kill the imps inside the Devil Gate and open the
chest to obtain the last ingredient, Black Demon Horn. Now exit this whole
area, and dive down into the lower part of the main room.

There are two chests to be opened down here now (one of them ice-covered).
They contain Golden Peach and Kutani Pottery. Also, melt away the ice by the
bell to reveal a power spring. Let it take you up and take the Crystal from
the chest above.

There's one last item to collect before getting down to business. Use the
blue flower in the dirt patch to spring yourself up, and use the power
spring in the bowl again to elevate further. Enter the first door to the
left, and drop down to the flooded room below the bridge.

Swim to the far north of the room and place a lily pad right beside the
ledge. Wall jump up onto it and melt the ice away. Grab the Godly Charm from
the chest inside. Return to the main room.

Enter the kitchen and hand over the four ingredients to Chef Ajimi. Run back
out into the main room and bash (jump and headbutt, don't Power Slash) the
bell eight times. Tell the elevator imp you really want to see Orochi's
throne room and he'll take you up.

There's another imp merchant here if you need him. Go up the right-most
stairs, through the Golden Gate, then up the very long, elevating path. It
leads right to jolly old Orochi himself.

****************************************************************************
*                               Boss: Orochi                               *
*                                                                          *
* Yen Earned: 10,030                                                       *
*                                                                          *
* First, simply Power Slash one of Orochi's heads. Another long scene will *
* play, then the real fight begins.                                        *
*                                                                          *
* Sake gets poured in the gutters around Orochi. Your goal is to wait for  *
* one of Orochi's heads to roar, then draw a line from the sake to the     *
* head's gaping mouth.                                                     *
*                                                                          *
* Each of Orochi's eight heads has an "attribute", and they all attack     *
* differently.                                                             *
*                                                                          *
* Water: Floods the entire battlefield. Power Slash him after he does this *
* to make him roar.                                                        *
*                                                                          *
* Thunder: Shoots bolts of lightning.                                      *
*                                                                          *
* Poison: Breathes out poison clouds. Dissipate clouds using Galestorm.    *
* Also throws out little eels to attack. Kill them for health.             *
*                                                                          *
* Wind: Blows out tornadoes. Use your own wind to blow them away.          *
*                                                                          *
* Light: Shoots barriers and lasers of light.                              *
*                                                                          *
* Fire: Breathes out big columns of fire.                                  *
*                                                                          *
* Earth: Bangs his head against the ground, causing tremors.               *
*                                                                          *
* Darkness: Temporarily curses the area, preventing the use of the brush.  *
* It also drains your ink pots a bit.                                      *
*                                                                          *
* (I may have Darkness and Poison mixed up, I'm not sure.)                 *
*                                                                          *
* Update: It seems I may have many of the heads confused, as I keep        *
* receiving conflicting e-mails about which head does what. Ah well, it's  *
* not all that important.                                                  *
*                                                                          *
* The majority of the heads roar after they perform their unique attacks.  *
*                                                                          *
* At first, you need to get three of the heads drunk. All of them will     *
* then collapse, turning into makeshift ramps to the center of Orochi's    *
* bizarre body. Run up one as quickly as possible, and attack the bell     *
* rapidly. It's possible, but difficult, to destroy it one try.            *
*                                                                          *
* After the bell is destroyed, you may attack the heads directly. After    *
* just one dose of sake, the head will tumble onto the ground. Pummel it   *
* ASAP. You should be able to eliminate each head in two attempts. You     *
* have to debilitate all eight heads to win the battle.                    *
*                                                                          *
* Try to take out the more annoying heads first, such as Water and         *
* Darkness. Thunder will likely be the last head remaining, as he only     *
* rarely roars. (Boof informs me that Power Slashing Thunder makes him     *
* roar.)                                                                   *
*                                                                          *
* If you're having trouble, try consuming a Steel Fist Sake before         *
* attacking the heads. You may have to use Holy Bones or even an Astral    *
* Pouch to achieve victory.                                                *
*                                                                          *
* Alternate strategy from "The Tuba":                                      *
*                                                                          *
* "A much easier and faster way to get rid of Orochi when you get to where *
* you're actually beating up the heads, is to equip a weapon with          *
* inkbullet, use an inkfinity stone, and just pound the head you're on     *
* with pretty much endless inkbullets. This only works because you can use *
* like 20 bullets every time you press R1. Also, if you smack the head a   *
* few times before starting on the inkbullet, you can usually kill each    *
* head with one try, rather than two."                                     *
****************************************************************************

When the camera shows the night sky after the battle, draw a crescent moon.
Then slash seven Orochi's heads just after Susano does. (Slash across the
Kanji.) Susano finishes off the last one himself. And Tsumugari is yours.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                               4.21 Festival
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                            .------------------.
                            |Festival Checklist|
                            .------------------.
                            |*Nothing          |
                            --------------------

After more scenes, you'll be transported back to Kamiki Village. The
festival has commenced. Speak to any or all of the villagers as you desire,
but what you need to do is head up to Sakuya's tree. Tama stands on the
path right before you get there, so stop by and view his fireworks

Continue on, and go *around* the arch leading to Sakuya's sapling. Two new
characters, Camellia and Camille, are standing by the sapling. Headbutt
Camille when she asks you to for a bit of Praise, and also for future
reasons. Now go back and through the arch for a scene with Sakuya. Enter the
River of the Heavens.

Run through this entire area and enter the Cave of Nagi. Kushi and Susano
are waiting inside, so speak to both of them several times. They want to
make babies now, so leave and head right back into the village.

You can leave the village now, although you may have to try a few times
before the annoying bug will let you. Issun tells you to go to City
Checkpoint now. City Checkpoint is located, as you should remember, to the
far west of Taka Pass, so get movin'.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                            4.22 City Checkpoint
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                       .----------------------------.
                       | City Checkpoint Checklist  |
                       .----------------------------.
                       |*Animals to feed:           |
                       | *2 Sets of Nightingales    |
                       | *1 Set of Boar Piglets     |
                       | *1 Set of Raccoons         |
                       | *1 Set of Horses           |
                       |*Stray Bead #36             |
                       |*Stray Bead #37             |
                       |*Stray Bead #38             |
                       |*Stray Bead #39             |
                       |*Dragon Statue              |
                       |*Travel Guide: Mother Tree  |
                       ------------------------------

This place is real purty 'n stuff during sunset.

There's an Origin Mirror to the left and a merchant to the right. Use them
as needed. Feed some nightingales to the right (east) of the merchant stand.
The drawbridge is currently raised, but don't worry about that now, there's
lots to do before lowering it.

First, run down a wooden ramp to the left of the bridge. Open a chest
underneath the ramp to acquire Travel Guide: Mother Tree. Progress further,
down a grassy hill, then along a large river. Boar piglets are waiting to be
fed by the river. Continue on, and enter a cave behind a waterfall you'll
come to. There's a single clover inside.

Exit the cave, and continue advancing south. You will almost immediately
come across a flaming chest, so use either Waterspout or Galestorm to douse
the flames. Open the chest to add Stray Bead #37 to your collection. Advance
once again, and feed a group of raccoons a bit further down.

Right in the midst of the raccoons is a buried chest with Exorcism Slip S
inside. Continue yet further along the river. At the very far end is a
clover, and a little before that a buried chest containing Stray Bead #36.

Head all the way back up to the drawbridge. Speak to the archer on the left,
Yoichi. He's shooting arrows into a cannon on the other side of the bridge.
Draw a line from the blazing eagle statue right beside Yoichi to one of his
arrows. The drawbridge is thus lowered.

Start crossing the bridge. About midway across, look up to the left to spot
a Konohana Blossom. Vine across five of them to reach a small islet. Open
the chest on top to obtain the Dragon Statue.

Now look further to see more blossoms. You'll need ten ink pots to cross all
of them, which you almost certainly won't have. But don't fret. Simply use
an Inkfinity Stone to do the deed instead. Open the chest at the end to
receive Stray Bead #39.

Return to the bridge and cross it all the way this time. Revive lots of bad
land on the other side. (Two patches to the right, two to the left.) After
restoring all of the grass, feed some horses to the left (south), plus dig
up a buried chest near them to receive Stray Bead #38. To the right (north),
feed a flock of nightingales and revive a clover.

You're finished here, so head west to Ryoshima Coast.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                            4.23 Ryoshima Coast
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                        .--------------------------.
                        | Ryoshima Coast Checklist |
                        .--------------------------.
                        |*Animals to feed:         |
                        | *1 Set of Nightingales   |
                        | *2 Sets of Cows (Herbs)  |
                        | *2 Sets of Cats (Fish)   |
                        | *2 Sets of Foxes         |
                        | *1 Set of Dogs           |
                        | *3 Sets of Hares         |
                        | *2 Sets of Boar Piglets  |
                        | *1 Set of Pigs           |
                        | *2 Sets of Monkeys       |
                        | *1 Set of Horses         |
                        |*Stray Bead #42           |
                        |*Stray Bead #43           |
                        |*2 Devil Gates to destroy |
                        ----------------------------

Unsurprisingly, Ryoshima is cursed. Use the Origin Mirror to start, and
follow the dirt path past the sign marked "To Ankoku Temple". Eventually,
you will encounter a Headless Guardian. He's nothing special, just kill him.
At the crossroads, choose the left path. Run along it without taking any
detours and Cherry Bomb the cracked wall at the end.

In this new area, wall jump to the second level. Use Waterspout by drawing a
line from the pond on the first level to the dried-up ditch on the second
level. Continue this procedure on each successive level. The Guardian
Sapling grows, so as usual, bloom it. Nature to the rescue again...

Feed the nightingales straight away. Next, head back down to the first level
and exit this little area. You'll soon find a group of cows, so feed them.
Head further down the dirt path, and turn left when you can. There's a
clover at the end of this path, plus a cave. The cave leads back to Madame
Fawn's place in Agata Forest. It simply serves as a shortcut, so go there if
you want to for some reason.

Head back along the main dirt path, and take a new stone path to the right
when you can. Run up the long set of stairs, to Ankoku Temple. There's
a single cat on the right-hand ledge of the temple. Inside, there's only an
Incense Burner currently. Head back down the steps.

Feed some foxes directly in front of the temple stairs. From here, go back
near the entrance of Ryoshima Coast and feed some barking dogs.

Run down the western path, past the temple area. Speak to the Fisherman if
you like. Turn left to another path, which leads to a weird, currently
irrelevant platform. Feed the foxes, revive the clover, and go back to the
path you were just on. Continue advancing west, stopping for a moment to
feed some hares off to the right.

You'll come across a merchant. He has nothing special, so move to the beach
in front of him, and back a bit northeast on the shore. Feed the monkeys
located there. Go back to the merchant. Past him, in the grass, are three
decayed patches of land. Restore them, and feed the two sets of boar piglets
and one set of pigs that show up in the revived grass.

From this area, look southwest across the water to spot a building on an
island. Swim across to it. On the island, open a chest for Exorsicm Slip S
and feed some monkeys, then enter the building.

It's another dojo, but this one has new skills. Be absolutely sure to buy
Holy Eagle and Digging Champ. Affording them shouldn't be a problem, unless
you've been spending wrecklessly. Onigiri Sensei rewards you with a Holy
Bone M after completion of each lesson. (And remember, I'll be calling Holy
Eagle "double jump" through the rest of the guide.)

Back outside, dig the hard ground to collect Stray Bead #43 and double jump
to the high platform to obtain Crystal. Swim back to the mainland.

Proceed west along the beach and talk to a guy named "Animal Lover". He says
his pet, Inaba, is missing. Oooookay. Continue west, onto a stone pier. Go
out onto the far side of the pier, towards the ocean. At the end is a chest
containing Dragonfly Bead, plus some cats to feed. Head back the way you
came, northward.

You'll be dragged into a fight with Ubume. It may seem devilishly difficult
at first, but is, in fact, a breeze (*hint* *hint*) with the right strategy.
Attack, and Ubume will block with its umbrella. Quickly draw up a Galestorm
and Ubume will be left defenseless. Move in for the kill.

Keep advancing north, and turn left when you have the option. Feed some
horses beside a Devil Gate, then enter said gate. Eliminate the irritating
wheels inside to reveal a Mermaid Spring. Go back to the crossroads.

Ignore the big gate, but open a chest beside the gate for Steel Fist Sake.
Next, go east, to the only area you haven't yet been. Enter another Devil
Gate and kill two Ubumes inside.

A group of hares appears. Feed them, then look closely. One has black ears
so feed that one separately. Afterwards, pick it up ("Bite"), and take it
to "Animal Lover". It turns out this bugger is Inaba. Animal Lover gives you
Stray Bead #42 in appreciation.

Go back to the big gate you ignored previously and head through it. Before
entering the city, jump up to an alcove on the right. Feed some cows here,
then jump up to a higher ledge. Revive a clover buried under hard ground.

Before entering Sei-an, you may or may not wish to collect more
miscellaneous treasures:

Vase (Buried): Behind Ankoku Temple.

Holy Bone S: Underwater, in a clam, somewhat near the merchant.

Coral Fragment: Underwater, in a clam, west from Holy Bone S.

Traveler's Charm: Underwater, in a clam, west from Coral Fragment. Near
Sei-an.

Vengeance Slip: Buried. Near the edge of a cliff overlooking the beach. Near
the stone pier.

Dragonfly Bead: Underwater, in a clam, right beside the stone pier.

Holy Bone S, Holy Bone M, Holy Bone L: They are obtained by ringing the
Ankoku Temple Bell around twenty times. (Thanks to Vince Etheridge)

Now enter Sei-an.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                         4.24 Sei-an City (Cursed)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

           .----------------------------------------------------.
           |           Sei-an City (Cursed) Checklist           |
           .----------------------------------------------------.
           |*Blinding Snow (must be bought)                     |
           |*Marlin Rod (must be bought)                        |
           |*Herbal Medicine (must be bought)                   |
           |*Charcoal (must be bought)                          |
           |*Divine Instrument: Seven Strike (must be bought)   |
           |*Gold Dust x2 (must be bought)                      |
           |*Stray Bead #46                                     |
           |*Stray Bead #51                                     |
           |*Stray Bead #52                                     |
           |*Travel Guide: Land of the Gods                     |
           ------------------------------------------------------

Use the right-hand Origin Mirror upon entrance. You'll come to two merchant
stands, one on each side of the street. I highly advise buying all of the
unique items from the Tool Dealer, ie Blinding Snow, Marlin Rod, Herbal
Medicine, and Charcoal. All of them are useful later. Also, always sell your
fish to this guy. He pays more for them.

As for the Weapon Dealer, I leave the choice to you. Purchasing at least one
of the Gold Dusts might be a good idea, but Seven Strike is absurdly
expensive. Personally, I wait to buy it later (if at all).

The city's ferry canal is currently dry, so dive in. There are loads of
treasures in the canal, most notably Stray Bead #46 in the southwest corner.
None of the others are anything special, but are still worth collecting.

At the northwest corner of the canal is the city's master carpenter, Naguri.
Converse with him to initiate another digging game. Oh man, how I dread
writing for these...

This is going to be one gigantic run-on sentence.

Go right 1 block, destroy brown block below, fall into water, clear path to
right blossom, power spring partner up, dig down various blocks, make way
left through various blocks, dig down various blocks, make way right, across
a red, spiked block, down more blocks, left, down, left across another red,
and down to the bottom. The goal is directly under the red block above.

Note: Use Galestorm to blow your partner across the spiked blocks.

Or ignore all that babble and use theranmafan's excellent YouTube video:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=UkCUTutpS3E

Naguri awards you some Praise, and the canal refills. Make your way past the
diseased masses, and through the northern entryway, to the city's bigwigs.

Head up the bridge, then down it to meet Benkei. Offer him your Blinding
Snow, if you bought it. Help catch the Living Sword. It's the same routine
as usual, catch two regular fish, then the Cutlass Fish. Benkei Rikishis the
bridge for you, so cross. Ah, I was kinda missing Herr Frenchie. He says
something about there being a HOLE there, but it's gone now. Or something
like that.

Anyway, advance past him, into a little building. Open the chests on each
side of the lady inside for Exorcism Slip M and Travel Guide: Land of the
Gods, then speak to her. Use a brush technique on Priestess Rao when asked.
Go through the door behind her.

You can fight Komuso one more time here in Sei-an, if you've completed his
previous two challenges. He's directly to the left, standing underneath a
tree. If you win the fight fast enough, he'll give you Stray Bead #52.
Thanks to TyrannisUmbra for clarifying this info.

Head north across a bridge, then turn right. Just before you come to a
second bridge, dig up Stray Bead #51. Now do indeed cross this second
bridge, and head into the room with green mist flowing out.

Ignore the sentries, and go right of them to find Rao's Prayer Slips. Return
them to the chaste priestess. Help her search for more garbage. Rao marks
the Sunken Ship on the map, so that's our next destination.

Miscellaneous treasures:

Crystal (Buried): Just east of the entrance to the Aristocratic Quarter.

Exorcism Slip: Beside an eastern house where snobby aristocrats live, near
the crystal.

Incense Burner: Underwater, just east of the first bridge in the
Aristocratic Quarter.

Exorcism Slip S: Aristocratic Quarter, northeast, beside a house near the
main palace.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                             4.25 Sunken Ship
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                     .--------------------------------.
                     |     Sunken Ship Checklist      |
                     .--------------------------------.
                     |*Sun Fragment                   |
                     |*Stray Bead #41                 |
                     |*Stray Bead #57                 |
                     |*Stray Bead #58                 |
                     |*Monkey Statue                  |
                     |*Travel Guide: Celestial Envoy  |
                     ----------------------------------

Remember that weird platform I mentioned earlier? (If not, just head
backwards along the dirt path until the path splits off to the right.)
Double jump up onto that platform. As Issun blatantly points out, the symbol
under the ship looks like a crescent. That's your cue to draw a crescent in
the sky. Make it point to the opposite direction of the one on the ground.

After the scene, jump forward into the water and quickly swim ahead to the
newly dry sunken ship. You should immediately notice a couple of dig spots
in front of the ship, so dig them up for Exorcism Slip M and Glass Beads.
Head behind the ship for another buried treasure, this one containing
Godly Charm.

Go back to the front and jump up two small ledges to arrive at the very
shiny entrance of the ship itself. Before entering, however, look up and
to see a small platform at the edge of the ship's roof. Double jump up
there, then head onto the main area of the roof.

Head up and right to find a large, fallen post. Run almost all the way up
the post, then double jump as far right as you are able. Hopefully, you've
landed on a platform with two chests. Open the chests for Stray Bead #41 and
a Golden Peach. Finally, use the insanely shiny entrance.

Cursed door. Busty babe. Fox Rods. And stuff. Do as Rao commands, you
surely need no assistance with this kind of thing by now. Save at the Origin
Mirror if you wish. Past this, dispel three ghosts using the Prayer Slips
and you'll receive a nifty demon fang for each. Ascend the stairs.

The camera cheerfully points out a lovely horde of treasures, so ya gotta
dive down and collect 'em all, including Travel Guide: Celestial Envoy.
(Watch out, though, for two are monsters in disguise.) Ignore the other
oddities in the room and proceed up the small northwestern set of stairs.

Run down the curvy hallway, and avoid the spiky things protruding from the
floor. In the large room that follows, Jiro and Suburo, two weird crab-shark
hybrids, suddenly attack. They're very fast and do quite a bit of damage, so
back off and lunge Prayer Slips at them from afar. Continue with the lunging
until both of their outer shells are broken, then kill them like you would
any other monster.

Enter the hallway to the northeast, go through a Golden Gate, and break the
cursed door the same way you did the last one. This leads into a small room,
where Rao babbles something about sunshine.

Ignore the floating barrel in the corner for now and dig up a clover in the
opposite corner. Next, check out the destroyed roofing and the night sky
gaping above. Obviously, make a sun and flood the joint.

Swim back where you came from where you'll find Jiro and Suburo mating. They
produce a rather large baby shark, Ichiro. Try to stay mostly on the five
land masses during this fight. Ichiro slowly dives in the air and tries to
land on Ammy, so it shouldn't be all that difficult to avoid his attacks.
When you get the opportunity, chuck a few Prayer Slips his way. Eventually
the shark child will lie stunned belly-up, so attack him in this state ASAP.
Rinse and repeat until the unnatural beast is dead.

TyrannisUmbra has a different strategy for Ichiro:

"Ichiro can be extremely easy if you use the most underrated attack in the
game: Cherry Bomb. You just need to position it in front of his head so he
swims into it, and it will set off some pretty fireworks. :3 After the
"armored phase", a single cherry bomb does about 1/3 damage (might be
different for some, I'm playing on New Game+ and am not sure how that
affects damage), and you don't have to get up close and personal with the
nasty shark."

Continue backtracking. When you come back to the large treasure room, swim
left, hop onto a floating barrel, and jump further up to a skinny strip of
land. Pass though another Golden Gate and open the chest for Holy Bone S.

Drop down into the next flooded area and swim left to another hallway,
ignoring the big, central cannon. Kill several annoying ghosts using Prayer
Slips and swim along the path until you come across a second alcove. Open
the chest here to find Stray Bead #57. Advance further to spot a third
alcove, this one containing a Crystal.

You've probably noticed a humongous hand trying to grope Ammy by now. Ignore
it as best you can and proceed into a massive room. Swim to a wooden ramp
leading out of the water and run along it until you reach a rope holding a
barrel. Cut it down, of course.

Guide the barrel straight ahead to a pair of golden hooks hanging down.
Double jump to a ledge past the newly connected barrel. Grab the Monkey
Statue from a chest up here and go back to where you were before you cut the
barrel down.

Run east along a narrow bridge. Two hands will try to attack this time, so
avoid them as best you can. Head along a curving hallway, back to the room
where the gaping sky and other barrel is. This time draw a Crescent into
the sky. Predictably, the entire ship dries out again and the barrels
balance out.

Go again to the massive room with the hands, using the barrel to do so.
Except, the hands have been replaced by a big pile of goo. Don't touch the
quivering mass or you'll take damage. Instead, run all the way over it with
both nearby spiked barrels for 50 points of Praise.

Now head out of this room, back through the twisting hallway, and finally
back into the room with the cannon. The cannon is now usable, so draw a
Cherry Bomb onto the appropriate symbol. Destroy each of the three X-marked
doors. (Aim the cannon by standing on various parts of it. The middle door
is kind of difficult, you sort of have to shoot the cannon while it's
moving.)

The top room holds a Sun Fragment, the middle holds a Pearl, while the
bottom contains the key needed to unlock the nearby door. So go through, ya
silly goose. Ascend more stairs (When a Wolf Ascends the Stairs?) and break
another cursed door to come across more glimmering treasures. (If the weird
cow skull is a bother, just hold R1 and he'll move along.) Open them all.
Among the loot is Stray Bead #58, the vital Lucky Mallet, and three more
lovely mimics that need killing.

Turn back out of this room to automatically see a scene. Rao almost takes a
dump on Ammy, then the water dragon attacks! Note that it is quite possible
to escape using lily pads, but there's no real need to, because being
swallowed has no negative repercussions. Either way, Ammy and her delightful
pal end up back on safe land. The Lucky Mallet pops out to take the lead.
Follow it to Sei-an.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                            4.26 Imperial Palace
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                  .-------------------------------------.
                  |      Imperial Palace Checklist      |
                  .-------------------------------------.
                  |*Divine Instrument: Exorcism Beads   |
                  |*Stray Bead #59                      |
                  |*Rooster Statue                      |
                  |*Travel Guide: Veil of Mist          |
                  ---------------------------------------

Inside Sei-an, continue following the mysteriously altruistic mallet through
the city. It eventually leads to our next merry destination, the emperor's
palace. When asked if you want to get hammered, answer that you do indeed.
(Ah-ha, the localization people *can* be funny!) The mallet shrinks Ammy to
the size of a tiny katamari, and the palace is successfully infiltrated.

Toss Issun to get the treasure as he requests, it works exactly like the
Prayer Slips. Run forward down the linear path, make note of the monstrous
bloke, then save at the Origin Mirror if needed.

Run ahead and go through the door with the big spider hanging over it. Don't
worry, he's placid for now. Advance past the big foot again and then along a
path of ascending and descending platforms to watch a scene. After that's
over, head a bit further to find two chests. Throw Issun to grab a Godly
Charm from the poisonous liquid and open the normal chest to obtain a 
Traveler's Charm.

A little further along you will encounter a Thunder God Mirror. Just deal
with it like you do with the other wheel monsters. Progress through another
door guarded by an inactive Blocking Spider (and through a Golden Gate) to
arrive at a brooming giant. Run straight ahead, ignoring him(?) at first,
and you'll spot a Cherry Bombable cave. An Exorcism Slip S waits inside.

You should notice by now that the giant is trying to step on Ammy. Don't let
him, of course, but guide one of his feet to an elevated, northeastern cave.
(It's near the giant's broom.) Use the foot as a platform to jump to the
cave's entrance. Next, cherry bomb the wall to find a Golden Peach, then
grab the nearby key and take it all the way back to the first intersection,
where the Origin Mirror is. (You'll meet the imprisoned Kaguya on the way
back.)

Unlock the western door to explore a new room. The only thing of interest
here are a few cracks in the ground, so Cherry Bomb them and drop down.
Issun explains the Platform Spiders below well enough.

Jump on the first platform spider you see going upwards. Bloom the large
clover on the chunk of land up here, then drop down to the very lowest
level of this area. Destroy the obviously cracked wall with a Cherry Bomb
and go inside.

An active Blocking Spider blocks the entrance, but it doesn't matter. I'm
sure you see an enormous flask hanging from the ceiling, right? Power Slash
the rope holding the flask and enter it.

Mysterious mist is floating around inside the flask. Use Galestorm to blow
that mist (as well as a wolf and a bug) out. Fill out another constellation
when prompted (first one in a while!). The exceptionally weird Kasugami
gifts the Veil of Mist brush technique, which slows down time. You'll be
using this power frequently through the remainder of the game.

Go through the motions of the tutorial. (Who would have trouble drawing two
horizontal lines, especially at this point?) Approach the Blocking Spider as
close as you can without having it drop down. Use Veil of Mist at this
point, then charge out of the rooms, just under the spider.

A Wind Doom Mirror must be dealt with outside. Use Veil of Mist to defeat
these easily. Now we're ready to explore this large room fully.

Head up a few steps located opposite of the cracked wall to reach a
mushroom. Make a few jumps up the mushroom-steps and you will spot a yellow
Platform Spider. Double jump to it, then immediately double jump to the next
land area after that, as the spider drops down quickly.

Climb up more grassy platforms here and bloom a clover on top. Advance past
the clover to find a treasure behind a wall of spider-webs. Use Issun to
retreive Steel Fist Sake from the chest.

Return to the clover and you'll notice a red Platform Spider moving back
and forth. Start your double jump when the spider is about halfway back.
Ride him towards a yellow Platform Spider, and when the two spiders reach
their closest point, "super double jump" to the yellow one. Quickly leap off
of the yellow spider to a small ledge with a clover. Bloom the clover. Dur.

Alright, enough of these freaking spiders. Exit this room by stepping on the
odd symbol with light shining on it. Head all the way back to the room with
the sweeping giant, evading a few Blocking Spiders on the way there. Use
Veil of Mist just as you do with the spiders to slow down the large man's
broom, and use the same trick on his pal just ahead, sweeping giant #2.

Through another Golden Gate we go. Have Issun fetch an Inkfinity Stone from
the poisonous water ahead. Use the nearby waterfall to fill a bamboo tube
hovering above the empty chest, then hop on it. Quickly run up this tube and
leap to a second bamboo tube. Wait on the near side of this second tube and,
when it's balanced properly, charge up. Double jump to a pipe pouring out
poisonous liquid. Run along the pipe and use a red Platform Spider to reach
a new area.

The Emperor and his stench are snoozing away. You may optionally kill the
two roving Demon Scrolls here for some Demon Fangs and yen. Regardless, jump
onto the only Platform Spider you are able to. You must now utilize your
platforming skillz and hop along a series of spiders. You'll reach a wooden
platform at the end.

Turn east to find a dirt path and yet another Golden Gate. (Jeez, what's the
point of having so many of those that close together?) Run up onto the
wooden beams. Several swinging spiders are located here as obstacles. Use
Veil of Mist on them if you have trouble, although it shouldn't really be
necessary.

Anyway, head straight at the first junction, then right at the second. Grab
Imperial Place Map from the chest and turn back. Take the right path, then
the left to find another web-blocked chest. As usual, have Issun take the
Exorcism Slip M hiding inside.

Next, go back to the first junction you came across, near the Golden Gate,
and turn right (south). Cross the crazed Platform Spiders (again, slow them
down if you're having trouble) to reach another set of crossroads on the
other side. Go right at the first, then straight, toss Issun to grab a
Vengeance Slip, turn back, and head left. Three more hanging spiders stand
in the way, but the last two are extremely fast, so make sure to use Veil of
Mist on them.

Dive insanely into the emperor's diseased mouth. (Well, I guess a huge mouth
is close enough to a hole for Ammy.) Issun notes the method of exit, but
head further into the emperor's body instead. Save when you have the chance,
and don't turn back!

****************************************************************************
*                               Boss: Blight                               *
*                                                                          *
* Yen: 15,000                                                              *
*                                                                          *
* Blight makes for a rather boring boss fight, really, as he only has two  *
* attacks. First, he'll attempt a lightning quick slash across the screen. *
* Second, he'll surround himself with a number of swords and throw them    *
* all atAmmy. The second attack can be dodged easily by simply performing  *
* a mobile double jump.                                                    *
*                                                                          *
* The first attack, however, is the key to winning this battle. Both       *
* attacks are premeditated by a hesitation and a growl by Blight. Use Veil *
* of Mist when he does this. If he uses his slash-across-the-screen move,  *
* Blight will be slowed and vulnerable to attack. Quickly run behind him   *
* and get in as many hits as you can. After enough of this punishment,     *
* he'll lose his precious sword.                                           *
*                                                                          *
* Run over to the sword and start whacking away at it. Blight's life bar   *
* drops rather slowly, so using a few Steel Fist Sakes is advised. Strike  *
* from a reasonable distance, however, for Blight's sword sends out a      *
* damaging shockwave a few seconds before returning to its owner.          *
*                                                                          *
* Repeat this long, irritating process several times, and Blight shall be  *
* erased.                                                                  *
*                                                                          *
* Alex e-mailed me the following:                                          *
*                                                                          *
* "when you are fighting blight and he does the thing where he throws his  *
* swords at you, if you do the time slowing thing you will see one of his  *
* swords is blue, if you then use power slash on it it will knock it aside *
* so you can attack it, just like when he does the other attack."          *
*                                                                          *
* icecoldheart88 informs me that Power Slashing Blight's exposed sword     *
* does more damage than normal attacks.                                    *
****************************************************************************

Ammy steals herself some Exorcism Beads after the scuffle. Evil, darkness,
and such kill the celebration once more.

Guide your new body across the bridge-like structure to Blondie's cell and
set her free. After more scenes, you will get the opportunity to swap Demon
Fangs for valuable items with the emperor.

For now, I recommend that you at least buy the Fog Pot. This artifact allows
teleportation between Ultimate Origin Mirrors (the fancy ones with red Xs
painted on them), and is necessary for an upcoming stray bead. Also, Travel
Guide: Veil of Mist appears in a chest if you bought the Fog Pot.

Behind the emperor, to the right, is the Rooster Statue. Just in front of
the emperor's room outside, also to the right, is Stray Bead #59 buried
under the ground. Four additional treasures lie buried under the ground out
here, which contain Lacquerware Set, Bull Horn, Pearl, and Crystal. Finally,
exit the Imperial Palace.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                         4.27 Sei-an City (Revived)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                 .----------------------------------------.
                 |    Sei-an City (Revived) Checklist     |
                 .----------------------------------------.
                 |*Stray Bead #47                         |
                 |*Stray Bead #48                         |
                 |*Stray Bead #53                         |
                 |*Stray Bead #54                         |
                 |*Stray Bead #55                         |
                 |*Secret Brush Technique: Fireburst      |
                 |*Travel Guide: Inferno Tech             |
                 |*Ryoshima Coast Wanted List             |
                 |*Gold Dust (must complete Wanted List)  |
                 |*Horse Statue                           |
                 |*Sun Fragment                           |
                 |*Travel Guide: Northern Lands           |
                 ------------------------------------------

Speak to Kaguya more than once and she scuttles off to Sasa. Okay, there's
quite a bit to do in Sei-an now, so I'll just start covering tasks randomly.
First, head back to the Commoner's Quarter.

                              .------------.
                              | Mr. Flower |
                              .------------.

Mr. Flower and his house are located to the northeast of the CQ. Go there
and speak to the gent. He explains the convoluted situation. Basically, you
just need to bloom all of the non-cursed trees.

Start by blooming the one on top of his head, the six surrounding his house,
then enter the house to bloom an eighth. While you're inside, bust down Mr.
Flower's closet near the center. No skeletons, but there is a dig spot. Dig
up Stray Bead #47.

So, now you need to bloom the rest of the non-cursed trees. I won't give
precise instructions, as there are just too many. They are all over both the
CQ and the AQ. The CQ has lots near the entrance, while the AQ has many
trees tucked in the northeastern and northwestern corners. When you're
finished, talk to Mr. Flower again.

He speeds off to uncurse those trees. Follow him and never lose sight of
him. After he uncurses a tree, quickly bloom it and move on. Mr. Flower is a
tricky little devil, and likes to jump over water. Draw a lily pad when you
see him starting this.

After the cherry blossoms are all finally revived, Mr. Flower hands out a
miserable 20 Praise.

                             .-----------.
                             | Fireburst |
                             .-----------.

Enter the restaurant in the Commoner's Quarter. (It stands between Mr.
Flower's house and the entrance to the AQ.) Head into the kitchen and speak
with Yama, the head chef. Also, look at the pattern on the back wall
closely. Offer Yama the Golden Mushroom you picked up so long ago.

Yama dances his little jig. When the camera show a close up of the logs, you
should know what to do. Draw the symbol you saw on the back wall, the one
that looks like a lying down 8. This one can be rather annoyingly difficult
to make. Start at the top-left and draw the rest from there.

Moegani's reward is the Fireburst brush technique, and Yama's is lots of
Praise and food. Also take Travel Guide: Inferno Tech from the chest that
appears immediately afterward.

                     .----------------------------.
                     | Ryoshima Coast Wanted List |
                     .----------------------------.

Enter the Sei-an restaurant again, but this time make sure it's at night.
You'll see a guy sitting at the right-most table named Masu. Chat with the
drunkard and he'll give up the Ryoshima Coast Wanted List.

Head out to Ryoshima Coast and get cracking on that wanted list. Here are
the locations of the monsters:

Shame Flasher: Close to the Animal Lover, on the north (Sei-an) side.

Thunder of Degradation: Along the beach. It's about where the beach sticks
out most toward to the sunken ship.

Dishonorable Tempest: Right in front of the Ankoku Temple Bell.

Petulant Lightning: Very near the entrance to City Checkpoint.

Foul Thunder: Somewhat near the Guardian Sapling. It's also near some cows
and a spider cave entrance.

Return the list to Masu during the day. He should be wandering around the
restaurant he gets drunk in. As usual, you'll get a Gold Dust for completing
the wanted list.

                           .-------------------.
                           | Super-fast Hayate |
                           .-------------------.

Hayate is running around the beach out in Ryoshima Coast, similar to Ida the
postman from Shinshu Field. Speak with him to initiate a race. The only
difference between Hayate and Ida is that Hayate lays down spiked balls
behind him, making him slightly trickier.

Just don't run directly behind him. Instead, try to run somewhat beside him
and catch him on his turns. Hayate hands out a dose of Praise when you
manage to headbutt him.

                                .---------.
                                | Blossom |
                                .---------.

In the western area of the Commoner's Quarter, there's a young woman named
Blossom standing around looking depressed. Turns out daddy's sick. Offer her
the Herbal Remedy, which is readily available in a nearby shop. She'll give
Ammy 20 Praise.

But Papa is still sick, so headbutt the geezer. He renounces his membership
to the Blue Man Group and hands out more Praise. Happy days.

                           .-------------------.
                           | Island in the Sky |
                           .-------------------.

Go to the southeast corner of the Commoner's Quarter. Use watersprout to
fill in the dried up pond there, then create a geyser to head way up into
the sky. Leap onto a strange island.

First, run around to the back of the building and take Horse Statue from a
chest. You can talk to the two Tao Troops up here if you like. The guy
inside whines about losing his mask, but we'll help this schlub out later.
So, yeah, the only point of coming here now was the Horse Statue. Make a
crazy jump back down to Sei-an.

                            .-----------------.
                            | Artistic Talent |
                            .-----------------.

Around the east area of the Commoner's Quarter is a little girl drawing
familiar designs. Speak to her and give her the Charcoal you should've
bought earlier. (It's available in a shop close-by.) A drawing of a
five-point star appears in her head. You'll need to draw this in a little
bit yourself, so practice here until you're confident you can do it.

Head to the west end of town and enter a large building with Japanese
symbols above it. This is the kimono shop. Enter the right room and speak
with Mr. Chic. He needs that star on his kimono, so make it happen. This one
shouldn't be too difficult if you already know how to make a five-point
star. It's just five straight lines of different angles connected. Keep
trying until Mr. Chic says "You certainly show great skill at this, friend".

Return to the drawing girl and she rewards Ammy with 20 Praise. You'll now
need to repeat this process four more times. Here are the required designs:

Five-point Star: See above.

Heart: This should be one of the simplest, but it's extremely, extremely
annoying. I think I made perfect hearts multiple times, but the game just
wouldn't accept them. It finally accepted one that looked just like the
others. I don't understand it myself, so I can't give any advice.

(Ccldoom e-mails me to say that it's easier if you draw the heart from the
bottom going clockwise. I can't verify that, but you might want to try it.)

V: Just draw a freaking V. If you were able to draw the last two, you can
draw this. It's included as a Viewtiful Joe reference.

Happiness: You can look at this symbol as either two connected eights or
four connected circles. You can try to draw them either way. Fortunately,
the game is very lenient on this one. At least, it was for me. I drew four
circles.

God: Some may be intimidated by the fact that it's a Japanese character, but
this symbol wasn't much of a problem for me. Just draw it exactly like it's
drawn in the girl's thought bubble. The game seems to be lenient for this
drawing too, thankfully.

After completing all five drawings, your reward is 100 Praise in total plus
Stray Bead #48.

                            .----------------.
                            | Treasure Trove |
                            .----------------.

There is a barred house in the southwest corner of the Commoner's Quarter.
Luckily, the wall is cracked, so cherry bomb your way in. As the title says,
the house is a treasure trove. Da loot: Incense Burner, Holy Bone S, Pearl,
Glass Beads, Crystal x2, Exorcism Slip S, and, best of all, Sun Fragment.

                           .-------------------.
                           | More Random Stuff |
                           .-------------------.

Another Stray Bead: You know the big drawbridge that connects the two
quarters of Sei-an? Well, go there. Dive into the eastern water and swim all
the way out to the barrier preventing further access. A chest is underwater
here, somewhat to the north. Slash it open and grab Stray Bead #53.

Ferry Service: Various people around the Commoner's Quarter need the ferry
for transportation. The ferry isn't operating, however, so Ammy's lily pads
will have to do. After drawing the lily pad in front of the commuters, use
Galestorm to blow them to their destination. Be fast, for the time limits
can be demanding.

This is just for extra Praise, basically. The only advice I can give is
avoid the whirlpools, have lots of ink pots, and know the area well.

Fisherman Benkei: Benkei is fishing around the northeast of the Aristocratic
Quarter. You can fish at your leisure here for yen or to try to catch rare
fish. That's it, really.

(Note that there are a few more tasks in Sei-an that can be partially
completed, but I'll wait to cover them until they can be done in full.)

Okay, after all that, it's time to actually continue the game. Head to the
gate of Himiko's Palace. The guards won't budge, so confuse them with Veil
of Mist and run in. Go up some stairs and you'll see the entrance to the
actual palace. Don't enter yet. Head right, down more stairs. There's a
clover underneath this walkway, so bloom that first if you like.

Anyway, go through the doors here to a small room. Open the three treasures
to receive Pearl, Bull Horn, and Travel Guide: Northern Lands. Exit, go back
to the palace entrance, and go left this time. You'll be on another elevated
walkway. Jump off to the right and open the chest below to obtain Stray Bead
#54.

Get back to where you were (left elevated pathway) and go through more
doors. Only a Crystal lies inside the room, so take it and leave. Back to
the entrance we go. Refrain from entering still, and go around to the back
area. Grab Holy Bone M from the chest, enjoy the view, and finally enter the
palace.

Don't enter the elevator ahead of you just yet. First, go around to the back
of this area as well, take Stray Bead #55 from a chest, then take the
elevator. Listen to Issun and don't even try to cross the boiling sea of
lava. Exit the entire city.

Oh, but first, you may want to pick up more trinkets:

Inkfinity Stone: Western area of the Aristocratic Quarter, near the
entrance.

Clover: Further west, past the Inkfinity Stone. Over a gap of water.

Exorcism Slip L: Underwater in a chest, western area of the AQ. It's near a
big water mill.

Lacquerware Set: Another underwater chest, it's almost exactly opposite of
the Exorcism Slip L, to the east. Near the other big water mill.

Crystal: Buried by the house to the right (east) of Queen Himiko's palace.

Traveler's Charm: Far west area of CQ, in a chest behind a house.

Exorcism Slip L: Eastern side of CQ, crammed between a house and the canal.

Exorcism Slip M: Buried under the slightly northwest grassy area of the CQ.

Crystal: Buried inside the kimono shop.

Clover: Northwestern corner of AQ, near trees.

Clover: Northeastern corner of AQ, near a pond.

Head to Sasa Sanctuary.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                         4.28 There and Back Again
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                     .--------------------------------.
                     | There and Back Again Checklist |
                     .--------------------------------.
                     |*Fire Tablet                    |
                     |*Travel Guide: Holy Artifacts   |
                     |*Border Key                     |
                     ----------------------------------

At Sasa Sanctuary, ascend the multiple sets of outdoor stairways. You will
witness the Bamboo family reunion at the top. Kaguya dives into the ground
because she sees a crest (huh?) and Ammy follows. Ah, great, everyone's
favorite: another irritating dig game. You know what? I've completely given
up on trying to cover these. Too much work for too little reward. Sorry.

Instead, use another of theranmafan's excellent YouTube videos:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=aQq9-0K90io

Your reward is the Fire Tablet. The alient says bye to gramps and goes back
to Neptune. That sequence was utterly strange and borderline surreal.

Anyway, warp back to Himiko's joint. Trick the guards again etc. until
you're back at the sea of flames. Pick up the oddly placed Travel Guide:
Holy Artifacts first. Take Issun's advice by equipping the Fire Tablet, then
cross the lava.

Head through several elaborate doors and you finally meet Empress Himiko.
(Shouldn't Himiko be busy in an ROTK game visiting China?) Watch the overly
long cutscene. After it's over, speak to Himiko several more times and agree
to help her. She finally spits out the Border Key.

Exit Sei-an and go over to the northwestern gate. With key in hand, these
guards finally let Ammy pass.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                         4.29 North Ryoshima Coast
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                      .------------------------------.
                      |North Ryoshima Coast Checklist|
                      .------------------------------.
                      |*Animals to feed:             |
                      | *2 Sets of Cats              |
                      | *1 Set of Foxes              |
                      | *1 Set of Dogs               |
                      | *2 Sets of Hares             |
                      | *1 Set of Cows               |
                      | *1 Set of Pigs               |
                      |*Stray Bead #60               |
                      |*Stray Bead #61               |
                      |*Stray Bead #63               |
                      |*Stray Bead #64               |
                      |*Bear Statue                  |
                      |*1 Devil Gate to destroy      |
                      --------------------------------

Run ahead a little and Waka suddenly shows up to taunt Issun. Okay. A bit
further you must fight an Earth Nose. Take care of it by using Veil of Mist.

There's a large body of water to your left. Run down towards it and you
should notice a pile of rubble beside the water. Just to the left of this
rubble is Stray Bead #60 buried under the earth, so dig it up.

Across from the rubble is a small strip of land on the other side of the
water. Swim over to the strip. Bloom the clover you should notice right
away, and feed a group of cats beside a cat statue. Now head back across the
water and to the dirt path you were on previously.

Just proceed along the path until you find an Origin Mirror. After saving,
you may now teleport to a special area if you bought the Fog Pot earlier.
Draw an X over the red X already on the mirror and select "N. Ryoshima Coast
(Rocky Area)" from the map.

This secret little nook contains two clovers and Stray Bead #64 in a chest.
Collect your rewards and jump off the western cliff, back down to the first
Origin Mirror.

From here, go not east across a bridge, but rather along the northern path
towards a small house on the beach. Before you get there, feed a group of
foxes to the left of the path, then, as you near the house, a group of cats
to the right. According to the sign, this is Umi's Restaurant. Whatever,
just enter.

Umi and his waitress both complain about not having big enough fish. We'll
help these whiners out later, no need to worry now. Exit the restaurant and
backtrack your way to the Origin Mirror at a junction. Do take the east
route past the bridge this time.

There's a merchant sitting on the other side. He really has nothing special
except for the Marlin Rod, which you should have already bought at Sei-an.
However, be sure you have lots of fish in stock, at least eleven bags to be
safe. Near the merchant there's a patch of hard earth with a clover
underneath, and north of that are a few yipping dogs to feed.

From the dogs, run east along another path. Keep advancing east even after
the path is gone until you find a Devil Gate. Enter and eradicate the
beasts inside. This actually produces a girl and a big tree, in addition to
a group of hungry hares.

From there, head west towards a large mound sticking up from the ground.
Before you get there, though, you should find a hard dig spot on the ground.
Dig there, of course, and dive in to the hole you created.

Underneath, there's quite a nice collection of treats, including: a
(massive!) group of hares, Stray Bead #63, Bear Statue, a Golden Peach, and
three clovers. In addition, the trees down there give out quite a nice
portion of Praise for blooming them. Exit.

Jump onto the previously mentioned mound to find Yoichi and some cows that
need to be fed. Right beside the cows is Stray Bead #61 in a buried chest.
Now speak to Yoichi a few times and you'll learn that he's trying to shoot
some fruit from the Guardian Sapling on a nearby island. Help him out by
connecting some water from the golden pond to one of his arrows. The fruit
magically blooms, and the befuddled Yoichi runs away.

Swim over to the Guardian Sapling island and Power Slash the hanging fruit
for 30 Praise. On the other side of the island there are also a few items of
interest, namely a clover, a Traveler's Charm, and a buried Pearl. Swim back
and backtrack to the area around the merchant.

From the merchant, head north a while and you'll notice a group of children
to your left. Approach them and you'll see that it's three children beating
another. Hey, I play games to enjoy myself, not to be reminded of traumatic
childhood experiences! Anyway, after the three bullies scatter, headbutt
Urashima. He shares his hallucinations with a wolf and a bug.

Advance past Urashima to find his home. There's nothing really inside except
an old lasy, but there is a group of pigs outside of his home. Go further
east, past Urashima's home, to find the pier he was talking about. Run to
the end of it and make a sun in the sky. Orca pops out of the water to act
as Okami's sea vessel.

Before getting on, though, you may wish to collect these:

Crystal (Buried): Southwest of Umi's Restaurant, near a group of foxes.

Exorcism Slip M: Underwater, in the river near the merchant.

Wooden Bear: Underwater, downstream from the Exorcism Slip M.

Glass Beads: Underwater, downstream from the Wooden Bear.

Mermaid Coin: Underwater, right beside the Glass Beads.

Inkfinity Stone: In an underwater clam, directly north of Umi's Restaurant.

Exorcism Slip S: In an underwater clam, directly northwest of Umi's
Restaurant.

Incense Burner: In an underwater clam, directly west of Umi's Restaurant.

Bull Horn (Buried): At the far eastern point of the main landmass. Near the
girl and the large tree.

Pearl (Buried): On the Guardian Sapling island. I already covered this one
in the walkthrough, but am putting it here too for consistency.

Bull Horn (Buried): Northwest of Urashima's house, buried under the beach.

Vase: In a clam beside the pier.

Steel Soul (Fist?) Sake: In a clam near the Vase.

Hop onto Orca's back and choose to ride him. Remember to have lots of fish
bags!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                            4.30 Catcall Tower
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                     .--------------------------------.
                     |    Catcall Tower Checklist     |
                     .--------------------------------.
                     |*Animals to feed:               |
                     | *9 Sets of Cats                |
                     |*Stray Bead #67                 |
                     |*Stray Bead #68                 |
                     |*Stray Bead #69                 |
                     |*Cat Statue                     |
                     |*Sun Fragment                   |
                     |*Travel Guide: Mark of Kabegami |
                     ----------------------------------

Controlling Orca is very easy, so there's no need to explain it. Sail
directly east, to the island with the unbelievably tall tower. It surely
shouldn't be difficult to find. Get off Orca at the only approachable part
of the island. Run up the winding path, feeding one group of cats along the
way. Save at the Origin Mirror just in front of the tower's entrance, then
enter.

You must battle a Poltergeist upon entrance. They are quicker and much more
aggressive than other wheel monsters. Power Slash them to turn them into
another wheel monster-type, then take care of that type like you would
normally. Come on, developers, the wheels are getting old.

Go ahead and open the chest in front of the tower to find Travel Guide:
Mark of Kabegami. Around the base of the tower are four lone cats that want
fed, three clovers, plus two mini-towers with chests on top. Those will be
opened in a little bit.

For now, go back to the front of the tower, and you should notice some paw
prints. Jump up against them and push X. Ammy will cling to the tower like a
cat. Repeat this process and you'll be able the tower this way. When the paw
prints turn to the right, follow them.

Eventually, you'll cross a painted red bar on the tower. At this point, turn
left and drop down to a blue platform. There's a lone cat there waiting for
its meal. Notice that you can actually walk on the white stuff floating
around the tower, so you can't really fall unless you do it on purpose.

Climb further until you pass a second red line. There's another platform at
this level, and another hungry cat on it. Climb yet further, past a third
red line. Just drop down after you pass it, onto the swirling white
substance. Run around to find a gray platform, this one holding a Traveler's
Charm in addition to the routine cat.

Yes, climb further still, to reach a bigger, fenced platform which encircles
the tower. Take Holy Bone S from the chest and... wait for it... climb. The
next platform, past a fourth red line, contains Lacquerware Set. As you
climb even further past this, keep an eye out for another platform to the
left. No red line this time, nor any protective white mist, so carefully
drop down to the platform. Open the chest for Stray Bead #67, then continue
climbing.

The platform past a fifth red line appropriately holds the Cat Statue.
Further up, you'll be in an enclosed area with a Mermaid Spring and a set of
spiral stairs. Go up the stairs, open a chest containing Incense Burner,
then ascend more stairs.

You'll be in a little room. Head back out to the outer area again, and
circle around the tower to find a rather lonely cat. You *must* feed this
cat to advance the game.

In a rather enjoyable scene, Kabegami grants Ammy the Catwalk brush
technique. Follow Issun's instructions, and draw a line from the cat statue
to the top of the tower. Climb up using the paw prints you made.

Go behind the huge Kabegami statue and walk to the end of the long, thin
ledge. Open the chest at the end to receive a Sun Fragment. Go back down the
two spiral staircases, make then a ludicrous leap all the way back down to
the base of the tower. Goddesses can survive such things, I suppose.

You can now use Catwalk to climb the two mini-towers, so grab Crystal and
Stray Bead #69 from the chests on them. Exit Catcall Tower, save at the
Origin Mirror outside, then go right back in.

Your next job is to climb the whole tower a second time. Have fun. At the
top, two new chests appear: one holding a Mermaid Coin near the Mermaid
Spring, the other a little further up containing Stray Bead #68.

Now you may exit the tower for good.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                          4.31 Sail On, Sail On
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

        .---------------------------------------------------------.
        |               Sail On, Sail On Checklist                |
        .---------------------------------------------------------.
        |*Secret Brush Technique: Cherry Bomb 2 (must be bought)  |
        |*Travel Guide: Cherry Bomb 2 (comes with above)          |
        |*Secret Brush Technique: Power Slash 2 (must be bought)  |
        |*Travel Guide: Power Slash 2 (comes with above)          |
        |*Stray Bead #62                                          |
        |*Secret Brush Technique: Whirlwind                       |
        |*Travel Guide: Galestorm Tech                            |
        -----------------------------------------------------------

Now is a good time to explore the high seas with Orca. There's nothing of
interest on the island directly north of Catcall Tower right now, so sail
northwest to the tree-shaped island.

First, open the fire-engulfed chest for a Crystal, then head further onto
the island. Cherry Bomb the crack in the ground here and drop under. There
are three clovers and a few trees to bloom, but the main point of interest
here is the Divine Spring. 

You need to donate 120,000 yen in order to receive the Cherry Bomb 2 brush
technique. Should you do it? Well, that depends on how much yen you have,
and it's obviously your choice, but here's my suggestion:

200,000 yen or over: Buy it.
Under 200,000 yen: Don't buy it.

For you see, the Power Slash 2 technique is coming up very shortly, and that
is both much more useful and a lot cheaper. I personally bought it, since I
had loads of cash. If you did as well, take Travel Guide: Cherry Bomb 2
from the chest.

Regardless, exit this hole and get back on Orca. Sail to the island directly
west. There's a clover straight away. Further on stand two big boulders.
Power Slash the gray one surrounded by pots, and dive into the newly created
hole.

This hole is exactly like the last one: three clovers, a few trees, and a
Divine Spring. You have to donate 60,000 yen to obtain the Power Slash 2
brush technique. I strongly suggest that you do so, as this allows you to
slash open some of those big, colorful boulders you've been seeing around.
Again, take Travel Guide: Power Slash 2 from the new chest.

Outside of the hole, you can now slash the other boulder to reveal a clover.
Back on Orca we go. You see those three islands all the way to the southwest
of the map? Well, sail to the smallest, north-most one first. You need to
"super double jump" on. There's only a clover here, so get back on Orca and
sail south to the next island.

Dig up the buried chest here to find a Golden Peach. The entrance to a
bandit spider cave is also on this island, but I'm ignoring those right now.
I suggest you do the same, for they are far too challenging at this point.
Finally, sail south to the last island.

Before talking to the fisher on the pier, collect the treats on the island.
There's a Holy Bone S and a Steel Fist Sake in clams on each side of the
pier, and there's a buried Pearl around the middle of the beach area.
Further north, in the grassy area of the island, is the buried Stray Bead
#62. West of that is a Holy Bone M and a clover.

Return to the pier and speak with the fisherman. Fish with him after he
steals the Marlin Rod. Catch three fish, and the last one shall be the
legendary marlin. The fisherman hauls it off to Umi's Restaurant. Get back
on Orca yet again.

Sail back to the main North Ryoshima Coast landmass, and from there, to
Umi's Restaurant. Chat with the main man himself. After he's done chopping
the marlin, draw three horizontal lines as indicated by the painting in the
background. Your prizes for completing this are the Whirlwind brush
technique, Travel Guide: Galestorm Tech, 20 Praise, and lots of sashimi.
Exit the restaurant.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                           4.32 Watcher's Cape
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                         .------------------------.
                         |Watcher's Cape Checklist|
                         .------------------------.
                         |*Animals to feed:       |
                         | *1 Set of Tigers       |
                         --------------------------

Do you recall that strip of land in North Ryoshima Coast that I covered
earlier in the guide? It's across from the pile of rubble near the beginning
of the area. Well, you can now use the cat statue there, so Catwalk your way
up to Watcher's Cape.

The first thing you should notice on Watcher's Cape is a group of tigers to
the right, so feed them first. Advance ahead a little on the path up here
and you'll meet a Blue Cyclops that needs disposed of.

Attack him normally at first. Soon, the Blue Cyclops will transform into a
more powerful form, which uses a shield and summons lightning. Just avoid
him when he's like this, and wait for him to turn back into his initial
form to finish him off.

A dude named Watcher's attention is attracted. Make the time night, then
speak to Watcher a few times. You'll learn of his desire to wish upon a
shooting star. Our handy-dandy brush can make that happen. Stand next to
Watcher and draw a single dot into the night sky. A shooting star appears as
planned. Watcher's wish is granted too, making the whirlpool galaxy show up.

Run to the end of the cape and stand on top of the swirl symbol. Look up
into the whirlpool galaxy and draw a Galestorm over it. After the galaxy
begins spinning, make two or three more Galestorms. The Dragon Palace's
whirlpool entrance finally shows itself.

Don't attempt to swim over to the whirlpool by yourself, or you shall be
chomped up by the water dragon. Orca is needed for this task. For me, he
appeared back at the wooden pier he originally showed up at. I would assume
he does for all players, so over to the pier and give Orca a ride.

Sail into to that monstrous whirlpool, ignoring the silly water dragon.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                            4.33 Dragon Palace
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                   .-----------------------------------.
                   |      Dragon Palace Checklist      |
                   .-----------------------------------.
                   |*Animals to feed:                  |
                   | *1 Set of Boars                   |
                   | *1 Set of Boar Piglets            |
                   |*Stray Bead #70                    |
                   |*Stray Bead #71                    |
                   |*Stray Bead #72                    |
                   |*Secret Brush Technique: Fountain  |
                   |*Travel Guide: Waterspout Tech 1   |
                   |*Shell Amulet                      |
                   -------------------------------------

I'm expecting the little mermaid to show up at any moment now.

Progress forward into the palace. Along with an Origin Mirror, there are a
few clams with treasures inside. They contain: Holy Bone S, Dragonfly Bead,
and, fittingly, a Pearl. Go a bit further ahead and two thuggish brutes
prevent further access. Don't worry, though. Issun sets them straight.

In the next large room, head behind the central staircase and look around.
There's a crack back behind the stairs, so Cherry Bomb it and jump into the
uncovered hole.

This hole has all the standard features: a massive group of animals (a boar
and boar piglets), three clovers, four trees, and a special something at the
end. The "special something" this time includes Kutani Pottery, Godly Charm,
and Stray Bead #70. Exit back out to the palace.

The right and left doorways are blocked by more evil brutes right now, so
your only choice is to go up those stairs. There's an elevator straight
ahead, but first, go up more stairs to the balcony. The eastern room here
holds an Exorcism Slip S, while in the western room stands a merchant named
Mrs. Turtle. She sells nothing of note, so head back to that elevator and
ride it up to Otohime.

Otohime complain about Oni Island and the water dragon. Yeah, yeah, we've
heard that all before. When asked if you'd like to hear her story again,
answer No. She then yaps on some more. Hear her out and agree to help until
she finally hands over the Shell Amulet. Ride back down to the main room.

The two rooms that were blocked previously are now accessible. Enter the
eastern one first. Upon entrance, run past the dancing nutcases and you will
find four pillars of varying heights.

One of the pillars is broken, however, so use Rejuvenation to repair it. Now
you may jump up the pillars to find Stray Bead #71 in a chest. On the
nothern side of the room is an elevated clover, and on the ground on each
side of that, a Bull Horn and a Vengeance Slip in clams.

Speak to the fattest dancer, the one in purple, a few times. Now you can dig
into that cracked rock they're dancing around. This leads to a digging game.

As I said before, I've given up on covering these in detail. You start at
the bottom of the stage. Your goal is to reach Big Bertha at the top, then
lead her back down. Personally, I chose the right-most path to reach her,
which worked just fine. There's only one way to guide her down.

Another useful digging video from theranmafan:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=0_rhyTV4xDE

After completion of the digging game, draw a large swirl into the pool the
ladies are dancing around. You will receive the Fountain brush technique,
Travel Guide: Waterspout Tech 1, and 20 Praise. Exit the room, and go into
the opposite, western room.

Ignore the big mouth in the middle of the room right now. There's a clam off
to the side with Glass Beads inside, but more importantly, just above that,
another clam. This one contains Stray Bead #72.

Now you should jump into Jabu-Jabu's, er, the water dragon's gaping jaws.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                           4.34 Inside the Dragon
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                       .---------------------------.
                       |Inside the Dragon Checklist|
                       .---------------------------.
                       |*Dragon Orb                |
                       |*Fox Rods                  |
                       -----------------------------

Look left straight away to spot three clams. The contents include: Inkfinity
Stone, Crystal, and Holy Bone S. Jump back over to the eastern strip of land
and go straight until you see a few platforms to the right. The top one has
a clam, so hop over to it, take the Exorcism Slip S, and hop back. Head
north along the linear pathway to a new area.

There are several pillars over the water here. Four hold clams, and you must
"super double jump" to reach some of them. The clams contain: Vengeance
Slip, Steel Fist Sake, Steel Soul Sake, and Exorcism Slip M.

Your main goal here is to go down to the northern part of the water and
retrieve an Exercising Arrow key. With the key, swim to the southwest area
of the water and use the power spring to lift yourself back to the western
strip of land. Leap across the pillars to the eastern strip of land and run
north to a more enclosed space.

First, there's a little pool of water that completely restores Ammy's
health. There's also a power spring nearby. Ride that up to a small cavern,
open the chest in there for a Crystal, and go back down. Lastly, there's a
useful Origin Mirror. Be sure to save now.

After all that, proceed north. With key still in mouth, the Lockjaw opens
up. Issun points out a "crystal ball" entangled in muscles. Ignore it for
now, and advance into the right (east) room. Run along a curving pathway
into another room.

The red liquid in here is health-draining, so don't touch it. Rather, draw a
line from the liquid to the squishy ball on the ceiling. Do this three times
and the water dragon's insides overflow with the boiling red liquid. Must be
painful.

Make a long path of lily pads to reach the "crystal ball" room. Stand on the
safe spot in the middle and draw a line from the liquid to the ball. Repeat
this twice more and the Dragon Orb is yours.

But these guys aren't happy about it...

****************************************************************************
*                            Boss: Tube Foxes                              *
*                                                                          *
* Yen earned: 27,500                                                       *
*                                                                          *
* Three of the foxes will attack at a time, and you must fight nine in     *
* total.                                                                   *
*                                                                          *
* They will often quickly slash at Ammy, which does a little damage. They  *
* also jump up and shoot purple stuff from their mouths, which has longer  *
* range than the slashes. Finally, they frequently do a goofy dance that   *
* drains ink.                                                              *
*                                                                          *
* The ink-sapping dance is by far the most troubling aspect of this        *
* battle. Not only does it prevent use of the brush, but also strips Ammy  *
* of her weapons. And a weaponless Ammy is a useless Ammy.                 *
*                                                                          *
* Quickly detect which fox is doing the draining and attack it to make the *
* process stop. Power Slash is a good idea.                                *
*                                                                          *
* These guys surprisingly put up a worthy challenge, so don't be afraid to *
* use those holy bones.                                                    *
****************************************************************************

The defeated Tube Foxes release the Fox Rods. You now have three minutes to
escape the crumbling water dragon. That red liquid drops from the ceiling
now, but it only barely hurts, so it's no big deal. Just backtrack your way
out. It's extremely easy to escape under the time limit. I had almost two
minutes left.

Meet King Wada and lend those rods to Ms. Melons. Head up to Otohime and
present to her the Dragon Orb. It looks like Melons is in danger. We gots to
save her!!!11!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              4.35 Betrayal
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                           .------------------.
                           |Betrayal Checklist|
                           .------------------.
                           |*Nothing          |
                           --------------------

Ankoku Temple, the temple to the northeast of Ryoshima Coast, is your next
destination. Make your way there one way or another, it's not that far. The
map helpfully puts a big red mark there.

Upon approaching the temple, a ghostly Rao beckons you to follow her. Keep
following her, up the temple step, past the temple, and through the rock
wall. You'll come to a small cavern with a lone well inside. Make a blind
leap into the well.

From this side-view, simply run left to a new area. Or an old area, really,
as it turns out to be Himiko's palace. Make your way up the steps and into
the main palace entrance.

Ignore the lifeless maidservant and ride the elevator up. Swim across the
lava again and make sure you save before entering Himiko's room.

View the sumptuous shock inside.

****************************************************************************
*                              Boss: Evil Rao                              *
*                                                                          *
* Yen Earned: 20,000                                                       *
*                                                                          *
* Her fox mask heavily reminds me of Ran from Texhnolyze.                  *
*                                                                          *
* Rao's most common method of attack by far is shooting several homing     *
* swords in a line at Ammy. This is fairly similar to an attack Blight     *
* made, but Rao's swords are slightly faster and more accurate. No jumping *
* is advised here, just run in a circle to dodge them.                     *
*                                                                          *
* She will also make simple, close-range slices and jabs with her sword.   *
* These are very fast and quite damaging, so anticipate them early to get  *
* out of the way. Lastly, at a certain point, Rao will begin constantly    *
* dive-bombing Ammy with her sword.                                        *
*                                                                          *
* This is the pivotal point of the battle, as after Rao misses one of her  *
* dive-bombs, she'll stand there stunned for a few moments. Pound away at  *
* her then, because this easily the best chance you'll get. Hopefully you  *
* can take enough health away from her at this point to make the rest of   *
* the battle painless.                                                     *
*                                                                          *
* Rao is very mobile and gets lots of quick attacks in, so don't hesitate  *
* to use items if you need them.                                           *
*                                                                          *
* (Hatchi says I'm completely wrong about the flying swords. He says that  *
* double jumps work well, and running in circles doesn't work at all.      *
* Different strokes for different folks.)                                  *
****************************************************************************

I shall return to Oni Island and rally my dark forces! Respect the dead, no
headbutting!

Uh, anyway, you need to head to Watcher's Cape in North Ryoshima Coast. The
map again decides to be kind, and marks the spot for you. You're supposed to
get there before sunset, but if you fail, you'll just get to start back up
right where you were, so no loss.

Enjoy the awesome sky outside, and leisurely make your way to Watcher's
Cape. Once up there, run to the end of the cape again. The now-friendly
water dragon acts as a bridge, so tread on her all the way to Oni Island.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                             4.36 Oni Island
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                  .--------------------------------------.
                  |         Oni Island Checklist         |
                  .--------------------------------------.
                  |*Divine Instrument: Blade of Kusanagi |
                  ----------------------------------------

Drop down off the water dragon into a little crevice. Issun points out that
lava acts just like water, as long as you have the Fire Tablet equipped. So
make a geyser from the power spring and ride up. Run through a Golden Gate
and drop into a large pool of lava.

Lily pads can't be made on the lava, so quickly swim from rock to rock. Swim
east, under an arc, and onto a rock on this eastern part of the lava. There
is a Konohana Blossom hovering over the east-most rock, so Vine over there
and grab a Golden Peach from the chest beneath. Now swim northwest to
another rock, this one located beside a power spring. Ride it up to solid
ground.

Advance west here, and try to enter Oni Island's huge central gate. A Blue
Ogre and a Red Ogre wish to crack skulls. These guys are big and slow, and
have massive masks to protect their faces. Simply manuever around to their
backs and beat them from there. They have long health bars, so it could take
awhile.

After beating the ogres into submission, don't actually enter just yet.
Three more treasures wait to be collected. You see those two long stretches
of land on the map hovering over the lava? Each one holds a chest. You need
to run along thin ledges to get them. The east pier holds an Exorcism Slip
S, while the west one holds a Crystal.

The last chest out here is located in the western lava pool. It's on a rock
with a Konohana Blossom floating above, much like the one in the eastern
lava pool. The chest contains a Pearl. Finally, enter the main gate.

Directly to the right stands an imp merchant, and an Origin Mirror beside
him. The imp has the Infinity Judge and Seven Strike for sale if you didn't
buy them before. Take the left (west) hallway out of this room, then turn
right (north) in the hallway to another room.

There's only an Exercising Arrow key inside, but you must battle two
Poltergeists before reaching it. Take the key and return to the original
room. Head east this time and open the Lockjaw.

Run along the twisty hallway till you come across a descending stairway with
a chest above it. You need make a *running* "super double jump" to reach it.
Grab the Bull Horn and go down the stairs. Read the sign you'll see, which
explains the upcoming mini-game.

Challenge Tobi to a race. The first stage should be effortless, as long as
you dash at the start. For the second, you'll need to jump across platforms
to reach the finish line. Go for the larger platforms for more landing room.
Tobi's pretty slow on this race, so don't rush too much.

After winning that race, obtain a Crystal from a chest lying around. Proceed
up a few flights of steps to find a cat statue. Catwalk on up. Make a
U-turn, jump across a platform, then run through a narrow hallway. Tobi is
here again, so get ready for another race.

This race is pretty simple, just jump across the long platforms (right,
left, right, right). The next one is more challenging. Time your jumps well
over the several saws. The fourth and fifth saws are particularly tricky.
Try to make a double jump over both in one leap. Upon completion of this
race, retrieve Lacquerware Set from a chest and race Tobi again.

Demonic wheels litter the race-track this time. Make your way through the
gaps in them. This one comes down to personal skill, not much I can say. The
stairs at the end are irritating. Make "super double jumps" up them, rather
than simple double jumps. Loot Exorcism Slip M from a chest in the next room
and race Tobi yet again.

This race works a little differently, though. You just need to kill three
Headless Guardians as fast as possible. Don't bother with extracting Demon
Fangs or whatever. Just kill. Open another chest to find another standard
treasure, this one a Coral Fragment.

The new area features several statues that shoot lasers from their eyes
(Beamos?). To make matters worse, they shoot the lasers on thin ledges that
you must traverse. Luckily, many gray platforms hang from the side of the
ledges. Stand on these platforms, wait for the lasers to pass, sprint to the
next platform, and repeat almost all the way to the end. Near the end, you
will need to make a few double jumps from ledge to ledge. Also, there are a
couple of chests off to the side. They hold a Golden Peach and a Pearl.

A shallow pool of water sits in the middle of the next room. Nothing else to
note, except an encounter with a Blue Cyclops. Head north through some
sliding doors, and save at the Origin Mirror at the end of them.

Proceed west through more sliding doors. Pass by the Lockjaw to the side and
race Tobi through the passage of needles. Simply run straight and jump over
the obstacles. Cherry Bomb the crack in the wall, and you'll arrive on the
roof outside.

Notice the Exercising Arrow key above? Simply run to the right, use Catwalk
on the cat statue, climb up, and grab the key. Drop back down and backtrack
to the Lockjaw you passed a minute ago. Open and progress north down a
linear hallway.

A treasure sits in a round room with several small holes in the ground
around it. Some shoot up spiked posts, some don't. Just make your own path
to it (it's very easy), and receive Godly Charm from the chest. Advance
north down another straight hallway, then through a door.

We're back outdoors, on a stone ledge. Examine the huge tiger statue out
here. It has a bow on its back, but no arrow. Fill the bow in with
Rejuvenation to solve this problem. Fill in the constellation, and Gekigami
awards Ammy the power of Thunderstorm. Listen to Issun: Draw a line from a
bolt of lightning to the lightning post.

Head through this new passage and use Thunderstorm again, on another
lightning post. A rotating bridge is activated. Leap on it right as it's
starting to come down, sprint across, then make another leap to the other
side. Bloom a clover just beside a door, then enter that door.

Use the electric charge from the ceiling to open the chest in here, and take
the Exorcism Slip L that pops out. Cherry Bomb the ground a bit further
ahead. You'll fall down to a small room with two paths leading out. The
western one is covered by a banner, but go right through it. Pick up (or
bite) the electrically charged gizmo lying on the ground.

You can now use this device to walk on those shiny yellow things. So, walk
along this electric path, then jump up it. (There are couple of Konohana
Blossoms floating above. I have no idea what purpose they serve.) You'll be
at a door with a lightning post beside it. Draw a line from the gizmo in
Ammy's mouth to the post. Enter.

The Labyrinth of Walkthrough Authors' Nightmares looms ahead. Well, first
you just need to go through a series of linear sliding doors. *Then* you
come to the three doors of doom. These lead to a big, confusing maze. (By
the way, be sure to keep that electric thing in your mouth through the
labyrinth.) I actually decided to make an ascii map of the labyrinth, my
first ever attempt at such a thing. It's a little too small, but gets the
job done. Here it is:

                                                                            
                                     EXIT                                   
                        .............!!!.....                               
                        .   .   .   .   .   .                               
                        .   .   .   .   .   .                               
                        .***.***.***.***.***.                               
                        .   *   .   *   +   .      .----------------------. 
                        . F *   .   * G +   .      | Map Compass          | 
                        .....***.***.....+++.      .----------------------. 
                        .   .   *   *   *   .      | ...: Wall            | 
                        .   . E *   *   *   .      | ***: Door            | 
                        .***.........***.***.      | +++: Cracked Wall    | 
                        .   *   .   *   *   .      | !!!: Cherry Bomb Wall| 
                        .   *   . D *   * H .      |                      | 
                        .***.***.***.***.....      | A: Exorcism Slip S   | 
                        .   *   +   *   .   .      | B: Incense Burner    | 
                        .   * C +   *   .   .      | C: Wooden Bear       | 
                        .....***.***.....***.      | D: Vase              | 
                        .   *   .   .   *   .      | E: Vengeance Slip    | 
                        .   *   .   . K *   .      | F: Steel Soul Sake   | 
                        .***.....***.....***.      | G: Glass Beads       | 
                        .   .   *   .   *   .      | H: Holy Bone M       | 
                        . B .   * I .   *   .      | I: Traveler's Charm  | 
                        .***.***.....***.....      | J: Dragonfly Bead    | 
                        .   .   *   .   *   .      | K: Steel Fist Sake   | 
                        .   .   *   .   * J .      ------------------------ 
                        .***.....***.....***.                               
                        .   *   .   .   *   .                               
                        . A *   .   .   *   .                               
                        .....***.***.***.....                               
                            .   .   .   .                                   
                            .   .   .   .                                   
                            .***.***.***.                                   
                            .           .                                   
                            .   START   .                                   
                            .           .                                   
                            .....***.....                                   
                                                                            

It's entirely up to you whether you want to collect all the treasures or
rush straight to the exit. I worked hard on that map, so use it well!

After exiting the maze, you'll be in a familiar room. Exit, and turn right
in the hallway. Use the key in your mouth to Thunderstorm the door here
open. Take a Pearl from the chest inside, and go back to the hallway. Run
the other way now, and you'll be back in the very first room of Oni Island's
interior.

Use the Origin Mirror again if you like, and insert your electric gizmo into
the blue pedestal. Advance into the new corrider, use the placed electric
key to open two lightning chests, and pick up Inkfinity Stone and Bull Horn
from them.

Further down the hallway, after Issun points out a towering statue, run
ahead to find two more chests. Take Holy Bone S and Crystal from them, then
head backwards until you get a clear view of the statue's 9-pronged sword.
Of course, draw a line from the electrical charge nearby to the sword.
Progress down the steps that open.

Five eyeballs form a trap in the next room. Quickly Power Slash them all.
Don't worry, it doesn't have to be all at once. You'll reach a new area
oddly reminiscint of a 2-D side-scroller.

First, run to the far left and make a line from a bolt to a lightning post.
This activates a rotating bridge right next to it, so use the bridge to
reach a second level, head right, and use another rotating bridge to reach a
third level.

Proceed left again, past a blue pedestal, and you'll come to a spiked bridge
rotating above. When the bridge isn't obstructing your path, tap X to make a
low jump across the pit. A cat statue stands on the other side. Again, wait
till the bridge is out of the way, then climb to a new area. (From "Ass:
Kazinhu": "If you powerslash the brige, it stops for a few seconds making it
easier".)

Use three more bridges (kinda tricky, just time your jumps well) to reach
another level. Wooden posts block the way up here, so Power Slash them away.
An electric key sits in the small room. Take it, go back to the blue
pedestal you passed before, insert the key, and jump up two sets of
ascending platforms.

Leap over the spiked posts that pop from the ground, and you'll come to a
series of progressively higher, spinning gear-like platforms. Each one has a
gap in it, so use the gap in each to reach the top. This part can be mildly
frustrating, because the top gears spin so rapidly, but it's more skill and
luck than strategy, so there's not a lot I can say. At the top, exit this
2-D wonderland.

There's an Origin Mirror in the next large room. A few large statues shoot
lasers here as well, but they're not hard to avoid. (Andrew notes that you
can pause laser statues by damaging them, and that they can be completely
destroyed by hitting them with lightning damage.) Anyway, run up some
steps and grab another electric key sitting there. (From "Ass: Kazinhu":
"When you get the third gizmo key, there's a chest under the stair that you
can open with the thunderstorm.") Up more steps, you will see an electric
path in mid-air. Hop safely on, and keep going until you see a platform off
to the side. Jump to it.

Use Thunderstorm to open the treasure. Take the Vengeance Slip, and hop back
on to the electric path. Slow down the swinging spider ahead with Veil of
Mist, and advance until you come to a seemingly dead end. Worry not, simply
drop the key in Ammy's mouth and you'll fall to a new room. Open the chest
here for a Pearl.

An Exercising Arrow key is here too, so grab that, Cherry Bomb the banner in
the room, and unlock the Lockjaw outside. Tobi is ready for another race
upstairs. Use Veil of Mist to slow down the blocking spider ahead, double
jump over the pool of purple goo, then simply jump over spiked posts to win.
An impossible to miss Golden Gate stands just past the finish line.

Go east through sliding doors, beat down a couple more ogres, and leap over
another purple pool of goo further east. (Watch out for the spiked posts
before you jump.) (E-mail from anonymous: "Instead of jumping the purple goo
and trying to get around the darn spikes you can use the cat climb on the
solid wall to the left. You don't have to do anything awkward that way.")
From the hallway you're in, head north to find yet more purple goo.

The tall wall on the other side has two blue squares and a cat statue on
top. Make a long Catwalk trail to the bottom of the wall, avoiding the blue
squares, then make a long double jump and cling to the trail. Climb up,
again avoiding the blue panels.

Drop down to another hall, turn left into a new room, and take care of some
fiends in battle. Lots of health recovery items lie in the jars here if you
need them. Head outside.

Wrap around the railing and jump up to meet Blockhead again. He's the same
as he always has been, except you must paint five dots on him this time.
Many people have trouble with this guy, but I don't really understand why.
All you have to do is remember the locations of five dots. I'll remind you
again, paint them in the order they appear.

Past Blockhead, Tobi will make one last challenge. Before you even begin the
race, look up and right to see a tiny ledge. Leap onto it, break all the
jars, and cross to the other side. Cherry Bomb the wall, then return to
Tobi. Start the race, and Vine to the Konohana Blossom for an easy win.

Say bye-bye to Tobi, then look up and to the left. Grab a Crystal from the
lightning chest there and make your way outside again. Be sure you use this
Origin Mirror to save. (I like how the save file just calls it "Oni Island:
High".) Proceed down the path, through a Golden Gate, and declare yourself
ready.

Fill in the oddly placed constellation (remember the middle star) to meet...

****************************************************************************
*                             Boss: Ninetails                              *
*                                                                          *
* Yen Earned: 62,530                                                       *
*                                                                          *
* Ninetails has several attacks in his arsenal to watch out for.           *
*                                                                          *
* First, his least threatening attack is a series of wide-ranging slashes  *
* forward. Just back off to dodge them. He also often makes quick charges  *
* directly at Ammy. This move is very difficult to avoid. Try to run out   *
* of the way, I guess. Next, he shoots out poisonous brown liquid from his *
* tails. If you get far enough away, you won't get hit. Finally, he sends  *
* his tails through the ground and tries to damage Ammy from underneath.   *
* Keep in a constant sprint to dodge the tails.                            *
*                                                                          *
* Sometimes, Ninetails will stupidly raise his sword into the air. Use a   *
* nearby lightning bolt to electrify the sword. (By the way, Ninetails can *
* use the Celestial Brush at the same time as you. But if you're quick     *
* enough, he shouldn't be able to.) His nine tails will turn into little   *
* armed creatures that run around and try to harm Ammy. You must kill them *
* all, but that's not an easy task.                                        *
*                                                                          *
* Not only do all of the sprite-like creatures attack at once, but purple  *
* fox masks shoot crap at you too. Try to hit a bunch of the sprites all   *
* at once with a bead weapon. Consuming a Steel Fist Sake at this time     *
* wouldn't be a bad choice.                                                *
*                                                                          *
* After killing all the little dudes, the white Ninetails transforms to an *
* orange onetail. At this point, he's vulnerable to normal attacks, and he *
* himself will only perform his charge attack. Also, he'll still raise his *
* sword (or whatever it is), but ignore it now and just use it as an       *
* opportunity for free strikes.                                            *
*                                                                          *
* Keep hacking away and Ninetails will eventually fall. He's a pretty      *
* decent challenge overall, especially compared to most of Okami's bosses. *
*                                                                          *
* (Hatchi e-mailed me a different strategy. He says you should gather all  *
* the little creatures together, then unleash an Exorcism Slip L on them.) *
*                                                                          *
* (tigeriant has e-mailed me yet more advice on this boss: "During the     *
* fight with Ninetails, when his tails become annoying little creatures,   *
* you said you must kill them all to continue the fight. Thats not         *
* entirely true, you can just run away from them, and after a while they   *
* merge together again. It saves items and health, and its not as          *
* frustrating.")                                                           *
****************************************************************************

Ammy thieves Divine Instrument: Blade of Kusanagi after the fight. It seems
the evil mist has headed for the frozen north. Waka shows up too and marks
exactly where this frozen north is.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                            4.37 Northward Bound
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                       .---------------------------.
                       | Northward Bound Checklist |
                       .---------------------------.
                       |*Animals to feed:          |
                       | *2 Sets of Hares          |
                       |*Gimmick Gear              |
                       |*2 Devil Gates to destroy  |
                       -----------------------------

You'll start out at North Ryoshima Coast, but warp to Shinshu Field by using
either Mist Warp or Fountain. Now is a good time to finish a sidequest I
started way, way earlier in the walkthrough.

Find Ida the postman running somewhere on the dirt path. You may now race
him two more times. During the second race he lays down spiked balls behind
him, similar to Hayate. After winning, advance the time by one cycle to race
Ida a third time. The third race is exactly like the second, except Ida runs
a different route. For beating him three times, you receive the Gimmick
Gear. I'll cover what that's for later.

(You can place more of the Nameless Man's statues now as well, but not all
of them, so I'll leave that for later too.)

Head for Shinshu Field's only cat statue. (It is behind the Guardian
Sapling.) Climb to a higher plane. There's a Devil Gate to the north up
here. Beat up the pathetically easy imps inside, then feed the hares that
appear. Now go south along a dirt path and notice a Devil Gate to the side.
Beat up the pathetically easy imps inside, then feed the hares that appear.
(Yeah, I just said that, but if it fits, it fits.)

Continue along the path to find a weird monument of some sort. Whadayano, a
sword happens to be sticking out of it. First, though, open a chest right
behind the monument to obtain a Crystal. Now blast that sword with
Thunderstorm and a secret path is opened. Before entering, there are more
nice valuables out in Shinshu:

Clover: Buried under a patch of hard earth near Kamiki Village.

Godly Charm: Buried under a burning pile of leaves near the dojo.

Clover: Northeast corner of Shinshu Field's higher plane.

Pearl (Buried): Northwest corner of Shinshu Field's higher plane.

Clover: At the eastern-most point of Shinshu Field, on the higher plane.

Kutani Pottery (Buried): Southwest of the above clover.

White Porcelain Pot (Buried): Inside of the U-shaped dirt path on the higher
plane.

Now enter, and run through a long tunnel below. On the other side, you'll
arrive at...

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                4.38 Kamui
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

         .--------------------------------------------------------.
         |                    Kamui Checklist                     |
         .--------------------------------------------------------.
         |*Animals to feed:                                       |
         | *2 Sets of Sheep (Herbs)                               |
         | *1 Set of Foxes                                        |
         | *2 Sets of Cranes (Fish)                               |
         | *6 Sets of Bears (Fish)                                |
         | *1 Set of Hares                                        |
         |*Stray Bead #74                                         |
         |*Stray Bead #75                                         |
         |*Stray Bead #76                                         |
         |*Stray Bead #77                                         |
         |*Stray Bead #78                                         |
         |*Kamui Wanted List                                      |
         |*Gold Dust x2                                           |
         |*Amber Tassels                                          |
         |*Amethyst Tassels                                       |
         |*Secret Brush Technique: Cherry Bomb 3 (must be bought) |
         |*Travel Guide: Cherry Bomb 3 (comes with above)         |
         |*Travel Guide: Tribe of the Moon                        |
         |*2 Devil Gates to destroy                               |
         ----------------------------------------------------------

We now arrive at the obligatory snow area. Of course, Okami beautifies it
into something worth ogling. Anyway, save at the Origin Mirror just west of
the entrance.

Scamper northwest up the single path in the area to encounter a group of
Namahages and Blade Namahages. They basically act as upgraded Green Imps and
Red Imps, so deal with the chumps accordingly. (They do actually look
different, so they're better than color palette swaps at least.)

There's an eastern path, but it's blocked by a blizzard, so enter a solitary
tent nearby. A masked guy creepier than Axel Manson prances around inside.
He immediately flees outside for some reason, so follow him. Ah, everybody
has to be so rude...

****************************************************************************
*                                Boss: Oki                                 *
*                                                                          *
* Yen earned: 20,000                                                       *
*                                                                          *
* Oki's pretty generic in a lot of ways, but he's no slouch. Like so many  *
* other bosses, Oki sends out a wave of daggers targeting Ammy. To avoid   *
* them, either running around or double jumping will do. He also blows out *
* a freezing gust of wind, in addition to standard sword slashes and jabs. *
*                                                                          *
* There is one little trick up Oki's sleeve that makes him a nuisance.     *
* ALL of his attacks imprison you in a block of ice, freezing all movement *
* for a short time. Not only are you completely vulnerable to attack in    *
* this frozen state, but the Fan Menu is also inaccessible, meaning no     *
* items. To prevent unexpected death (or Astral Pouch usage), keep your    *
* health relatively high.                                                  *
*                                                                          *
* Do you remember the key to defeating Waka way back when? The same method *
* works on Oki. Power Slash his daggers back at him, and he'll lie stunned *
* for a bit. Take that opportunity to bash his brains. After he takes      *
* enough abuse, Oki turns into a blue wolf.                                *
*                                                                          *
* Wolf Oki acts pretty similarly to the Canine Warriors, but he's more     *
* powerful in just about every way. He still shoots out projectiles, but   *
* this time they are icicles rather than daggers, and deflecting them back *
* does nothing. Oki is very agile with his slashes, charges, and whirling  *
* dive-bombs. Get behind him when you can and attack from there.           *
*                                                                          *
* Occasionally, Oki summons icy clones of himself to help in combat. The   *
* battlefield becomes very hectic and dangerous with Oki's helpers around, *
* so eliminate them with a few attacks ASAP.                               *
*                                                                          *
* Oki presents a reasonable threat, but with the correct tactics and a     *
* little skill, he'll succumb.                                             *
****************************************************************************

Unsurprisingly, Oki actually turns out to be a decent fellow. He claims to
be a member of the Oina tribe, and complains about the inevitable evil and
darkness haunting Kamui. (Japan Lesson Time: Kamui is meant to represent
Hokkaido, Japan's northern-most island, and the Oina tribe represents the
Ainu, the original residents of Hokkaido and Japan's aboriginal people. Just
thought you'd like to know.)

Head through the northeast tunnel, as the blizzard is no longer raging. Soon
you'll run into Yoichi the archer again. He seems to be shooting his arrows
aimlessly into the cursed zone, but appearances can be deceiving. Connect a
bolt of lightning from the sky above to an arrow and Kamui's Guardian
Sapling is unveiled. A few sheep also arrive back near where Yoichi was, so
feed them a bag of herbs.

You now have a choice to go either east or west. Choose east, and along the
following narrow path are some foxes to feed. Kokari and Ume show up at this
southeastern corner of Kamui, and Kokari hasn't given up his fishing
ambitions. This is the best place to fish in the game, so fish to your
heart's delight.

Just left of Kokari and Ume are some cranes, so feed them fish. A nearby
path leads to the local dojo, but Stray Bead #74 lies under the ground just
to the right of that path. (It's near a snow-covered Issun statue.) There
are few more nice treasures around here, too. Check the bottom of this
section for more details.

Inside the dojo, Onigiri Sensei has new techniques up for sale. I suggest
purchasing Hardhead, along with the techniques that fit your weapon
preferences. Exit the dojo, and go back to the Guardian Sapling area. Select
the western path you didn't previously.

An Igloo Turtle soon pops up to be a pest. Attack the turtle until it
collapses, draw a line from its fire tail to its body, then smash the
turtle's revealed straw body until it dies. Get used to the Igloo Turtles,
you'll be fighting them a lot in Kamui.

Just after that fight, look to your right and spot a sign that reads "To
Wep'keer". Look up in the air past the sign and towards the Guardian Sapling
to see a Konohana Blossom. Vine up there, bloom a clover, and Cherry Bomb a
cracked wall. Past that is a bit of ground with two cracks. You *must* have
bought Cherry Bomb 2 earlier to break the ground. If you did, go ahead and
use it, then drop down the hole.

Bloom the typical clovers (3) and trees (4) below, then investigate the
Divine Spring. Cherry Bomb 3 is the prize if you donate 300,000 yen to the
spring. I don't think this ability is amazingly useful, but you *will* need
it for a stray bead down the road. I had lots of dough to spare, so I bought
it, but it's up to you.

Whatever your choice, exit the hole and drop back down to the "To Wep'keer"
sign. A single bear is roaming around there, so feed it. Also, past the bear
is a red boulder concealing a clover. Proceed north and you'll soon find a
merchant. (Isn't he cold sitting on the ground like that?) Nothing
remarkable for sale, but I do advise buying some fish feedbags if you're low
on them.

Left (west) of the merchant is a frozen pond. Head over there and feed a few
bears meandering around, then check out a small, snowy island south of them.
There is a clover on the island to bloom, but more importantly, a hard dig
spot in the middle. After digging it up, head into the hole below.

First, there are three clovers and two trees around, so bloom all of them
for over 100 Praise. Now, I'm sure you see the big blockhead standing there.
His name is Blockhead Grande, and Mr. Grande is a sadist.

For you see, gentle readers, this blockhead has *eight* weak spots that must
be remembered. That's a huge, huge step up from five. Blockhead Grande is
the most excessively frustrating part of Okami, and many people cannot
defeat him without cheating. Fear not, for I have a few recommendations that
may be of use:

1. Use a camera phone or even a camcorder to record the dots. This is the
preferred method and I strongly suggest it if you have the equipment.

2. Use graph paper or possibly regular paper to quickly jot down the dots.
Although it isn't visible, Blockhead Grande's dots appear on a 5x5 grid.
Unfortunately, the dots appear far too quickly for this to really work. Not
suggested.

3. Have family or friends help you out. For instance, if you have two
people, Person A remembers the first four dots, and Person B the last four.

4. Complete it the "true" way, with memory and concentration. The more you
practice, the more doable it is. Or, simply hope to get lucky with an easily
memorable pattern.

I used number four, and it took about thirty tries. Whichever method you
choose, good luck! The rewards are Stray Bead #78, Gold Dust, Silver Pocket
Watch, and 50 Praise. Finally, exit this grotto and get back to the main
game.

Proceed north and take care of the easily noticeable Devil Gate ahead. You
receive 50 Praise and a Mermaid Spring pops out as well. Amber Tassels are
buried under the western ledge of the spring, so collect those. Go ahead a
little north further and you'll notice a rather conspicuous snow mound. (An
Ammy statue lies underneath.) The real point of interest, though, is a
buried Stray Bead #77 just south of the statue.

Continue north and trash another Devil Gate. You'll earn 50 Praise from it,
but nothing more. Now backtrack a tad and check out an isolated western
house. Feed a few sheep outside, then go in. Converse with the distressed
youngster named Wali until he coughs up the Kamui Wanted List.

Might as well complete the last Wanted List now that we have it, eh? The
monster locations:

Cold Remorse: Near the small island where Blockhead Grande resides. A little
east of it.

Creeping Igloo: North of the merchant.

Stalking Blizzard: Right beside the snow-covered Ammy statue, somewhat near
Wali's house.

Snowy Sigma: Near the northern edge of the map, on ice. It's east of the
bridge leading to Wep'keer.

Frozen Penitence: The last enemy on the path to Yoshpet (which is the
northeast branch leading out on the map, if you didn't know.)

Mission accomplished! Head back to Wali and collect your Gold Dust. Next,
proceed past Wali's house, clinging to the northwest edge of the map and
you'll soon find a cave. Inside, burn a frozen chest to obtain Vengeance
Slip, then jump to a small platform with another chest. After taking
Travel Guide: Tribe of the Moon, jump further ahead ("super double jump" is
required) for another frozen chest, this one holding Exorcism Slip L.
Explore the twisting passage to spot a huge green rock. Ignore that for the
time being and simply feed the lone bear behind it.

Return to the entrance of the cave, and this time jump to a right-hand
ledge. Bloom the clover on it, then leap to a new passage. At the end lies
two familiar sights: A lonely bear and a frozen chest. Of course, feed the
bear, burn the ice, and collect Stray Bead #75. Finally, exit the cave.

There's bridge nearby, which leads to a heightened path, which leads to the
game's next major destination. Rather than going there, head under the
bridge and feed hares underneath. Next, proceed east past the bridge, then
north to find an elevated little alcove. Grab Amethyst Tassels from a chest,
feed the cranes, and drop back down.

Progress further east now. There's a big, colorful rock here, so cut it down
if you can to reveal a clover. Past that are yet more bears, and nothing
else presently.

We're *finally* almost done with Kamui (took me months!), so cross that
bridge and run up the long, winding pathway. Just before entering Wep'keer,
look to your right. There's a tall ledge with a clover on it, so drop down
and bloom the clover. Drop down once more, and you'll find a chest which
holds Stray Bead #76. The only other thing down here is a spider cave, and
as I've been delaying covering those till later, I'll be consistent and ask
you to avoid it for now.

Oh, just one last (and slightly annoying) thing to do in this area. Go *all*
the way back to the entrance of Kamui, and feed some bears across from the
entrance. Sorry I waited till now to drop that on ya, but there wasn't any
better time to mention it. Anyway, go back and enter Wep'keer.

Treasures I didn't cover in the walkthrough:

Etched Glass (Buried): Amidst the cranes near Kokari and Ume.

White Porcelain Pot: In an ice-covered chest near Kokari and Ume. Use the
nearby torch to melt the ice.

Crystal (Buried): Right of the path leading to Yoshpet Forest.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              4.39 Wep'keer
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

         .--------------------------------------------------------.
         |                   Wep'keer Checklist                   |
         .--------------------------------------------------------.
         |*Animals to feed:                                       |
         | *1 Set of Hares                                        |
         | *1 Set of Cranes                                       |
         | *3 Sets of Sheep                                       |
         | *2 Sets of Bears                                       |
         |*Stray Bead #80                                         |
         |*Stray Bead #81                                         |
         |*Stray Bead #82                                         |
         |*Stray Bead #83                                         |
         |*Sun Fragment                                           |
         |*Jade Tassels                                           |
         |*Divine Instrument: Resurrection Beads (must be bought) |
         |*Gold Dust x2 (must be bought)                          |
         ----------------------------------------------------------

Save, for the Gingerbread Man's sake. Hares are frolicking around across
the ice from the Origin Mirror, to the east. In addition, the Jade Tassels
are buried right underneath them.

The houses in Wep'keer are all inaccessible right now, so obviously ignore
them. Go to a little snow patch amidst the ice (with houses surrounding it)
and bloom the clover there. From that point, ascend the eastern, right-most
set of stairs. A group of cranes are waiting for their meal, and beside them
Stray Bead #80 lies buried under the ground. Now go across the small wooden
bridge nearby and bloom another clover. That's all for this little space, so
backtrack to the main area.

Explore northward. A merchant stand, but no merchant! Ah well, he'll show up
later. Take the stairs up past the stand, then turn right. Now, go along the
left path leading down (not the right path along a ledge). When you see
another house, turn right. Feed a few sheep and bloom a clover, then look
back where you came from.

Two paths are actually back there. The one you came from, of course, but
also a little crevice to the left. Enter the crevice, feed a bear, and open
the chest for Stray Bead #81. Backtrack to the first crossroad above the
merchant stand. (Not difficult, just go the same way back you did to get
here.)

Take the western path you didn't last time. Just run along the linear road
until you see a large house with a huge green mask above it. Sheep are
milling around to the right. After feeding them, search a bit north near a
tree to find a buried Stray Bead #82. Next, head behind the house, across a
bridge, feed more sheep, and bloom a clover. Now, jump off that bridge you
crossed and take a Sun Fragment from the chest below. Back in front of the
green mask house you go.

Run across a narrow eastern road, ignore another house, and now take a
narrow northern road. Approach the guy pounding on a door for a scene. After
that, check the fenced area to the left of the chief's house and feed the
bears there. Now try to leave the entire village. An Oina girl named Kai
stops you and invites Ammy to her home.

Speak to Kai several times for lots of scenes until Samickle howls. Go back
up and talk to him, then enter the chief's house. Avoid thy hide-tanning and
headbutt this creepy old man. Chat with him a few times for yet more scenes.
Finally exit the house, and the gate behind chief Kemu's house opens. We'll
be going there very soon, but not quite yet.

The houses have all opened and the town merchant has arrived. The merchant
is selling Resurrection Beads for 150,000 yen and two Gold Dusts for 20,000
a piece. I bought the beads, because I'm a bead kind of guy, but it's your
choice to make. I do advise buying some fish bags if you're low. Oh, and I
also suggest selling any and all treasures you may be holding to this
merchant. You'll need the yen in a bit.

None of the houses have anything of interest, save one. You want head to the
double doors north of Kai's house marked "Snowy Playground". Enter for a
rather tedious mini-game.

Roll the snowball around the area, collecting all the clumps of snow lying
around, and avoid the fire pits. When you think you're finished, roll it
back to the kid and talk to him. He won't accept it unless it's absolutely
HUGE, so prepare to be annoyed. Reward upon completion is 50 Praise.

Snowball Playground also has few frozen chests scattered around, check below
for more details on those. More importantly, Stray Bead #83 is buried around
the southern tip of the area. Exit.

We're moving on, so take that path that opened behind Chief Kemu's house.

Other treasures:

Etched Glass: Buried in the front yard of the house nearest the merchant.

Exorcism Slip M: Frozen chest, northwest corner of Snowball Playground.

Crystal: Frozen chest, northeast area of Snowball Playground.

White Porcelain Pot: Frozen chest, a little south of the Crystal mentioned
above.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              4.40 Ezofuji
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

         .--------------------------------------------------------.
         |Ezofuji Checklist                                       |
         .--------------------------------------------------------.
         |*Animals to feed:                                       |
         | *1 Set of Cranes                                       |
         | *1 Set of Raccoons                                     |
         | *2 Sets of Bears                                       |
         | *2 Sets of Monkeys                                     |
         | *1 Set of Sheep                                        |
         |*Stray Bead #84                                         |
         |*Stray Bead #85                                         |
         |*Stray Bead #86                                         |
         |*Stray Bead #87                                         |
         |*Sun Fragment                                           |
         |*Secret Brush Technique: Power Slash 3 (must be bought) |
         |*Travel Guide: Power Slash 3 (comes with above)         |
         |*Travel Guide: Another Civilization                     |
         ----------------------------------------------------------

After saving, open the impossible to miss chest containing Travel Guide:
Another Civilization. Next, head onto the surface of frozen Lake Naochi, and
go west past the crashed ship. Feed a few cranes hidden in a small crevice.

Now run all the way across the frozen lake to almost exactly the opposite of
where the cranes are. At the area's eastern-most point is a floating
Konohana Blossom, so vine up and jump to the ledge. Two chests lie on top:
one frozen, one flaming. Open the frozen chest to collect Stray Bead #84,
then the burning one for Etched Glass. Then look directly north to spot
another Konohana Blossom. Vine on over, feed some monkeys, and bloom a
clover. Return to the Origin Mirror.

Proceed up the western path leading to places above the lake. The path is
extremely linear, so I'll just point out important things along the way.
First you shall run into a group of raccoons, then a group of bears. After
feeding both of those, stop at where the path curves, at about the
northwestern-most point on the map. Look down, and drop onto the ledge
below.

First feed the monkeys out here, then check out the two big rocks. One you
can cut down (if you bought Power Slash 2 earlier), one you can't. Cut the
one you can, then, and drop into the revealed hole. It's another Divine
Spring, so bloom the standard clovers and trees, then examine the spring.

A whopping 360,000 yen is needed to acquire Power Slash 3. Hopefully the
treasures I told you to sell before were enough. If you can purchase it,
most definitely do! If you can't, remember to do so at a later point, as I
won't be reminding you to. Regardless, exit the grotto. Cut open the nearby
rock if you just bought PS3 and bloom the clover underneath. Finally, head
all the way back to the northwestern point you were before you dropped down
here.

At the end of the path there's a huge set of doors, plus a small house.
Ignore both for now, and look right (east) of the house to see a Konohana
Blossom. Vine to it, then double jump further east to a ledge. The large
spot of hard ground on this ledge covers two clovers and Stray Bead #86.
Enjoy your treats.

Three more Konohana Blossoms hover around this ledge: one far below to the
east, one above the ledge you're already on, and one above to the north.
Vine to the northern one first, and jump off to a higher ledge. Open the
chest for a Sun Fragment, then run east along this slender path. At the end
lies a clover, and just beside that, the buried Stray Bead #85.

Return to the lower ledge you were on before, and from there, vine to the
eastern Konohana Blossom. (The one far below the ledge you're standing on.)
Feed the sheep, bloom the clover, and you're done with these pesky ledges!
Head all the way back to that house. You can't take the blossoms, you have
to go the long way. :(

Inside, Tuskle has more long exposition scenes for you. Keep talking to her
until she gives you her amulet. Now exit her house, exit Ezofuji, and try to
exit Wep'keer. Kai stops you and says some stuff. After the scene, don't
exit the village just yet. Use Mist Warp on the nearby Origin Mirror, and
warp to "Ezofuji (Rocky Area)". Here, feed a single bear, and open three
chests. The goodies: Silver Pocket Watch, White Porcelain Pot, and Stray
Bead #87.

Warp back to Wep'keer again, and exit the village. Out in Kamui, head
directly for Yoshpet Forest. (It's east and somewhat south.) A Bull Charger
gets in the way, though. They are immune to attacks from the front, so wait
for them to charge at you, then bash 'em from behind. They're pretty much
wimps for late-game enemies. Anyway, enter Yoshpet after the fight.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              4.41 Yoshpet
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                         .------------------------.
                         |   Yoshpet Checklist    |
                         .------------------------.
                         |*Animals to feed:       |
                         | *1 Set of Hares        |
                         | *1 Set of Deer         |
                         | *1 Set of Boars        |
                         | *1 Set of Boar Piglets |
                         |*Stray Bead #88         |
                         |*Stray Bead #89         |
                         |*Cat's Eye Tassels      |
                         --------------------------

Waka interrupts things to start. No prophecies? Bah. Continue forward, save,
and speak to Kai. Yoshpet is basically a big, timed maze. Large layers of
purple vines often block the way, and you'll need to use specific jumps to
get through them. Follow Kai to reach the exit

The only punishment for running out of time is starting over. Several
goodies also happen to be in Yoshpet. With these factors in mind, I'll
simply ignore the time element in this section, and guide you to all the
treasures etc. If you run out of time, just get back to where you were when
you ran out.

Open the first chest you see for a Crystal. About a billion Evil Trees will
harass you in the next area. Fight and bloom them all for some extra Praise
and food if you feel like it. There's another chest near where Kai is
standing holding a Pearl. Follow her to the next area, across a few islands,
and open another chest for Holy Bone S. Next, you'll come to a crossroads.
Go left, the opposite of where Kai went and the arrow is pointing. Grab
Cat's Eye Tassels at the end of a long path, then go back and take the
correct path.

Continue to follow Kai and avoid the falling icicles. Collect Holy Bone M
and Godly Charm from chests along the way. Hop across more (rather slippery)
islands, grabbing White Porcelain Pot from one of them. The next area has
more aggravating Evil Trees. Make your way through them, and near the end of
the Evil Tree area, open a chest for Stray Bead #88.

Avoid the falling snowballs in the next area by staying elevated. After that
you'll need to make your way across a slippery pond. Make heavy use of jumps
here. Near the end is a chest containing Kutani Pottery. Up next, just more
random obstacles you've seen before. Open a chest amidst them for Steel Soul
Sake. Come to the final crossroads and take the wrong path as usual. Dig up
Stray Bead #89 at the end, then go back and take the correct path.

A nice little utopia awaits. Approach the stump in the middle, but when
prompted select "I'll pass". Feed the three/four groups of animals outside,
which are hares, deer, boars, and boar piglets. (Three groups in actuality,
but the animal tome considers boars and boar piglets as separate, so...)

Enter Ponc'tan.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              4.42 Ponc'tan
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

           .---------------------------------------------------.
           |                Ponc'tan Checklist                 |
           .---------------------------------------------------.
           |*Stray Bead #91                                    |
           |*Stray Bead #92                                    |
           |*Agate Tassels                                     |
           |*Divine Instrument: Eighth Wonder (must be bought) |
           -----------------------------------------------------

(Special note: I've included all of Ponc'tan's "random treasures" in the
walkthrough itself, rather than leaving them at the end as is my norm. The
reason? Simply, the layout of the village just makes this method more
convenient.)

You can guess what I'm gonna say, right? That's right! Save your game.

Don't move too far after saving, though, because there's a big lily pad with
a Konohana Blossom above it northwest of the Origin Mirror. Look up and
you'll see it. Vine over and grab Stray Bead #91, then look northwest again
to spot another Konohana Blossom. Vine, and on the circular walkway, head
right, along the orange leaves. Collect Vengeance Slip from a chest, then
look east to notice a huge white mushroom. Perform a running "super double
jump" to land on it. (Your timing must be good.) Bloom a clover on top of
the mushroom, then leap off southward, and onto the bridge leading to the
Origin Mirror where you started.

Look east from this bridge, and Vine to another Konohana Blossom. Obtain
Agate Tassels from the chest, then Vine northeast across two more Konohana
Blossoms. (Be quick, one is pointing down toward the abyss.) From this
point, proceed east across a bridge, take Crystal from a chest, cross
another eastern bridge, and bloom a clover at the end.

Now go back across the two bridges and enter the house here. Speak to the
little girl and she'll hint what happened to Lika. Exit and return to the
central area with the big white mushroom. Take the western bridge this time
and enter the house ahead. Speak to the town merchant inside. He sells
Eighth Wonder, a powerful new glaive weapon, for 200,000 yen. Choose whether
to buy it based on your own personal weapon preferences.

Exit with or without Eighth Wonder, and scamper behind the merchant's house.
Go right at the intersection, take Inkfinity Stone from the chest, then take
the other path at the intersection. Open another chest for a Steel Fist
Sake. Ignore the blossom above you, instead vining to a far western one.

Hop along a few lily pads and open a chest for a Pearl. Now use Waterspout
to active the nearby geyser, and move on up. (Or just Vine up there.) Glean
Kutani Pottery from this new chest, then Vine east for yet another chest.
Stray Bead #92 rests inside. Next is a line of downward pointing Konohana
Blossoms. Carefully and quickly make your way across them, and collect one
last treasure, that being Etched Glass. Finally, Vine to a western Konohana
Blossom above safe ground.

Luckily, this leads us right to our next destination. Try to enter that
house right beside you, and do so when the guards let you. Speak to chief
Ishaku until he refuses to help. (Amaterasu, queen of comedy!) Exit the
village. (Save first, though.)

After the scenes outside, take the path *behind* the tree stump known as
Ponc'tan. Proceed when asked.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                             4.43 Inner Yoshpet
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                         .-----------------------.
                         |Inner Yoshpet Checklist|
                         .-----------------------.
                         |*Stray Bead #94        |
                         |*Stray Bead #95        |
                         |*Stray Bead #96        |
                         |*Sun Fragment          |
                         |*Turquoise Tassels     |
                         -------------------------

This place works just like the normal Yoshpet, except you don't have Kai
leading you. Again, don't worry about running out of time. It's not a big
deal.

Leap through the vine obstacles, open the first chest for Turquoise Tassels,
then jump your way through an icy area. Next up, avoid those infuriating
snowballs. Just past the snowball section, open a chest for Stray Bead #94.
Continue until you come to one of those trademark Yoshpet crossroads. Take
the wrong path first (right) for an Etched Glass, then the correct path.

Advance along the icy path, then you'll come to an intersection without the
arrow. Go left, take White Porcelain Pot from the chest, and progress to an
area of narrow, slippery ledges. Jump, jump, jump across them to another
crossroads. Choose the wrong path (left) to find Stray Bead #95, then the
right one.

More snowballs, another icy path. Yawn. Next is a big gap, with two walls of
paw prints on either side. Choose the right wall, stop about midway across
to claim Stray Bead #96, then on to the other side of the gap. Cross the
billionth icy path in Yoshpet, collect Inkfinity Stone from a chest, and a
little further is at last the final crossroads. You know the drill.
Incorrect (right) path first, dig up a Sun Fragment, then the correct path.

The Spirit Gate beckons, but so does an Origin Mirror. Save (needed that
health recovery, huh?) and head through the gate.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                             4.44 Spirit Gate
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                    .---------------------------------.
                    |      Spirit Gate Checklist      |
                    .---------------------------------.
                    |*Animals to feed:                |
                    | *1 Set of Dogs                  |
                    |*Divine Instrument: Thunder Edge |
                    -----------------------------------

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Warning: Once you leave this area you may never come back, meaning
everything is missable. Therefore, if you don't feed the dog here now, you
can never complete the animal tome.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

After the long series of scenes, run forward for a rather... charming scene.
Afterwards, continue into the village. Talk to whoever you want, but make
sure you feed Mushi's dog just past the turnip field. Next, talk to "Gramma"
by the river (where Mrs. Orange would normally be). She hands out a load of
free cherry cakes, which is a tremendous help if your Astral Pouch is low.

Now is as good a time as any to mention this tip from Drako Crowley, if you
feel like messing with it: "There's a Silver Pocket Watch if you go through
the gate that would lead to the guardian sapling."

Save, then talk to "Susano" snoring in his yard. Actually, his name is...

****************************************************************************
*                              Boss: Nagi                                  *
*                                                                          *
* Yen obtained: 30,000                                                     *
*                                                                          *
* Nagi is honestly a rather boring boss, and there's not much to say about *
* him.                                                                     *
*                                                                          *
* He has the familiar "homing daggers" attack that most of Okami's bosses  *
* do. (Power Slashing them back doesn't work.) In addition, he has a few   *
* typical slashes, the long, slow one being the most powerful.             *
*                                                                          *
* As for strategy, just wait for an opening, then strike. Pretty generic,  *
* I know, but so is Nagi.                                                  *
****************************************************************************

After dispatching Nagi, leap north into the water past where he was sleeping
and use lily pads to get to an island. Bloom a clover on top, then head
further north to another island. Dig up a buried chest to snatch a Crystal,
then return to the main landmass.

Our next objective is thieving Nami's sacrificial white robe. She's bathing
at the southern waterfall. Get caught intentionally the first time to put
yourself in a good position. Slowly tilt the left analog stick towards the
robe to sneak, bite it, then sneak away. Next, approach the KO'd Nagi, and
you have a new rider. Exit Kamiki with Nagi.

Clay Soldiers will ambush Ammy outside. Beat 'em till they die, nothing
special. This place is just like Shinshu Field, except pretty much
everything is missing save the Moon Cave. That's your next destination, but
first you should collect these:

(Note that some of the clovers are under colorful rocks, but I can't
remember which.)

Kutani Pottery: Near Kamiki Village, buried under weird symbols.

Silver Pocket Watch: "Go through the gate that would lead to the guardian
sapling." (from Drako Crowley)

Clover: Near the northern point on the map.

Clover: The first of many clovers along the path to the Moon Cave. Northwest
of those weird symbols.

Exorcism Slip L: It's about right where the dojo should be.

Clover: Along the Moon Cave path, opposite of where the dojo should be.

Clover: Along the Moon Cave path, nearing the steep hill to the Moon Cave.

Clover: Right beside the steep hill.

Clover: South of the above clover.

Clover: Drop left off of the steep hill leading to the Moon Cave to find it.

Etched Glass: Drop right off of the steep hill leading to the Moon Cave to
find it.

(Those clovers give almost 300 Praise combined!)

Save at the entrance to the Moon Cave, then try to enter. Dogus pop out to
cause trouble. (Always nice to see more old friends from SMT: Nocturne!)
They have solid defense and take awhile to kill, but they're so slow that it
doesn't matter much. After those guys are dead, run forward for scenes.

We're inside the dreaded Moon Cave again. Ascend the stairs, pick up some
sake along the way, and continue forward. More scenes, then you gotta kill
Orochi again. Yeah, you read that right. Fighting one of the most overly
long bosses in recent memory *again* isn't exactly the most pleasant
experience, but don't blame me. Blame Clover. Check the "Bosses" section if
you need help, but I don't see why you should, seeing how you already beat
Orochi.

Upon completion of the grueling endeavor, draw a moon in the sky when
prompted. Next, it's the old "Power Slash Orochi's heads" routine. More
scenes, and Thunder Edge is Ammy's. After that, yet more extremely long
scenes to view, and we're finally out of the Spirit Gate.

Lika must reach Ezofuji now, and therefore so do we. Mist Warp doesn't work,
so make your way through Yoshpet, through Kamui, and through Wep'keer to
Ezofuji. Approach the alter there, but it seems nobody's around. Run all the
way up Ezofuji's main path, and it looks like that opening with the big
doors is the source of the blizzard. Scamper inside to...

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                           4.45 Wawku Shrine
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                     .--------------------------------.
                     |     Wawku Shrine Checklist     |
                     .--------------------------------.
                     |*Stray Bead #97                 |
                     |*Stray Bead #98                 |
                     |*Stray Bead #99                 |
                     |*Sun Fragment                   |
                     |*Ruby Tassels                   |
                     |*Sapphire Tassels               |
                     |*Emerald Tassels                |
                     |*Divine Instrument: Solar Flare |
                     ----------------------------------

The camera shows a couple of deku-like cannons, and they are indeed not
friendly. As you cross the icy terrain ahead, the cannons will shoot, as
cannons are apt to do. Simply jump across as quickly as possible until you
get reasonably close to the cannons, then use Veil of Mist. The purple balls
they shoot will be slowed drastically, giving you enough time to power slash
them back. Destroy both cannons with this method, then dig up treasures
where they were. On the right side are the Ruby Tassels, and on the left
Stray Bead #97. After grabbing the loot, exit the only door here.

Take note of the Lockjaw in the next area, and head right, across more
slippery pathways. Burn away the chunk of ice blocking a door, then go
through. Watch out for falling icicles in the following little hallway.

A puzzle room lies ahead. The layout of the room is like this: An ice ball
stands near the entrance. Two miniature trees are at the southeast corner of
the room. In the middle of the room is a large scale hanging over a pit. The
scale's left platform holds an immovable weight, while the right one holds
two chunks of ice.

The first thing you need to do is melt those two ice chunks. Next, take one
of the miniature trees and jump to the right platform. Drop the tree, then
bloom it to full size. Repeat the process with the other tree, and the scale
becomes even, which in turn forms a path near the ice ball. Blow the ball
across that path with Galestorm, onto a lever. An Exercising Arrow key is
revealed. First open a chest in the northeast corner for a Vengeance Slip,
then grab the key. Backtrack to that Lockjaw you saw before and unlock it.

Melt the huge block of ice to create a spring, then use Waterspout to make a
tall geyser. Ride up, and jump off to an icy platform. (Don't stay on long,
or it'll break.) Next up is a long spiral pathway. Wrap around right to
what seems like a dead end, but tilt the camera to spot a cat statue on the
wall above. Make a paw print path which avoids both sets of icicles, and
climb up. At the top, make a big leap left to a new spiral pathway.

The deku cannons here are a real nuisance, but there's not much you can do
about them. Wrap right around the pathway to a rapidly spinning, mill-like
platform. Slow it down with Veil of Mist, and intentionally miss your first
jump to drop down below. Open the chest here for Etched Glass, Cherry Bomb
the cracked wall, and drop down. Make your way back up to that spinning
platform.

Veil of Mist it again. No delays permitted, you must be very fast in jumping
across. If the platform is in a bad position, use consecutive Veil of Mists.
And if a cannonball knocks you down, well, that's just bad luck. Replicate
the process across another spinning platform, and you're home free. Step on
a switch to steady those platforms and obliterate those stupid cannons.

Cross the western bridge and save. Enter the door left (south) of the Origin
Mirror. Two pairs of spinning gears bridge the gap between you and a door.
Veil of Mist is once again your friend. "Super double jump" to a small ledge
above from the first pair of spinning gears, open the chest here for Kutani
Pottery, then "super double jump" to the door.

Ah, the lovely outdoors again at last. Open the frozen chest here for
Sapphire Tassels, then make your way left. A few platform spiders dance
around here, except they aren't platform spiders, they're flame spiders.
Don't jump on the spiders, just slow them down and run across. Drop down a
level after that and turn right to encounter Great Tengu. He's just like the
Blue Ogre, except his attribute is flame. After pounding his face in, you'll
be at a weird machine.

First off, melt the ice covering the lever on the left-hand side of the
contraption. Power Slashing the lever stops one of the machine's rotating
wheels. Use Veil of Mist, and hit the lever when the eye on each successive
wheel is in the correct position. The correct positions are:

Left wheel: The eye should be pointing up.
Center wheel: The eye should be pointing right.
Right wheel: The eye should be pointing left.

Also note that you need to position them one at a time, from left to right.

Fill in five stars on the constellation. Itegami arrives and awards Ammy the
very last (well, standard) brush technique, Blizzard. The cow must be
feeling extra generous, as s/he also hands out Solar Flare. After the scene,
listen to Issun and draw a line from the icicles to the flame spider.

Use the frozen spider to jump up the ledge, back to the place with all the
crazy flame spiders. Look up and you should notice a small chest with a
ledge at the right-hand side of the area. That's obviously where we want to
go. Freeze the flame spider nearest you (running side-to-side) at its
right-most point, then quickly freeze the spider moving up and down at about
half-way between the ground and the chest ledge. Jump across those two
spiders, then "super double jump" to the ledge. Open the chest to receive
Stray Bead #98.

Drop down, run past the third flame spider, then all the way back to the
Origin Mirror. For some reason, you must fight a very easy wheel monster
first. Now it's time to test out Blizzard some more. Start with the flame
spider at the northeast area of the room, and jump up to a new pathway.
Freeze a second spider, and double jump to a tiny ledge. After collecting
Stray Bead #99, jump east to another pathway.

Look around to notice another area with flame spiders, a cat statue, and a
chunk of ice. First, burn the ice, which was covering a Konohana Blossom.
Vine over there, then Catwalk up the wall. Next up is a series of flame
spiders and platforms. Be careful, as messing up means quite a fall. Enter
the door at the final platform.

More of those silly gears to cross here. Follow the long path of them by
making long jumps and several consecutive Veil of Mists. Grab Wawku Shrine
Map on the following platform, then cross one last gear to reach the room's
(frozen over; use the Solar Flare on Ammy's back or Fireburst) exit.

Cross two rotating platforms (no mist needed), the freeze a burning one to
bridge the way. On the other side is a big gap with "sparkly stuff" in it.
Draw a line from the icicles on the other side of the gap to the sparkles to
create platforms. Hop across, the repeat that process to cross a gap
outside. Bloom a clover here, then maneuver through several Evil Trees to
reach a door.

Galestorm away the several layers of fire in this room and destroy the
ceiling cannon the same way you destroyed the two at the entrance of Wawku
Shrine. Head left into the next room, which is a treacherous place of
shattering ice floors, falling icicles, and a pesky cannon. Quickly scamper
to the first area of solid ground (after the initial one), then destroy the
cannon ASAP. (I believe it takes more than one hit.) The room is much safer
with that thing gone, so run/jump across, through another door.

Save your game, open the two frozen chests for Holy Bone M and Inkfinity
Stone, then go through the next door to meet...

****************************************************************************
*                            Boss: Nechku                                  *
*                                                                          *
* Yen Earned: 40,000                                                       *
*                                                                          *
* Shiranui helps Ammy out during this battle, which really makes Nechku a  *
* breeze.                                                                  *
*                                                                          *
* Nechku just floats there and shoots out projectiles (either purple       *
* objects or icicles) most of the time, with an occasional charge mixed    *
* in. Power Slash them back at him, and after a few doses of his own       *
* medicine, he'll lie stunned. Smack away, as this is the only time Ammy   *
* can damage him. Shiranui seems to be able to hurt Nechku at any time,    *
* however.                                                                 *
*                                                                          *
* In fact, I think it's feasible that the player could stand there, doing  *
* absolutely nothing, and still win the battle. This would be an easy      *
* fight with Ammy alone, but Shiranui just makes it a cinch.               *
****************************************************************************

When you regain control, search for a small gold object to the southeast of
the arena. Pick it up, then talk to Oki. Afterwards, cross a familiar bridge
and save. Now head through the right door that was previously sealed, near
a flame spider.

This place has a load of cannons, both those for you and against you. First,
fire off the four cannons at your disposal, aiming to destroy the enemy
cannons across the canyon. The two stationary ones hit their targets
automatically. Your aiming for the other two doesn't have to be precise,
only in the general area.

When you're ready, use Blizzard to cross the gap. Be quick, for the enemy
cannon(s) show no mercy. Ignore the clover, and defeat any remaining cannons
(hopefully just the one). (If you forgot how, use Veil of Mist, then Power
Slash their ammo back at them.) Now you can bloom that clover.

Melt an ice block left of where the main enemy cannon was to reveal an ice
ball. Blow it into the next indoor room with Galestorm. (It helps if you
blow it while it's still moving.)

Here you can freeze the burning gears/wheels, but only for a short time.
Also note that your ice source doesn't always have to be the ball, but can
also be already frozen wheels.

Start by freezing the left (south) gears, and collect Emerald Tassels from
the burning chest over there. Return to the main platform and now freeze the
two sets of gears directly opposite of the entrance (directly west). Jump to
a platform, and Cherry Bomb the floor there. Take the Exercising Arrow key
and now make your way to the only remaining platform, which is southwest.

Past the Lockjaw are two frozen chests, a merchant, and an Origin Mirror.
Loot the chests for Godly Charm and Kutani Pottery. The merchant has nothing
interesting, so save your game and get ready for...

****************************************************************************
*                          Boss: Lechku and Nechku                         *
*                                                                          *
* Yen Earned: 80,000                                                       *
*                                                                          *
* These mechanical owls mostly just throw out objects to harm Ammy,        *
* although they sometimes do a charge or two. Each object corresponds with *
* a brush technique, and you must draw that technique. All but one damage  *
* the owl it originated from. Here are the objects, along with the         *
* techniques that go with them:                                            *
*                                                                          *
* Purple balls: Power Slash                                                *
* Icicles: Power Slash                                                     *
* Weird brown thing: Power Slash                                           *
* Giant Bud: Bloom (this doesn't hurt the owl, but heals Ammy instead)     *
* Teal sword: Thunderstorm                                                 *
* Bomb: Inferno                                                            *
*                                                                          *
* After a few hits, the owl will float stunned and Oki will suggest using  *
* himself as an arrow. Follow his advice. Hold Triangle, then let go to    *
* shoot Oki. Once he's attached to Lechku or Nechku, double jump up and    *
* slash the owl down. It will fall, still stunned, so beat it until it     *
* recovers. Repeat several times to achieve victory.                       *
*                                                                          *
* The battlefield can get pretty hectic with both Nechku and Lechku        *
* constantly shooting stuff, but you've seen worse. The fight becomes a    *
* lot easier when one boss goes down.                                      *
****************************************************************************

A Sun Fragment is yours after the battle.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                      4.46 Backtracking Through Nippon
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

           .----------------------------------------------------.
           |       Backtracking Through Nippon Checklist        |
           .----------------------------------------------------.
           |*Animals to feed:                                   |
           | *1 Set of Monkeys                                  |
           |*Stray Bead #9                                      |
           |*Stray Bead #10                                     |
           |*Stray Bead #26                                     |
           |*Stray Bead #35                                     |
           |*Stray Bead #40                                     |
           |*Stray Bead #44                                     |
           |*Stray Bead #45                                     |
           |*Stray Bead #49                                     |
           |*Stray Bead #50                                     |
           |*Stray Bead #56                                     |
           |*Stray Bead #65                                     |
           |*Stray Bead #66                                     |
           |*Stray Bead #73                                     |
           |*Stray Bead #79                                     |
           |*Stray Bead #90                                     |
           |*Stray Bead #93                                     |
           |*Sun Fragment x3                                    |
           |*Divine Instrument: Tundra Beads (must be bought)   |
           |*Divine Instrument: Trinity Mirror (must be bought) |
           |*Secret Brush Technique: Deluge                     |
           |*Secret Brush Technique: Thunderbolt                |
           |*Travel Guide: Waterspout Tech 2                    |
           |*Travel Guide: Thunderstorm Tech                    |
           ------------------------------------------------------

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Important: If you go up that rainbow road and select "Of Course!", you will
arrive at the game's final area, and you can never go back. In other words,
you will be beyond the point of no return. If you have any interest in
collecting the many more goodies available throughout Nippon, don't go there
yet.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Following some interesting scenes, you will be at the foot of the ark. As I
say above, don't go there yet.

This section is going be a bit different, as we'll be travelling all over
Nippon. I'll be using somewhat of a "checklist" format, as writing a flowing
walkthrough for this section would be difficult. Oh, and be sure to make use
of Mist Warp to quickly get where you need to go.

One more note: Many of the things here have been obtainable for a while,
some a long while. "Why didn't you tell me about them before?!", you may
protest. Because constantly making notes like "By the way, blah blah blah is
now available, so do this to get it." would hamper the flow of the
walkthrough.

As a general preparation for all of these tasks, buy a ton of Vengeance
Slips and Holy Bones, and buy the Water Tablet from the Emperor in Sei-an.

                           .----------------.
                           | Kamiki Village |
                           .----------------.

*Go to Sakuya's sapling and cut any fruit that may be hanging there for
various treasures.

                           .---------------.
                           | Shinshu Field |
                           .---------------.

*Deliver the Nameless Man's final two vases to Guardian Statues. If you've
forgotten the locations, here they are again:

-South from where the Nameless Man is located, across the river.

-Along the winding path that leads to Agata Forest and the dojo.

-Inside of a cracked wall to the east, beside a cat statue.

-In the area leading to the Moon Temple (to the left when you run down the
slope).

-Where the Moon Temple was, after defeating Orochi.

Talk to the Nameless Man after offering all five vases and he coughs up
Stray Bead #10.

*Go to Tama's (the fireworks guy) house. Make a Cherry Bomb 2 for him for 20
Praise. Exit his house, re-enter, then perform a Cherry Bomb 3. This time
Tama gives you 50 Praise and Stray Bead #9.

                             .-----------.
                             | Taka Pass |
                             .-----------.

*Head to the area around Bingo, which is western Taka Pass. Dig up the hard
ground nearby to find one of those lovely little grottos. Feed the huge
group of monkeys, bloom all the clovers and trees, and open the three
chests, which hold: Godly Charm, Crystal, and Stray Bead #26.

*There's a cat statue just outside of the path to Kusa Village. Catwalk to a
small ledge and bloom a clover there.

                            .-------------.
                            | Gale Shrine |
                            .-------------.

*Bring at least a few Vengeance Slips and Holy Bones for this. Turn right
(north) at the intersection and speak to Princess Fuse. You must battle the
Kusa 5, which actually turns out to be the Kusa 9. There are three fights in
total: five dogs in the first, three in the second, and one in the third.
The dogs become more powerful as they reduce in numbers. I'd estimate that
maybe one Vengeance Slip is good for the first battle, two for the second,
and three for the third. If you need more than that, then by all means use
them.

The problem with the last mutt is that he's so quick that it's hard to get
even a single hit on him. Use Veil of Mist for a little assistance. When you
manage to beat all nine mutts, Stray Bead #35 is yours, along with some
Praise.

                          .-----------------.
                          | City Checkpoint |
                          .-----------------.

*With the Water Tablet equipped, jump onto the river and run to the far
north. Bloom a clover and a tree (the tree strangely gives more Praise), and
dig up Stray Bead #40.

                          .----------------.
                          | Ryoshima Coast |
                          .----------------.

*Race Hayate (running along the beach) twice more. (Or three times if you
haven't yet.)  He'll give ya lots of Praise and Stray Bead #45 when you win.

*Go to the area just before you reach the path to the Guardian Sapling,
north of Ankoku Temple. Dig up the hard ground near some cows. You must
fight a Bandit Spider down there. They're just like the Spider Queen, so
they're not much of a problem. Power Slash its exposed, er, things all at
once to kill it faster. You'll be rewarded with a Sun Fragment.

Now exit and re-enter. Your first special Devil Gate is down here. You must
go in there and fight ten consecutive battles without leaving. This one
actually isn't too tough at this point in the game. No Vengeance Slips
should be needed, just a few Holy Bones (M or L). Be sure to glean some
Demon Fangs from those Black Imps, especially in the last battle. You get a
Golden Peach and Stray Bead #44 after the tenth battle.

                              .--------.
                              | Sei-an |
                              .--------.

*Head around to the very back of Queen Himiko's palace. Connect water from
the small pool there to the four large stones in the distance to learn
Deluge (and Travel Guide: Waterspout Tech 2 comes with it).

*Check behind the very tall building west of Himiko's palace. Use a couple
of cat statues to reach a high room. Talk to the weird creature here named
Gen and hand over your Gimmick Gear. (You should have it if you've been
following this walkthrough. If not, check the section "Northward Bound".)

Draw a symbol based on the faint, dotted line. You'll obtain some Praise,
the brush technique Thunderbolt, and Travel Guide: Thunderstorm Tech. Use
Thunderbolt again to open the nearby chest, and out pops Stray Bead #56.

*Visit Camille and Camelia around the western area of the Commoner's
Quarter. (If they aren't there, you didn't follow my suggestion to headbutt
Camille a loooooooong time ago by Sakuya's sapling. They'll still be in
Kamiki, so just go there and do it now.)

When Camille asks the gods for a tree, draw a dot on the ground to make her
tree. She then asks for a tree followed by rain, so fulfill that wish as
well. You get some Praise and Stray Bead #50.

*Go to the southeast corner of the Commoner's Quarter and speak to the
soldier there. He'll mention something about Hayazo the thief and lighting
lanterns. Light the big lantern right beside him, then the one in the center
of town. (The other one is already lit.)

Next, be sure it's night and slash one of the two brown rocks near that
soldier. Hayazo will pop out of one of them, and introduce you to a
mini-game. Hayazo creates clones of himself and each has one of four
elements: Power Slash, fire, water, or lightning. Run around Sei-an,
attacking each clone with their own element, and in the order they were
given in at the start of the race.

There are four rounds in total, with another clone being added in each
successive round. Equip Solar Flare in the first three rounds, and Thunder
Edge in the last for an easier time. Equipping the Water Tablet is helpful
as well.

Hayazo coughs up an item after being caught each time. These should be given
to townspeople.

1st item: The samurai wondering near the town entrance.
2nd item: The boy hanging around the west side of town. Only appears during
the day.
3rd item: A guy in the restaurant (at night).
4th item: Abe, in the building on the island in the sky.

All of them give 20 Praise except Abe, who gives 50 Praise and Stray Bead
#49.

Contributed by Blue:

"After giving the guy in the restaurant back the hairpin (After beating
Hazao in his little racing games) run out of the restaurant and use Sunrise
brush technique to make it daylight. Then run over to the bridge that
connects to the Aristocratic Qrt. of Sei-an, and you should see him there
either on the main path near the bridge or just crossing it. Either way
he'll be hanging around there. He'll have music over his head so he
shouldn't be hard to spot. Talk to him and he'll say that the girl he was
gonna propose to came to him and said she loved him. What luck for him, so
much for the hairpin, right? Oh well. He hands out a nice 50 praise and goes
prancing along on his merry way saying something about letting the girls
come to you. Maybe Issun should take his advice, eh?"

*You can buy Tundra Beads (500,000 yen) and Trinity Mirror (150,000 yen)
from the weapon shop now. Buy Tundra Beads only if you like bead weapons. I
don't suggest buying the Trinity Mirror at all, as Solar Flare makes it
useless.

                          .----------------------.
                          | North Ryoshima Coast |
                          .----------------------.

*Sail or walk to the island north of Catcall Tower. Power Slash the colorful
rock there and bloom the clover underneath.

*You know that medium-sized island in the southwest corner of the ocean?
Well, sail/walk to the island north of that one, and dig up the hard ground
there. Defeat the Bandit Spider, take the Sun Fragment, then exit and
re-enter for another special Devil Gate.

This Devil Gate is just like the other one, except harder. Equip the Golden
Ink Pot if you have it. I still don't think Vengeance Slips are necessary,
but make sure you bring quite a few Holy Bones. Veil of Mist is extremely
helpful during the last battle with the ogres. Collect Golden Peach and
Stray Bead #65 when you're finished.

                             .---------------.
                             | Dragon Palace |
                             .---------------.

*Simply speak to Otohime to receive Stray Bead #73.

*Rejuvenate the area where you entered the water dragon. You'll get 50
Praise and Treasure Box. Next, warp to North Ryoshima Coast and speak with
Urashima (the bullied fat kid). He should be in his house. Urashima rewards
you with 20 Praise and Stray Bead #66 for the Treasure Box.

                                .-------.
                                | Kamui |
                                .-------.

*Another spider cave. This one's located where you got Stray Bead #76
before. (Drop off to the right just before entering Wep'keer. Cherry Bomb a
cracked wall and there it is.) As usual, kill the spider and collect your
Sun Fragment.

I suggest bringing as many Vengeance Slips and Holy Bones as you can
possibly afford. The first few fights aren't so bad because they're hard,
but they just take so freaking long to beat. Once you get to Rao and Waka,
start abusing those Vengeance Slips. When you get to the infamous three
Nagis, use Vengeance Slips non-stop to do away with them. Fifty should be
more than enough.

It may seem/be cheap, but attempting to fight them the "real" way only
invites frustration. Collect your Golden Peach and Stray Bead #79.

Here's a much more in-depth and superior strategy for the Kamui Devil Gate
from Blue:

"Get lots of Exorcism slips L (about 40), Vengeance Slips (45-50 should do,
unless you use them carelessly), Holy Bones M (about 40), Steel Fist Sake
(40 is fine), and Inkfinity stones (30 is plenty. Note that these numbers
are just a rough estimate based on what I had gotten and the rate others
might use them). Another must is to learn the Wailing Mirror technique from
Onigiri Sensei at the dojo, or it's counterparts for the beads or glaives,
whichever weapon you prefer, or even all of them. This will increase the
power of your attacks, allowing quicker defeats. I preferred the Mirrors,
since I could use defense and attack that way. Also make sure to increase
your wallet size so it has 8 digits, because you'll be getting a lot of
cash. Equip the Golden Ink pot and Fire Tablet (unless you wanna become
charcoal by the Great Tengus later on).

The first few battles are tedious and seem to never end. When you get to the
Bull Chargers, use an Inkfinity stone and Veil of Mist over and over
consecutively to slow them down. They're movements are seldom anyways, so
they'll barely move at all when you do this. Keep using Veil of Mist and get
behind them and pound on them until they're gone. Sometime after that you'll
have a bunch of great Tengus to deal with. Not fun. If you equipped the Fire
Tablet, however, it's easier because their fire breath won't affect you at
all. Be sure to use Vengeance Slips and Steel Fist Sake. Make sure you have
two of the same kind of weapon for whatever technique you bought equipped to
increase your attack power further. Keep beating on them until they die, and
when they transform just make sure your Vengeance slips are in affect and
beat on the others that haven't yet transformed until the other(s) go back
to being normal. Repeat until they're all dead. It's annoying but it goes
much faster if you have the Wailing Mirror technique (or its counterparts)
and use Steel Fist Sake. This will almost (but not quite) double your normal
attack power.

After that not much strategy is required (but you might wanna use some more
Vengeance slips for multiple enemies and Exorcism slips for when it gets a
bit crowded) until you hit the Wakas and Evil Raos. Then, you use LOTS of
Exorcism slips and Steel Fist Sake. Also, the Raos this time don't stay down
as long as before, and the Wakas almost instantly rebound and begin wailing
on you again. Use Vengeance slips like crazy or Waka will annoy you with his
constant attacks, since by the time you get over to Rao after she's knocked
senseless by an exorcism slip he'll be right there to pound on you. You
pretty much repeat this (remember to use Steel Fist Sake to increase your
attack power to make it go faster) until they're gone.

When you hit the three Nagis, then you use the same strategy, but instead
you now add Inkfinity stones as a regular in your little routine. The most
annoying move for the Nagis is their little tuck and roll, because then you
have to run across the arena to reach them again where more than likely the
other two are waiting to hit you with their flying swords attack. Just use
Vengeance slips (like in forweg's strategy) consistently and Veil of Mist so
when you see them roll you can just run to where they'll land and meet them
with a good string of attacks. Exorcism Slips are also handy for separating
the three of them, or simply knocking them senseless. Keep attacking like
this and try to focus on one at a time. As long as you're using the
Vengeance slips, the others can't touch you, so you're fine. This makes the
battle easy, just a little long and tedious to try and remember to use the
Vengeance slips, Inkfinity Stones, and Steel Fist Sakes whenever they stop
working. It takes a long time, but you got a lot of cash out of it and a
stray bead, so it's worth it."

                               .----------.
                               | Ponc'tan |
                               .----------.

*Simply speak to Ishaku to receive Stray Bead #93 (and 50 Praise from his
guards).

                               .---------.
                               | Yoshpet |
                               .---------.

*Kai is waiting for a race near the entrance. Accept her challenge. She's
nearly impossible the first time, but as you become more familiar with the
course, subsequent races become more manageable. Try to keep in a constant
sprint through the course, and avoid the freezing obstacles at all costs.
If the Evil Trees are bothering you, clear them out before racing again.

Kai gives 50 Praise and Stray Bead #90 when you beat her.


After all that, if you've followed my walkthrough from beginning to end, you
should have 99 stray beads, a complete animal tome, all Sun Fragments, all
brush techniques, and all Travel Guides. You may wish to learn all the dojo
techniques as well, but I don't see any point in it. Brown Rage isn't worth
its price tag.

When you're ready, enter the Ark of Yamato. That dancing scene may be the
best in video game history.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                             4.47 Ark of Yamato
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                     .-------------------------------.
                     |    Ark of Yamato Checklist    |
                     .-------------------------------.
                     |*Stray Bead #100               |
                     |*Gold Dust x2 (must be bought) |
                     ---------------------------------

The merchant here sells all the standard stuff, two Gold Dusts, and the
Tundra Beads if you didn't buy them before. Now head to the center and you
shall see five long paths around you. Beyond each is a boss you've already
faced, and you have to do it again. Check the "Bosses" section if you need
strategies. (Why you have to face Orochi *three* times is beyond me.)

After slaying all five, return to the central area and save. (But I suggest
keeping at least one file from outside the ark.) Enter the light and finally
it's...

****************************************************************************
*                                Boss: Yami                                *
*                                                                          *
* Yen Earned: 1,000,330                                                    *
*                                                                          *
* So the final boss of such an epic game is an inorganic sphere? That's... *
* different.                                                               *
*                                                                          *
* Before the fight Yami drains all of Ammy's brush techniques. They will   *
* be restored one by one as the boss takes damage. Yami has five forms in  *
* total, and the first two are rather similar. The first one has only      *
* short-range attacks, while the second launches missiles and covers       *
* itself in flames. Otherwise, they are the same.                          *
*                                                                          *
* Attack Yami until he gives back Rejuvenation and use that to repair the  *
* holes in the ground. Otherwise, just continue hitting him until he       *
* transforms. Beat the second form until you regain Waterspout. Use that   *
* that to douse the flames around his body.                                *
*                                                                          *
* Yami's third form is a change of pace. He's now a slot machine. Power    *
* Slash the three spinning slots to stop them for a variety of events.     *
* Some heal you, some give you ink, but most throw out harmful objects.    *
* Simply Power Slash these back at Yami, regardless of their element, to   *
* hurt the boss.                                                           *
*                                                                          *
* Stop all three slots on a blue, swirly circle to recover another brush   *
* technique. Don't worry, it's not random, it'll happen inevitably. When   *
* you get back Veil of Mist, use it to slow down the slots and pick        *
* whatever you like. Also, if the battlefield becomes too cluttered with   *
* fire or ice, use Galestorm or Inferno respectively.                      *
*                                                                          *
* The fourth form is more like a mech than a ball, as Yami grows legs and  *
* long, elastic arms. Those arms can combo for lots of damage, so you      *
* should consider using Vengeance Slips. After learning Catwalk, you can   *
* climb to two treasures containing Vengeance Slip and Golden Peach.       *
*                                                                          *
* Yami can now only be damaged by hitting the core at the center of his    *
* body. After re-learning Thunderstorm, use it to zap his raised arms.     *
* He'll lie stunned and spill his core, allowing you to strike away.       *
*                                                                          *
* After a few scenes, Yami reveals his fifth and final form. His core has  *
* moved to a giant, claw-like hand. The first thing you should do is make  *
* a sun and light up the arena. Yami has all kinds of powerful, long-range *
* moves in his arsenal, and he also crumbles the ground again. Start using *
* your Vengeance Slips and Steel Fist Sakes non-stop and go in for the     *
* kill. If you beat the three Nagis, you can beat Yami.                    *
****************************************************************************

Enjoy the ending and the sappy J-pop ballad that comes with it!

============================================================================
                   5. Bonuses, Rankings, and New Game+
============================================================================

You may earn several special treats based on the rankings shown after the
credits. Most are Karmic Transformers, which give Ammy a different look.

I got all of the rewards, and these were my totals:

Deaths: 0
Enemies Defeated: 719
Money Gained: 4396982
Demon Fangs Found: 348
Praise Earned: 5963

So, if you can at least attain my numbers, you're guaranteed to earn all of
the prizes.

Completing the game also earns a section on the main menu called "Presents
from Issun". You can view Okami art pieces and videos, and listen to the
game's music. The art and videos are especially interesting, as they show
many concepts that never made it to the finished title.

Load your completed save file to begin a new game. Nearly *everything* is
carried over, except: Health from Sun Fragments, the most powerful weapons,
brush techniques, and the tablet artifacts. In addition, if you collected
all 100 stray beads, you'll begin the game with an absurd new artifact,
String of Beads. This gives Ammy complete invincibility, a massive attack
power boost, and infinite ink. Playing the game with this is honestly a bit
pointless, other than for the purpose of screwing around.

============================================================================
                            6. Side Quests
============================================================================

This section is honestly rather useless, and I'm thinking about deleting it.
I've already covered all this stuff in the walkthrough, I'll probably never
cover Praise for Yen or that stupid bear, and there are already suitable
FAQs devoted to this subject. Whatever...

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                           6.1 Wanted Lists
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

While you're hunting the wanted monsters down, don't forget to occasionally
draw a crescent in the sky to keep the sun at bay.

I believe the names are random, but I'm not entirely sure. For example,
Onimaru the Incorrigible appeared outside of the pyrotechnist's house for
me, but Izo the String Cutter may appear there for someone else. Regardless,
I'll list them as I found them.

--------------------------
Shinshu Field Wanted List
--------------------------

How to obtain: Speak to priest Mika inside of the Moon Shrine.

-Toyo of the Short Temper: Outside of the Moon Shrine. You automatically
fight him as part of the game.

-Onimaru the Incorrigible: Near the pyrotechnist's house.

-Biwamaru the Vandal: Southwest from the Guardian Sapling, near the sign
that reads "To Hana Valley".

-Akuzo the Interloper: East of the Nameless Man's kiln, on the road behind
the Guardian Sapling.

-Izo the String Cutter: South of the Nameless Man's house. (Not his kiln!)

----------------------
Taka Pass Wanted List
----------------------

How to obtain: Enter the Kusa Village Inn, which is the biggest building,
next to the upward path. Head up to the second floor and headbutt the door
in the back. A woman named Haruka doesn't enjoy such invasions of privacy.
Leave the entire inn, and go right back in and up to the second floor.
Haruka is now standing in the room to the right, so bust down the sliding
doors and talk to her a few times.

-Curse Gill the Repulsive: Southwest of the Cutters, near the bridge leading
to western Taka Pass.

-Weirdo the Abhorrent: Right beside Bingo, near the entrance to City
Checkpoint.

-Red Devil the Detested: Northwest from the tea master and merchant, near
some tigers. (I wonder if he supports Manchester United or South Korea?)

-Bulging Eyes the Despised: Near the cave leading to the Guardian Sapling,
also near the tea master and merchant.

-Death Fin the Repugnant: On the other side of the cave, near the beginning
of the path leading to the Guardian Sapling. Also near some horses.

---------------------------
Ryoshima Coast Wanted List
---------------------------

How to obtain: Enter the Sei-an restaurant, and make sure it's at night.
You'll see a guy sitting at the right-most table named Masu. Chat with the
drunkard and he'll give up the Ryoshima Coast Wanted List.

Shame Flasher: Close to the Animal Lover, on the north (Sei-an) side.

Thunder of Degradation: Along the beach. It's about where the beach sticks
out most toward to the sunken ship.

Dishonorable Tempest: Right in front of the Ankoku Temple Bell.

Petulant Lightning: Very near the Ryoshima Coast entrance.

Foul Thunder: Somewhat near the Guardian Sapling. It's also near some cows
and a spider cave entrance.

------------------
Kamui Wanted List
------------------

How to obtain: Simply enter Wali's house and converse with him until he
hands out the list.

Cold Remorse: Near the small island where Blockhead Grande resides. A little
east of it.

Creeping Igloo: North of the merchant.

Stalking Blizzard: Right beside the snow-covered Ammy statue, somewhat near
Wali's house.

Snowy Sigma: Near the northern edge of the map, on ice. It's east of the
bridge leading to Wep'keer.

Frozen Penitence: The last enemy on the path to Yoshpet.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                          6.2 Guardian Statues
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Talk to the Nameless Man beside his kiln to acquire vases. (He works only
during the day.) These vases must be offered to the Guardian Statues placed
around Shinshu Field. There are a total of five Guardian Statues, but the
Nameless Man only offers the vases at certain points in the game. He'll only
make one vase a day, so advance the time by using Sunrise and Crescent.

Here are the locations of all five Guardian Statues:

-South from where the Nameless Man is located, across the river.

-Along the winding path that leads to Agata Forest and the dojo.

-Inside of a cracked wall to the east, beside a cat statue.

-In the area leading to the Moon Temple (to the left when you run down the
slope).

-Where the Moon Temple was, after defeating Orochi.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                           6.3 Blockhead Grande
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

There's a large, frozen pond west of Kamui's Guardian Sapling. It's left of
a merchant in the area. A small, snowy island sits on the south of the pond.
There is a clover on the island to bloom, but more importantly, a hard dig
spot in the middle. After digging it up, head into the hole below.

First, there are three clovers and two trees around, so bloom all of them
for over 100 Praise. Now, I'm sure you see the big blockhead standing there.
His name is Blockhead Grande, and Mr. Grande is a sadist.

For you see, gentle readers, this blockhead has *eight* weak spots that must
be remembered. That's a huge, huge step up from five. Blockhead Grande is
the most excessively frustrating part of Okami, and many people cannot
defeat him without cheating. Fear not, for I have a few recommendations that
may be of use:

1. Use a camera phone or even a camcorder to record the dots. This the
preferred method and I strongly suggest it if you have the equipment.

2. Use graph paper or possibly regular paper to quickly jot down the dots.
Although it isn't visible, Blockhead Grande's dots appear on a 5x5 grid.
Unfortunately, the dots appear far too quickly for this to really work. Not
suggested.

3. Have family or friends help you out. For instance, if you have two
people, Person A remembers the first four dots, and Person B the last four.

4. Complete it the "true" way, with memory and concentration. The more you
practice, the more doable it is. Or, simply hope to get lucky with an easily
memorable pattern.

I used number four, and it took about thirty tries. Whichever method you
choose, good luck! The rewards are Stray Bead #78, Gold Dust, Siver Pocket
Watch, and 50 Praise.

============================================================================
                     7. Celestial Brush Techniques
============================================================================

You gain new Celestial Brush Techniques after completing constellations.
This is a listing and description of them all.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                          7.1 Rejuvenation
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

What to draw: A solid block of paint in the appropriate area

Where to obtain: River of the Heavens

Rejuvenation is used to restore broken objects to their former states. It is
mainly used to fill in bridges, but several other objects need to be
rejuvenated as well. When something appears to be broken or destroyed, try
using Rejuvenation.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                             7.2 Power Slash
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

What to draw: A straight, horizontal line

Where to obtain: Cave of Nagi

The Power Slash allows you to slice through objects. This is going to be one
of your most used Brush Powers. Wooden gates, trees, rocks, treasure chests,
and enemies are just a few of the things that need to be Power Slashed.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              7.3 Sunrise
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

What to draw: A simple circle in the sky

Where to obtain: Kamiki Village

Drawing a sun in the sky makes the game world revert to dawn. You can do
this at any time, day or night. Although occasionally necessary, this
technique is mostly used optionally to complete day-related tasks.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                      7.4 Greensprout: Bloom
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

What to draw: A circle around a plant

Where to obtain: Hana Valley

The vast majority of the time, this is used on trees. Draw a circle around
the branches of a withered tree to make it bloom. You'll earn some Praise
and sometimes more.

Occasionally, Bloom needs to be used on Giant Buds or even certain types of
enemies.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              7.5 Cherry Bomb
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

What to draw: A circle with a small slash through the upper-right corner

Where to obtain: Shinshu Field

The Cherry Bomb, you guessed it, blows stuff up. It typically needs to be
used on cracks on the wall or ground. Sometimes it needs to be used for more
unorthodox things, such as activating elevators. Cherry Bombs can also be
used in combat, but aren't very effective because how long it takes for them
to explode.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                       7.6 Greensprout: Water Lily
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

What to draw: A circle in the water

Where to obtain: Kamiki Village

Water Lily, predictably, makes lily pads appear in the water. You need to
use it for when a body of water is too large to swim across. You can either
make multiple lily pads and jump across them, or blow a single lily pad
around with the wind.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                          7.7 Greensprout: Vine
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

What to draw: A line from a Konohana Blossom to Amaterasu's body

Where to obtain: Tsuta Ruins

Vine can only be used with Konohana Blossoms, which are pink, floating
flowers. If the blossom is pointing up, you can stand on it, if it's
pointing down, you'll be dropped to whatever is below.

Vine is usually used to transport Ammy to otherwise inaccessible areas, but
sometimes has to be used on other objects, such as hooks.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              7.8 Waterspout
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

What to draw: A line from a body of water to the intended target

Where to obtain: Sasa Sanctuary

Use Waterspout to put out fires or fill things with water. Or, draw a line
up from power springs to create a fountain of water. Use these to elevate
yourself to higher areas.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                             7.9 Crescent
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

What to draw: A crescent in the sky with the "mouth" facing left

Where to obtain: Agata Forest

Crescent is the opposite of Sunrise; it immediately changes the time to
night. An absolutely essential technique, Crescent is particularly useful
for hunting down wanted monsters or searching for buried treasure.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              7.10 Galestorm
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

What to draw: A swirl or coil shape, going in the direction you want the
wind to blow

Where to obtain: Gale Shrine

The Galestorm technique creates a large gust of wind. Use it to blow up
banners, blow out fires, knock down umbrellas, or just simply to move
things.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              7.11 Inferno
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

What to draw: A line from a source of fire to the intended target

Where to obtain: Moon Cave

The only time you ever really use Inferno is when you need to melt ice.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                            7.12 Veil of Mist
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

What to draw: Two horizontal lines

Where to obtain: Imperial Palace

Veil of Mist slows down time. Unquestionably one of the most useful
techniques in battle, you should use Veil of Mist frequently throughout the
game. A life saver for some grueling encounters.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                               7.13 Catwalk
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

What to draw: A line from a cat statue up the structure you wish to climb

Where to obtain: Catcall Tower

Catwalk is only needed for cat statues. Whenever you see one, use Catwalk to
climb somewhere (usually) nice.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                           7.14 Thunderstorm
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

What to draw: A line from an electrical source to the intended target

Where to obtain: Oni Island

Thunderstorm is necessary for a few specific situations. If you see a teal
green post or sword sticking up, you probably need to use Thunderstorm on
it.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              7.15 Blizzard
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

What to draw: A line from an ice source to the intended target

Where to obtain: Wawku Shrine

Use it to freeze stuff, mainly just flame spiders.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                               7.16 Mist Warp
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

What to draw: An X over the red X already on certain Origin Mirrors

Where to obtain: The Imperial Palace. Buy the Fog Pot from the emperor for
80 Demon Fangs.

Mist Warp allows you to warp between "Ultimate Origin Mirrors" (the ones
with the red Xs on them).

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                             7.17 Fireburst
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

What to draw: A lying down eight. Start at the top-left and draw the rest
from there.

Where to obtain: Sei-an City, in the restaurant

Fireburst allows you to create fire without a source. In battle, it creates
a huge burst of flames and heavily damages all enemies it touches.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              7.18 Cherry Bomb 2
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

What to draw: Same as Cherry Bomb

Where to obtain: North Ryoshima Coast ocean, on the northern, tree-shaped
island

An upgrade of Cherry Bomb. It allows you to draw two cherry bombs at once.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                          7.19 Cherry Bomb 3
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

What to draw: Same as Cherry Bomb

Where to obtain: Kamui, on an elevated alcove near the Guardian Sapling

An upgrade of Cherry Bomb 2. It allows you to draw three cherry bombs at
once.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                            7.20 Power Slash 2
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

What to draw: Same as Power Slash

Where to obtain: North Ryoshima Coast ocean, on the island directly west of
the tree-shaped island

An upgrade of Power Slash. It allows you to slash open more boulders.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                            7.21 Power Slash 3
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

What to draw: Same as Power Slash

Where to obtain: Ezofuji, at the northwest ledge below the main path

An upgrade of Power Slash. It allows you to slash open more boulders.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                               7.22 Whirlwind
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

What to draw: Three horizontal lines

Where to obtain: North Ryoshima Coast, in Umi's Restaurant

Whirlwind is only useful in battle (I think). It makes a huge cyclone of
wind and damages all enemies in its path.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                               7.23 Fountain
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

What to draw: A large swirl, about one circular line larger than Galestorm

Where to obtain: Dragon Palace

This technique is used to warp between Mermaid Springs without having to use
Mermaid Coins. Just use Fountain in one of the springs and it has the same
effect.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                7.24 Deluge
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

What to draw: Two vertical lines

Where to obtain: Sei-an, at the back of Himiko's Palace

Deluge is need for one specific stray bead. Other than that, it doesn't seem
to do a whole lot.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              7.25 Thunderbolt
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

What to draw: A down-left diagonal line, followed by a right horizontal
line, followed by another down-left diagonal line

Where to obtain: Sei-an, Gen's Tower

This technique creates a bolt of lightning from thin air. The Thunder Edge
weapon is also a free source of lightning, though, making Thunderbolt kind
of useless.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                7.26 Ice Storm
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

What to draw: An X with a line through it

Where to obtain: Wawku Shrine, comes with Blizzard

Ice Storm is basically the "ice" version of Fireburst, Deluge, and
Thunderbolt.

============================================================================
                                8. Bosses
============================================================================

These are simply the boss strategies copied from the walkthrough. This
section could be useful for quick reference.

****************************************************************************
*                                Boss: Waka                                *
*                                                                          *
* Yen Earned: 2000                                                         *
*                                                                          *
* Waka will occasionally either try a combo or charge attack with his      *
* sword, Pillow Talk, but most frequently fires little red daggers(?) as   *
* projectiles. Don't let Waka get close enough to use Pillow Talk. Always  *
* keep your distance, so that Waka is continuously throwing his daggers.   *
*                                                                          *
* The trick to winning this battle easily is Power Slashing his daggers    *
* back at him. He'll fall down, stunned for a few moments, giving you free *
* reign to beat him madly. This strategy pretty much makes Waka a          *
* cakewalk.                                                                *
*                                                                          *
* One more thing: Try to keep both yourself and Waka on the central        *
* island. It's hard to maneuver in the water.                              *
****************************************************************************

****************************************************************************
*                          Boss: Spider Queen                              *
*                                                                          *
* Yen Earned: 5000                                                         *
*                                                                          *
* The Spider Queen has three offensive attacks that I know of. She'll hurl *
* several strands of webbing, throw purple spheres, or melee attack with   *
* her legs up close. All of these are easy to avoid by employing an        *
* incredibly simple strategy: Constantly run around her and never stop     *
* moving.                                                                  *
*                                                                          *
* How to damage the Spider Queen, you ask? Well, she has four small hooks  *
* located on her posterior. Attach two vines from the surrounding Konohana *
* Blossoms to her hooks to make her "open up". Smash the revealed eyeballs *
* as fast as you can before she recovers. Watch out, though, because you   *
* will get hurt if you're still inside of her when she closes back up.     *
* (Geez, this is starting to sound dirty.)                                 *
*                                                                          *
* Also, occasionally an odd brown thing will appear on top of the Spider   *
* Queen. Power Slash it to stun her. This just makes it easier to connect  *
* the vines to her hooks.                                                  *
*                                                                          *
* Destroy all of the eyeballs to vanquish the beauty. Overall, a long, but *
* not very difficult battle.                                               *
****************************************************************************

****************************************************************************
*                          Boss: Waka (Rematch)                            *
*                                                                          *
* Yen Earned: 3000                                                         *
*                                                                          *
* Waka is quite a bit harder than the last time you fought him, mostly due *
* to his massively increased health bar. I swear, it seems at least five   *
* times bigger.                                                            *
*                                                                          *
* He has all the same attacks as last time, with one new addition: a       *
* floating torpedo charge that goes back and forth, attempting to strike   *
* Ammy multiple times. Simply jump over him when he gets near.             *
*                                                                          *
* Just use the same tactics against Waka you did previously. Keep your     *
* distance and Power Slash his red daggers back at him. Sure, Waka doesn't *
* fire them quite as much this time, but he still does it enough to use it *
* against him.                                                             *
****************************************************************************

****************************************************************************
*                      Mini-boss: Canine Warrior Tei                       *
*                                                                          *
* Yen Earned: 1500                                                         *
*                                                                          *
* Get of his way when a light begins shining on his chest, as that's when  *
* he starts unleashing his attacks. I don't believe he *ever* attacks      *
* without having that light shine on his chest first.                      *
*                                                                          *
* Other than that, just get behind him and beat him. I can't imagine Tei   *
* giving anyone much trouble.                                              *
****************************************************************************

****************************************************************************
*                     Mini-boss: Canine Warrior Gi                         *
*                                                                          *
* Yen Earned: 1600                                                         *
*                                                                          *
* Canine Warrior Gi is pretty much exactly like Canine Warrior Tei, except *
* he's quicker, more agile, and can leap off of walls. Use the same        *
* strategy, too: Avoid him when he shines, and attack him from behind.     *
* What a pushover.                                                         *
****************************************************************************

****************************************************************************
*                    Mini-boss: Canine Warrior Jin                         *
*                                                                          *
* Yen Earned: 1500                                                         *
*                                                                          *
* Canine Warrior Jin is just like the two previous Canine Warriors, but    *
* with two new moves.                                                      *
*                                                                          *
* One of them is planting land mines on the battlefield. They look like    *
* little yellow things. Simply avoid getting near them and you should be   *
* fine. His other new move is digging holes in the ground. If you come     *
* into contact with a hole, Ammy will get stuck in the ground, defenseless *
* for a period of time. Simply avoid them, and if you see him digging one, *
* back off.                                                                *
*                                                                          *
* Jin also has a slightly bigger health bar than his previous comrades, so *
* he is tougher than them. Still, he shouldn't too much of an obstacle.    *
****************************************************************************

****************************************************************************
*                     Mini-boss: Canine Warrior Chu                        *
*                                                                          *
* Yen Earned: 15,000                                                       *
*                                                                          *
* Chu is exactly like Jin except a) he doesn't lay land mines, b) he digs  *
* holes more frequently, and c) he flings harmful debris while digging his *
* holes.                                                                   *
*                                                                          *
* Just use the same strategy against Chu as you did against the other      *
* three Canine Warriors.                                                   *
*                                                                          *
* Lizbeth Ulrey adds: "Canine Warrior Chu does lay landmines, just not     *
* often. Also, I don't know about the others, but if you get stuck in one  *
* of Chu's holes he will urinate on you and you lose all of your equipment *
* temporarily."                                                            *
****************************************************************************

****************************************************************************
*                          Boss: Crimson Helm                              *
*                                                                          *
* Yen Earned: 7000                                                         *
*                                                                          *
* Crimson Helm has three main attacks that I know of: Simple slashes of    *
* his two huge swords, breathing big waves of fire, and charging forward.  *
* Try to position yourself behind him or to his side to avoid all of       *
* these.                                                                   *
*                                                                          *
* You can't directly damage Crimson Helm at first, so simply hit him until *
* his outer shell breaks off. As his body is consumed by flames, use       *
* Galestorm to douse them, then rapidly attack his fossil-like body before *
* his shell returns.                                                       *
*                                                                          *
* Mr. Helm can't take much punishment at all, and should go down quickly.  *
* To top it off, the eight Satomi Power Orbs protect Ammy throughout this  *
* battle, meaning you can take up to eight hits without damage to your     *
* health. All of this taken together makes Crimson Helm one of the easiest *
* bosses in the game. And after all that build up, too.                    *
****************************************************************************

****************************************************************************
*                               Boss: Orochi                               *
*                                                                          *
* Yen Earned: 10,030                                                       *
*                                                                          *
* First, simply Power Slash one of Orochi's heads. Another long scene will *
* play, then the real fight begins.                                        *
*                                                                          *
* Sake gets poured in the gutters around Orochi. Your goal is to wait for  *
* one of Orochi's heads to roar, then draw a line from the sake to the     *
* head's gaping mouth.                                                     *
*                                                                          *
* Each of Orochi's eight heads has an "attribute", and they all attack     *
* differently.                                                             *
*                                                                          *
* Water: Floods the entire battlefield. Power Slash him after he does this *
* to make him roar.                                                        *
*                                                                          *
* Thunder: Shoots bolts of lightning.                                      *
*                                                                          *
* Poison: Breathes out poison clouds. Dissipate clouds using Galestorm.    *
* Also throws out little eels to attack. Kill them for health.             *
*                                                                          *
* Wind: Blows out tornadoes. Use your own wind to blow them away.          *
*                                                                          *
* Light: Shoots barriers and lasers of light.                              *
*                                                                          *
* Fire: Breathes out big columns of fire.                                  *
*                                                                          *
* Earth: Bangs his head against the ground, causing tremors.               *
*                                                                          *
* Darkness: Temporarily curses the area, preventing the use of the brush.  *
* It also drains your ink pots a bit.                                      *
*                                                                          *
* (I may have Darkness and Poison mixed up, I'm not sure.)                 *
*                                                                          *
* Update: It seems I may have many of the heads confused, as I keep        *
* receiving conflicting e-mails about which head does what. Ah well, it's  *
* not all that important.                                                  *
*                                                                          *
* The majority of the heads roar after they perform their unique attacks.  *
*                                                                          *
* At first, you need to get three of the heads drunk. All of them will     *
* then collapse, turning into makeshift ramps to the center of Orochi's    *
* bizarre body. Run up one as quickly as possible, and attack the bell     *
* rapidly. It's possible, but difficult, to destroy it one try.            *
*                                                                          *
* After the bell is destroyed, you may attack the heads directly. After    *
* just one dose of sake, the head will tumble onto the ground. Pummel it   *
* ASAP. You should be able to eliminate each head in two attempts. You     *
* have tp debilitate all eight heads to win the battle.                    *
*                                                                          *
* Try to take out the more annoying heads first, such as Water and         *
* Darkness. Thunder will likely be the last head remaining, as he only     *
* rarely roars.                                                            *
*                                                                          *
* If you're having trouble, try consuming a Steel Fist Sake before         *
* attacking the heads. You may have to use Holy Bones or even an Astral    *
* Pouch to achieve victory.                                                *
*                                                                          *
* Alternate strategy from "The Tuba":                                      *
*                                                                          *
* "A much easier and faster way to get rid of Orochi when you get to where *
* you're actually beating up the heads, is to equip a weapon with          *
* inkbullet, use an inkfinity stone, and just pound the head you're on     *
* with pretty much endless inkbullets. This only works because you can use *
* like 20 bullets every time you press R1. Also, if you smack the head a   *
* few times before starting on the inkbullet, you can usually kill each    *
* head with one try, rather than two."                                     *
****************************************************************************

****************************************************************************
*                               Boss: Blight                               *
*                                                                          *
* Yen: 15,000                                                              *
*                                                                          *
* Blight makes for a rather boring boss fight, really, as he only has two  *
* attacks. First, he'll attempt a lightning quick slash across the screen. *
* Second, he'll surround himself with a number of swords and throw them    *
* all atAmmy. The second attack can be dodged easily by simply performing  *
* a mobile double jump.                                                    *
*                                                                          *
* The first attack, however, is the key to winning this battle. Both       *
* attacks are premeditated by a hesitation and a growl by Blight. Use Veil *
* of Mist when he does this. If he uses his slash-across-the-screen move,  *
* Blight will be slowed and vulnerable to attack. Quickly run behind him   *
* and get in as many hits as you can. After enough of this punishment,     *
* he'll lose his precious sword.                                           *
*                                                                          *
* Run over to the sword and start whacking away at it. Blight's life bar   *
* drops rather slowly, so using a few Steel Fist Sakes is advised. Strike  *
* from a reasonable distance, however, for Blight's sword sends out a      *
* damaging shockwave a few seconds before returning to its owner.          *
*                                                                          *
* Repeat this long, irritating process several times, and Blight shall be  *
* erased.                                                                  *
*                                                                          *
* Alex e-mailed me the following:                                          *
*                                                                          *
* "when you are fighting blight and he does the thing where he throws his  *
* swords at you, if you do the time slowing thing you will see one of his  *
* swords is blue, if you then use power slash on it it will knock it aside *
* so you can attack it, just like when he does the other attack."          *
****************************************************************************

****************************************************************************
*                            Boss: Tube Foxes                              *
*                                                                          *
* Yen earned: 27,500                                                       *
*                                                                          *
* Three of the foxes will attack at a time, and you must fight nine in     *
* total.                                                                   *
*                                                                          *
* They will often quickly slash at Ammy, which does a little damage. They  *
* also jump up and shoot purple stuff from their mouths, which has longer  *
* range than the slashes. Finally, they frequently do a goofy dance that   *
* drains ink.                                                              *
*                                                                          *
* The ink-sapping dance is by far the most troubling aspect of this        *
* battle. Not only does it prevent use of the brush, but also strips Ammy  *
* of her weapons. And a weaponless Ammy is a useless Ammy.                 *
*                                                                          *
* Quickly detect which fox is doing the draining and attack it to make the *
* process stop. Power Slash is a good idea.                                *
*                                                                          *
* These guys surprisingly put up a worthy challenge, so don't be afraid to *
* use those holy bones.                                                    *
****************************************************************************

****************************************************************************
*                              Boss: Evil Rao                              *
*                                                                          *
* Yen Earned: 20,000                                                       *
*                                                                          *
* Her fox mask heavily reminds me of Ran from Texhnolyze.                  *
*                                                                          *
* Rao's most common method of attack by far is shooting several homing     *
* swords in a line at Ammy. This is fairly similar to an attack Blight     *
* made, but Rao's swords are slightly faster and more accurate. No jumping *
* is advised here, just run in a circle to dodge them.                     *
*                                                                          *
* She will also make simple, close-range slices and jabs with her sword.   *
* These are very fast and quite damaging, so anticipate them early to get  *
* out of the way. Lastly, at a certain point, Rao will begin constantly    *
* dive-bombing Ammy with her sword.                                        *
*                                                                          *
* This is the pivotal point of the battle, as after Rao misses one of her  *
* dive-bombs, she'll stand there stunned for a few moments. Pound away at  *
* her then, because this easily the best chance you'll get. Hopefully you  *
* can take enough health away from her at this point to make the rest of   *
* the battle painless.                                                     *
*                                                                          *
* Rao is very mobile and gets lots of quick attacks in, so don't hesitate  *
* to use items if you need them.                                           *
*                                                                          *
* (Hatchi says I'm completely wrong about the flying swords. He says that  *
* double jumps work well, and running in circles doesn't work at all.      *
* Different strokes for different folks.)                                  *
****************************************************************************

****************************************************************************
*                             Boss: Ninetails                              *
*                                                                          *
* Yen Earned: 62,530                                                       *
*                                                                          *
* Ninetails has several attacks in his arsenal to watch out for.           *
*                                                                          *
* First, his least threatening attack is a series of wide-ranging slashes  *
* forward. Just back off to dodge them. He also often makes quick charges  *
* directly at Ammy. This move is very difficult to avoid. Try to run out   *
* of the way, I guess. Next, he shoots out poisonous brown liquid from his *
* tails. If you get far enough away, you won't get hit. Finally, he sends  *
* his tails through the ground and tries to damage Ammy from underneath.   *
* Keep in a constant sprint to dodge the tails.                            *
*                                                                          *
* Sometimes, Ninetails will stupidly raise his sword into the air. Use a   *
* nearby lightning bolt to electrify the sword. (By the way, Ninetails can *
* use the Celestial Brush at the same time as you. But if you're quick     *
* enough, he shouldn't be able to.) His nine tails will turn into little   *
* armed creatures that run around and try to harm Ammy. You must kill them *
* all, but that's not an easy task.                                        *
*                                                                          *
* Not only do all of the sprite-like creatures attack at once, but purple  *
* fox masks shoot crap at you too. Try to hit a bunch of the sprites all   *
* at once with a bead weapon. Consuming a Steel Fist Sake at this time     *
* wouldn't be a bad choice.                                                *
*                                                                          *
* After killing all the little dudes, the white Ninetails transforms to an *
* orange onetail. At this point, he's vulnerable to normal attacks, and he *
* himself will only perform his charge attack. Also, he'll still raise his *
* sword (or whatever it is), but ignore it now and just use it as an       *
* opportunity for free strikes.                                            *
*                                                                          *
* Keep hacking away and Ninetails will eventually fall. He's a pretty      *
* decent challenge overall, especially compared to most of Okami's bosses. *
*                                                                          *
* (Hatchi e-mailed me a different strategy. He says you should gather all  *
* the little creatures together, then unleash an Exorcism Slip L on them.) *
****************************************************************************

****************************************************************************
*                                Boss: Oki                                 *
*                                                                          *
* Yen earned: 20,000                                                       *
*                                                                          *
* Oki's pretty generic in a lot of ways, but he's no slouch. Like so many  *
* other bosses, Oki sends out a wave of daggers targeting Ammy. To avoid   *
* them, either running around or double jumping will do. He also blows out *
* a freezing gust of wind, in addition to standard sword slashes and jabs. *
*                                                                          *
* There is one little trick up Oki's sleeve that makes him a nuisance.     *
* ALL of his attacks imprison you in a block of ice, freezing all movement *
* for a short time. Not only are you completely vulnerable to attack in    *
* this frozen state, but the Fan Menu is also inaccessible, meaning no     *
* items. To prevent unexpected death (or Astral Pouch usage), keep your    *
* health relatively high.                                                  *
*                                                                          *
* Do you remember the key to defeating Waka way back when? The same method *
* works on Oki. Power Slash his daggers back at him, and he'll lie stunned *
* for a bit. Take that opportunity to bash his brains. After he takes      *
* enough abuse, Oki turns into a blue wolf.                                *
*                                                                          *
* Wolf Oki acts pretty similarly to the Canine Warriors, but he's more     *
* powerful in just about every way. He still shoots out projectiles, but   *
* this time they are icicles rather than daggers, and deflecting them back *
* does nothing. Oki is very agile with his slashes, charges, and whirling  *
* dive-bombs. Get behind him when you can and attack from there.           *
*                                                                          *
* Occasionally, Oki summons icy clones of himself to help in combat. The   *
* battlefield becomes very hectic and dangerous with Oki's helpers around, *
* so eliminate them with a few attacks ASAP.                               *
*                                                                          *
* Oki presents a reasonable threat, but with the correct tactics and a     *
* little skill, he'll succumb.                                             *
****************************************************************************

****************************************************************************
*                              Boss: Nagi                                  *
*                                                                          *
* Yen obtained: 30,000                                                     *
*                                                                          *
* Nagi is honestly a rather boring boss, and there's not much to say about *
* him.                                                                     *
*                                                                          *
* He has the familiar "homing daggers" attack that most of Okami's bosses  *
* do. (Power Slashing them back doesn't work.) In addition, he has a few   *
* typical slashes, the long, slow one being the most powerful.             *
*                                                                          *
* As for strategy, just wait for an opening, then strike. Pretty generic,  *
* I know, but so is Nagi.                                                  *
****************************************************************************

****************************************************************************
*                            Boss: Nechku                                  *
*                                                                          *
* Yen Earned: 40,000                                                       *
*                                                                          *
* Shiranui helps Ammy out during this battle, which really makes Nechku a  *
* breeze.                                                                  *
*                                                                          *
* Nechku just floats and there shoots out projectiles (either purple       *
* objects or icicles) most of the time, with an occasional charge mixed    *
* in. Power Slash them back at him, and after a few doses of his own       *
* medicine, he'll lie stunned. Smack away, as this is the only time Ammy   *
* can damage him. Shiranui seems to be able to hurt Nechku at any time,    *
* however.                                                                 *
*                                                                          *
* In fact, I think it's feasible that the player could stand there, doing  *
* absolutely nothing, and still win the battle. This would be an easy      *
* fight with Ammy alone, but Shiranui just makes it a cinch.               *
****************************************************************************

****************************************************************************
*                          Boss: Lechku and Nechku                         *
*                                                                          *
* Yen Earned: 80,000                                                       *
*                                                                          *
* These mechanical owls mostly just throw out objects to harm Ammy,        *
* although they sometimes do a charge or two. Each object corresponds with *
* a brush technique, and you must draw that technique. All but one damage  *
* the owl it originated from. Here are the objects, along with the         *
* techniques that go with them:                                            *
*                                                                          *
* Purple balls: Power Slash                                                *
* Icicles: Power Slash                                                     *
* Weird brown thing: Power Slash                                           *
* Giant Bud: Bloom (this doesn't hurt the owl, but heals Ammy instead)     *
* Teal sword: Thunderstorm                                                 *
* Bomb: Inferno                                                            *
*                                                                          *
* After a few hits, the owl will float stunned and Oki will suggest using  *
* himself as an arrow. Follow his advice. Hold Triangle, then let go to    *
* shoot Oki. Once he's attached to Lechku or Nechku, double jump up and    *
* slash the owl down. It will fall, still stunned, so beat it until it     *
* recovers. Repeat several times to achieve victory.                       *
*                                                                          *
* The battlefield can get pretty hectic with both Nechku and Lechku        *
* constantly shooting stuff, but you've seen worse. The fight becomes a    *
* lot easier when one boss goes down.                                      *
****************************************************************************

****************************************************************************
*                                Boss: Yami                                *
*                                                                          *
* Yen Earned: 1,000,330                                                    *
*                                                                          *
* So the final boss of such an epic game is an inorganic sphere? That's... *
* different.                                                               *
*                                                                          *
* Before the fight Yami drains all of Ammy's brush techniques. They will   *
* be restored one by one as the boss takes damage. Yami has five forms in  *
* total, and the first two are rather similar. The first one has only      *
* short-range attacks, while the second launches missiles and covers       *
* itself in flames. Otherwise, they are the same.                          *
*                                                                          *
* Attack Yami until he gives back Rejuvenation and use that to repair the  *
* holes in the ground. Otherwise, just continue hitting him until he       *
* transforms. Beat the second form until it you regain Waterspout. Use     *
* that to douse the flames around his body.                                *
*                                                                          *
* Yami's third form is a change of pace. He's now a slot machine. Power    *
* Slash the three spinning slots to stop them for a variety of events.     *
* Some heal you, some give you ink, but most throw out harmful objects.    *
* Simply Power Slash these back at Yami, regardless of their element, to   *
* hurt the boss.                                                           *
*                                                                          *
* Stop all three slots on a blue, swirly circle to recover another brush   *
* technique. Don't worry, it's not random, it'll happen inevitably. When   *
* you get back Veil of Mist, use it to slow down the slots and pick        *
* whatever you like. Also, if the battlefield becomes too cluttered with   *
* fire or ice, use Galestorm or Inferno respectively.                      *
*                                                                          *
* The fourth form is more like a mech than a ball, as Yami grows legs and  *
* long, elastic arms. Those arms can combo for lots of damage, so you      *
* should consider using Vengeance Slips. After learning Catwalk, you can   *
* climb to two treasures containing Vengeance Slip and Golden Peach.       *
*                                                                          *
* Yami can now only be damaged by hitting the core at the center of his    *
* body. After re-learning Thunderstorm, use it to zap his raised arms.      *
* He'll lie stunned and spill his core, allowing you to strike away.       *
*                                                                          *
* After a few scenes, Yami reveals his fifth and final form. His core has  *
* moved to a giant, claw-like hand. The first thing you should do is make  *
* a sun and light up the arena. Yami has all kinds of powerful, long-range *
* moves in his arsenal, and he also crumbles the ground again. Start using *
* your Vengeance Slips and Steel Fist Sakes non-stop and go in for the     *
* kill. If you beat the three Nagis, you can beat Yami.                    *
****************************************************************************

============================================================================
                                 9. Items
============================================================================

This section is almost exactly copied from Shadow Edge's Items FAQ. This is
done with his full permission, of course. Shadow Edge deserves full credit
for this section, and I thank him for allowing me to use his FAQ.

Shadow Edge's Items FAQ can be found separately here:

http://db.gamefaqs.com/console/ps2/file/okami_item.txt

If you have any questions or concerns about this section, don't contact me,
contact Shadow Edge. He is the one who wrote it.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  9.1 Tools
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

=====================
| Feedbag (Seeds)
=====================
Freshly roasted seeds that seed loving animals can't resist.
SHOP PRICE: 500 Yen

SOONEST AVAILABILITY: Kamiki Village Merchant


=====================
| Feedbag (Herbs)
=====================
Sweet herbs. Popular among herbivorous animals.
SHOP PRICE: 500 Yen

SOONEST AVAILABILITY: Kamiki Village Merchant


=====================
| Feedbag (Meat)
=====================
Fresh red meat. Irresistible to carnivorous animals.
SHOP PRICE: 500 Yen

SOONEST AVAILABILITY: Kamiki Village Merchant


=====================
| Feedbag (Fish)
=====================
Fresh fish. Irresistible to animals who dine on fish.
SHOP PRICE: 500 Yen

SOONEST AVAILABILITY: Kamiki Village Merchant


=====================
| Holy Bone S
=====================
Amaterasu's favorite snack. Restores 3 Solar Energy.
SHOP PRICE: 500 Yen

SOONEST AVAILABILITY: Kamiki Village Merchant


=====================
| Holy Bone M
=====================
Amaterasu's favorite snack. Restores 10 Solar Energy.
SHOP PRICE: 1500 Yen

SOONEST AVAILABILITY: Kusa Village Merchant (?)


=====================
| Holy Bone L
=====================
Amaterasu's favorite snack. Restores maximum Solar Energy.
SHOP PRICE: 2500 Yen

SOONEST AVAILABILITY: Sei An City Merchant (?)


=====================
| Exorcism Slip S
=====================
Paper depicting holy incantation. Slightly damages nearby enemies.
SHOP PRICE: 4000 Yen

SOONEST AVAILABILITY: Kamiki Village Merchant


=====================
| Exorcism Slip M
=====================
Paper depicting holy incantation. Moderately damages nearby enemies.
SHOP PRICE: 7000 Yen

=====================
| Exorcism Slip L
=====================
Paper depicting holy incantation. Greatly damages nearby enemies.
SHOP PRICE: 10000 Yen

=====================
| Vengeance Slip
=====================
Paper depicting karmic backlash. Temporarily deflects enemy attacks.
SHOP PRICE: 10000 Yen

SOONEST AVAILABILITY: Kamiki Village Merchant


=====================
| Traveler's Charm
=====================
Protects travelers from danger. Increases godhood by 1 level.
SHOP PRICE: 3 Demon Fangs

SOONEST AVAILABILITY: Agata Forest Trader


=====================
| Godly Charm
=====================
Charm imbued with the breath of the gods. Increases godhood to max.
SHOP PRICE: 8 Demon Fangs

SOONEST AVAILABILITY: Agata Forest Trader


=====================
| Steel Fist Sake
=====================
Sake brewed with the spirit of steel. Temporarily increases Attack Power.
SHOP PRICE: 2000 Yen

SOONEST AVAILABILITY: Kamiki Village Merchant


=====================
| Steel Soul Sake
=====================
Sake brewed with the spirit of steel. Temporarily increases defense.
SHOP PRICE: 2000 Yen

SOONEST AVAILABILITY: Kamiki Village Merchant


=====================
| Gold Dust
=====================
Powder made from golden earth that unleashes the potential of weapons.
SHOP PRICE: Variable, from 2,500 Yen to 25,000 Yen.

SOONEST AVAILABILITY: Kamiki Village Merchant

*note: Only certain stores stock them at variable prices. Also obtainable
        by clearning wanted lists. There are only 15.


=====================
| Mermaid Coin
=====================
Toss into Mermaid Springs to teleport to other locations.
SHOP PRICE: 1000 Yen

SOONEST AVAILABILITY: Taka Pass Merchant


=====================
| Golden Peach
=====================
Mystical fruit that fills the Astral Pouch instantaneously.

SHOP PRICE: 15 Demon Fangs

SOONEST AVAILABILITY: Agata Forest Trader


=====================
| Inkfinity Stone
=====================
Stone with limitless source. Temporarily enjoy infinite ink.
SHOP PRICE: 5000 Yen

SOONEST AVAILABILITY: Kusa Village Merchant (?)


____________________
--------------------|
    KEY ITEMS [KEY] |=======================================================
===================='
'''''''''''''''''''''

=====================
| Canine Tracker
=====================
Seal that reacts to the presence of Canine warriors.
SHOP PRICE: N/A
USED FOR: Tracking Canine warriors. It appears when one is nearby.

SOONEST AVAILABILITY: Kusa Village

=====================
| Lucky Mallet
=====================
Magical Hammer capable of miniturizing objects.
SHOP PRICE: N/A
USED FOR: Shrink Amaterasu to get to the Emperor in Sei An. Also used to
           visit Ponc'Tan.

SOONEST AVAILABILITY: Sunken Ship in Ryoshima Coast.

=====================
| Border Key
=====================
Key marked with Himiko's seal. Allows passage over the border.
SHOP PRICE: N/A
USED FOR: Guarded gate to the left of the entrance of Sei-An City.

SOONEST AVAILABILITY: Sei An City, given by Queen Himiko

=====================
| Shell Amulet
=====================
Used as a gate pass, this shell is only granted to the chosen.
SHOP PRICE: N/A
USED FOR: Automatic access to the whole Dragonian Palace.

SOONEST AVAILABILITY: Dragonian Palace, from the Dragoninan Queen

=====================
| Sewaprolo
=====================
Charm displaying the Oina Crest. Allowes passage into the forest.
SHOP PRICE: N/A
USED FOR: Entrance to the forest in Kamui.

SOONEST AVAILABILITY: Ezofuji, from the Oina Chief

=====================
| Blizzard Rod
=====================
Fishing rod combining purity of snow and spirit of work.
SHOP PRICE: 5000 Yen
USED FOR: Give to fisher in Sei-An City, Aristocrat Quarter

SOONEST AVAILABILITY: Sei-An City Merchant

=====================
| Marlin Rod
=====================
Fishing rod specially augmented for marlin fishing.
SHOP PRICE: 10000 Yen
USED FOR: Give to fisher the western island in North Ryoshima.

SOONEST AVAILABILITY: Sei-An City Merchant

=====================
| Herbal Medicine
=====================
A mixture of many medicines. Capable of curing any ailment.
SHOP PRICE: 2000 Yen
USED FOR: Give to sick man inside the house nearby the clothes shop in
           Sei-An Commoners Qtr.

SOONEST AVAILABILITY: Sei-An City


=====================
| Treasure Box
=====================
SHOP PRICE: n/a
USED FOR: Give to Urashima (fat man) in North Ryoshima Coast. He's usually
            inside his house.

SOONEST AVAILABILITY: After beating the Water Dragon, use Bloom on the
                      cursed grass where his mouth was.


=====================
| Pinwheel
=====================
SHOP PRICE: 5000 Yen
USED FOR: Give to traveler beside the tea shop right on the entrance of Taka
            Pass.

SOONEST AVAILABILITY: Kusa Village Merchant.


=====================
| 8 Purification Sake
=====================
SHOP PRICE: n/a
USED FOR: Meet True Orochi and Issun will use it.

SOONEST AVAILABILITY: On the stairs just before True Orochi.


=====================
| Charcoal
=====================
SHOP PRICE: 2000 Yen
USED FOR: Give it to the kids drawing on the floor in Sei An Commoner's
          Qtrs.

SOONEST AVAILABILITY: Sei An City Merchant


----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                              9.2 Equipment
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

____________________
--------------------|
    REFLECTOR [REF] |=======================================================
===================='
'''''''''''''''''''''

Disc-shaped weapons that have decent range and power.

Main Weapon: Deals decent damage with decent range.
Sub Weapon : Forms a shield in front of Amaterasu. Some enemies can
                            be counterattacked.


=====================
| Divine Retribution
=====================
Reflector received from Sakuya. Banishes evil with divine power.
WHERE: You start with this.

=====================
| Snarling Beast
=====================
Reflector marked with a beastly seal. Grants Ink Bullet power.
WHERE: Beat Spider Queen in Tsuta Ruins.

SPECIAL: Ink Bullet -- Hold R1 button then dot an enemy as many times as you
                       desire. This will "shoot" the enemy. More dots mean
                       more shots.

=====================
| Infinity Judge
=====================
Reflector marked indelible with the loop of inifinity. Judges evil.
WHERE: Purchase at Kusa Village Merchant.

=====================
| Trinity Mirror
=====================
Reflector marked with knowledge, faith and power. Tramples evil.
WHERE: Purchase from Sei An Merchant after beating Ninetails.

=====================
| Solar Flare
=====================
Sun-centric reflector imbued with the burning power of fire.
WHERE: Acquired after learning the Blizzard brush stroke in Wawku Shrine,
         after turning off the demonic machine that emits ice.

SPECIAL: Power of Fire -- you can trace fire from the disc. Requires
         Inferno.

____________________
--------------------|
    ROSARY [ROS]    |=======================================================
===================='
'''''''''''''''''''''

Holy beads the surround Amaterasu's neck capable of long-ranged rapid
attacks.

Main Weapon: Enables insanely fast attacks with supreme range.
Sub Weapon : Shoots long-range beads. Manner of attacking varies. Eg.
             Exorcism allows continuos single fire while Resurrection Beads
             fire multiple beads slowly.

=====================
| Devout Beads
=====================
Holy rosary capable of rapid attacks when equipped as a sub weapon.
WHERE: Treasure chest in Agata Forest

=====================
| Life Beads
=====================
Rosary that draws upon pure life energy to destroy evil.
WHERE: Beat Crimson Helm in Gale Shrine. (?)

=====================
| Exorcism Beads
=====================
Purifying rosary that contains the power of holy light.
WHERE: Beat Blight in Emperor's stomach. (?)

=====================
| Resurrection Beads
=====================
Rosary that uses divine light to guide lost souls to the right path.

=====================
| Tundra Beads
=====================
Rosary that calls upon the power of ice to combat wily foes.
WHERE: Purchase from Sei-An Merchant after beating the twin demons, or from
        the merchant in Ark of Yamato.

SPECIAL: Power of Ice -- you can trace ice from the rosary. Requires
         Blizzard.

____________________
--------------------|
    GLAIVE [GLA]    |=======================================================
===================='
'''''''''''''''''''''

Sword-esque weapon with poor range but deals massive damage.

Main Weapon: Deals insane damage. Slow and cumbersome. Can be charged.
Sub Weapon : Also deals big damage. Chargeable. If used in mid-air, Ammy
             will "ride" the glaive down to an enemy.

=====================
| Tsumugari
=====================
Hold and release button for charged attacks with Orochi's glaive.
WHERE: Beat Orochi for the first time.

=====================
| Seven Strike
=====================
Glaive whose edge is divided into seven parts. Grants Ink Bullet power.
WHERE: Purchase at Sei-An City Commoner Qtrs. merchant.

SPECIAL: Ink Bullet -- Hold R1 button then dot an enemy as many times as you
                       desire. This will "shoot" the enemy. More dots mean
                       more shots.

=====================
| Blade of Kusanagi
=====================
Jade-edged glaive obtained upon the defeat of Ninetails.
WHERE: Beat Ninetails.

=====================
| Eighth Wonder
=====================
Glaive wielded by 8-armed beast god. Ink Bullet power.
WHERE: Purchase at Ponc'tan Merchant.

SPECIAL: Ink Bullet -- Hold R1 button then dot an enemy as many times as you
                       desire. This will "shoot" the enemy. More dots mean
                       more shots.


=====================
| Thunder Edge
=====================
Glaive imbued with the thunder spirit. Utilizes lightning power.
WHERE: Beat True Orochi after travelling back to 100 yrs ago. (?)

SPECIAL: Power of Thunder -- you can trace thunder from the glaive. Requires
              Thunderbolt.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
                               9.3 Artifacts
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

=====================
| Fire Tablet
=====================
Ancient tablet that grants the wearer protection from fire.

PRICE : n/a
EFFECT: Any sea of lava will act like water for you. Unfortunately,
        you don't get any damage-reduction from fire-based attacks.

SOONEST AVAILABILITY : Kaguya, the daughter of Mr. Bamboo, will give you
                       this in Sasa Sanctuary after freeing her from the
                       Imperial Palace

=====================
| Water Tablet
=====================
Ancient tablet that allows one to walk on the water's surface.

PRICE : 100 Demon Fangs
EFFECT: Water walk -- no more need to repetitively draw Lilypads!

SOONEST AVAILABILITY : Trade it from the Sei An Emperor after you beat
           Ninetails. Also purchasable from Ark of Yamato merchant.


=====================
| Peace Bell
=====================
Emits a holy tone that keeps Demon Scrolls at bay.

PRICE : 20 Demon Fangs
EFFECT: Demon Scrolls will not chase you when you get near them.

SOONEST AVAILABILITY : First time at Agata Forest Trader


=====================
| Golden Lucky Cat
=====================
Brings owner luck. Draws money and other valuables near.

PRICE : 50 Demon Fangs
EFFECT: Draw items. Any valuables dropped will be sucked towards you.

SOONEST AVAILABILITY : First time at Agata Forest Trader


=====================
| Thief's Glove
=====================
Draw a line connecting Issun to an enemy to steal items.

PRICE : 70 Demon Fangs
EFFECT: Just draw a line connecting Issun to an enemy. Note a BLACK SMOKE
          appears when you properly point to steal.

SOONEST AVAILABILITY: Trade with the Sei An Emperor after beating Blight in
          his stomach.


=====================
| Wood Mat
=====================
Make a cash offering and sleep on this mat and your wounds will heal.

PRICE: 30 Demon Fangs
EFFECT: Equip this and don't press anything. Ammy will lie down on the floor
          and flowers will start growing around her. If she's wounded, your
          money will be continuously drained as your Solar Enery heals.

SOONEST AVAILABILITY: First time at Agata Forest Trader


=====================
| Golden Ink Pot
=====================
Ink Pot with golden sheen. Increases ink restoration speed.

PRICE : 100 Demon Fangs
EFFECT: Your ink bottles grow gold and will replenish at a stunning rate.

SOONEST AVAILABILITY: Trade with the Emperor of Sei An after beating Blight
                      in the Emperor's stomach.

============================================================================
                               10. FAQ
============================================================================

These are real questions I've received. Spelling or grammar errors from the
asker are left in.

.--------------------------------------------------------------------------.
|Q: Throughout Shinshu Fild there are these weird statues that Issun keeps |
|telling me to make an offering and I have no idea. I could really use     |
|some help. (from Verda A. Varley)                                         |
|                                                                          |
|A: You can't do anything about them until somewhat later in the game. At  |
|that point, talk to the "Nameless Man" and he'll give you some            |
|pottery/vases. That's what you need to offer the statues.                 |
.--------------------------------------------------------------------------.

.--------------------------------------------------------------------------.
|Q: There is a light eminating from the floor inside of Madames Fawns hut  |
|(right side just inside the door) I've tried to push the big cabbage into |
|the hut but it just disapears.  Have you tried the large round tone and   |
|of so what was the result? (from elaine furniss)                          |
|                                                                          |
|A: The light eminating from the floor has a purpose much, much later in   |
|the game. When you first arrive there, it is indeed useless.              |
|                                                                          |
|The big cabbage should be rolled to Sleepy the bear, who is on top of the |
|hill right beside the cabbage. Hopefully, I'll eventually cover this in   |
|the "Side Quests" section.                                                |
|                                                                          |
|(Update: Sorry, I probably won't ever cover this. The Praise is pitiful   |
|and the effort is immense.)                                               |
.--------------------------------------------------------------------------.

.--------------------------------------------------------------------------.
|Q: The merchant in the spirit gate sells some weapons. Why didnt you say  |
|that? (from Adam Drake)                                                   |
|                                                                          |
|A: Because they are both easily available elsewhere.                      |
.--------------------------------------------------------------------------.


============================================================================
                           11. Contact Info
============================================================================

My e-mail address is: [email protected]

Feel free to send any corrections to me regarding this FAQ, no matter how
minor. General comments and criticism are welcome too. Or, if the FAQ helped
you out and you simply wish to thank me, send that as well. I'd appreciate
it more than you probably know.

Please DO NOT send me:

-Extremely stupid flames ("ur gide sux u r looser")
-Spam or viruses
-E-mails asking for help on a topic not relating to the FAQ.
-E-mails asking for help for something that is already clearly covered in
the FAQ

Make the title something like "Okami FAQ" so I'll know it's not spam.

And yes, I do realize my e-mail address is misspelled. I've known it for
many years. I don't care. I'm not gonna change it now.

IMPORTANT UPDATE, 4/4/08: I sincerely apologize to the people who've sent me
e-mails yet received no reply. Because of life circumstances, I can no
longer respond to e-mails with the same consistency as I used to. Feel free
to send them anyway, but I can no longer guarantee a reply (especially to "I
need help" mails.)

============================================================================
                           12. Version History
============================================================================

Version 0.01, 11/28/06, 4:50 AM: Started the FAQ. Completed Controls. Yep,
that's it! I'm trying not to burn myself out by going too quickly, which is
what happened with my last FAQ/Walkthrough. This is going to be a massive
project, so I need to take it one small chunk at a time.

Version 0.02, 11/28/06, 8:51 PM: Completed most of Game Basics. I'll
probably be completing or starting many other sections before I start the
Walkthrough.

Version 0.07, 12/16/06, 6:33 PM: Completed the Walkthrough up to Shinshu
Field (Restored). That may not seem like much, but it sure seems like it has
been. This beast is going to be torture to complete.

Version 0.15, 12/18/06, 8:25 PM: Completed the walkthrough up to the
beginning of Tsuta Ruins.

Version 0.25, 12/19/06, 6:49 AM: Completed the walkthrough up to Taka Pass.
I finally feel like I'm making some decent progress.

Version 0.28, 12/21/06, 9:34 PM: Completed the walkthrough up to Kusa
Village (Cursed)

Version 0.31, 12/22/06, 8:36 AM: Completed the walkthrough up to Sasa
Sanctuary. Also added some craptacular ASCII art.

Version 0.33, 12/25/06, 4:42 AM: Completed the walkthrough up to Shinshu
Field (Return Trip). Maelly Kleesmoss. I finally ordered that Masters of
Cinema Naruse set. Yay for me.

Version 0.38, 12/31/06, 1:54 PM: Completed the walkthrough up to Moon Cave.
I've been addicted to Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance recently. I love it,
much more than I thought I would.

Version 0.40, 1/1/07, 11:13 AM: Completed the walkthrough up to City
Checkpoint. Happy 2007.

Version 0.42, 1/2/07, 11:52 AM: Completed the walkthrough up to Sei-an City
(Cursed).

Version 0.43, 2/14/07, 7:28 PM: I just added 1337mangamaster's ASCII art
plus made a couple of corrections. Sorry to those expecting a big update. I
probably won't get to that for a long while. Sorry.

Version 0.55, 6/27/07, 7:32 PM: Finished up to the completion of Sunken
Ship. Wow, six months since the last substantial update. Sorry to all those
I left hanging. Laziness just overtook me. Everyone who sent tips: I haven't
added them yet because I haven't gotten to sorting through all those e-mails
yet. I hope to eventually.

Version 0.60, 7/4/07, 6:03 AM: Completed the walkthrough up to the
completion of the Imperial Palace. I'm trying to work more slowly, yet more
consistently. On another note, the new Coaltar Of The Deepers album just
shipped to me, and I'll be getting the limited edition first pressing, too.
Me happy.

Version 0.64, 8/4/07, 2:37 PM: Completed the walkthrough up to North
Ryoshima Coast. I'm so sick of Sei-an. I'll be picking up Persona 3 in a
little over a week, so that should keep me busy for a while.

Version 0.70, 8/9/07, 4:40 PM: Completed the walkthrough up to the Dragon
Palace area... or thereabouts. I also added a few Celestial Brush Techniques
to the appropriates section, and split up some huge paragraphs throughout
the walkthrough. No more behemoth walls of text!

Version 0.80, 8/14/07, 1:32 AM: Completed the walkthrough up to Kamui. Also
added a few more brush techniques. I'm on a roll.

Version 0.81, 8/27/07, 6:47 PM: Completed the walkthrough further through
Kamui, plus made a few additions and corrections throughout. This one's an
admittedly tiny update, but I though it'd be better than nothing. I lost
that momentum I had. I'm also *still* waiting for Persona 3. Stupid Family
Video...

Version 0.82, 10/26/07, 4:34 AM: Changed the formatting a little and
finished more of the walkthrough. Bleeeeehhhhhh. I don't think I'll ever
complete this thing.

Version 1.00, 10/30/07, 5:26 AM: And four days later, the guide is complete.
I have nothing left to do, except maybe proofreading the whole thing and
cleaning up the "Sidequests" section. Sayonara!

Version 1.01, 11/29/07, 5:46 AM: Added several reader submissions and
proofread part of the walkthrough.

Version 1.02, 1/28/08, 8:24 PM: Added a few more reader submissions.

Version 1.03, 2/2/08, 3:23 AM: Just a couple of tiny corrections, but one
error may have seriously confused people if I had left it like that any
longer.

Version 1.04, 4/4/08, 7:55 AM: Added more reader submissions, plus an
important note about e-mails.

============================================================================
                            13. Legal Garbage
============================================================================

The following sites have permission to host this FAQ:

www.gamefaqs.com
www.neoseeker.com
www.supercheats.com
www.gamerhelp.com
www.honestgamers.com
faqs.ign.com
www.gamerevolution.com

Please check GameFAQs for the latest version.

I'll probably let anyone who asks nicely host this guide, as long as full
credit is given and no changes are made to it. Unless the site looks utterly
horrendous or something.

This document may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for
personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise
distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide
on any other web site or as a part of any public display is strictly
prohibited, and a violation of copyright.

In other words: Just don't steal it. That wouldn't be very nice.

All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their
respective trademark and copyright holders.

============================================================================
                                14. Credits
============================================================================

Me: I wrote it.

Clover Studio: You shall be missed.

Shadow Edge: For allowing me to use his Items FAQ. Thanks!

theranmafan: Allowed me to link to his wonderful YouTube videos.

1337mangamaster: For making the excellent ASCII art at the top.

Hatchi: For being my biggest "fan" and urging me to stop being so lazy. Also
gave me a few tips.

WrenchNinja, AzNsHaDoW553, and portuguese100 from the Okami GameFAQs message
board: They gave me various bits of info.

Lizbeth Ulrey: Gave me lots of info on various things I had missed.

TyrannisUmbra: A few corrections and omissions

Moguri88: A little help with the Guardian Statues

Scott Collins: Small correction

The Tuba: Orochi boss strategy

Tyrryal Faelad: Hana Valley clover

Alex: Helpful note on Blight

Andrew: Various useful tips

Niccea: Small tip on the Skull Dunes

naudasd: Tip on the Ice Mouths

Nick: Clover location

Ass: Kazinhu: Various useful tips

Paige Finn: Small Canine Warrior Chu tip

tigeriant: Additional strategy on Ninetails

icecoldheart88: Two bits of info

Boof: Tip on Orochi

Vince Etheridge: Informed me of the temple bell holy bones.

Drako Crowley: Told me about two treasures I had missed

Jennifer: Told me about one treasure I had missed

Anonymous e-mailer: Uh, this person doesn't want to be named. Sent me two
tips.

Blue: Sent me an extremely helpful Kamui Devil Gate strategy as well as
another tip

Coaltar of the Deepers: For being the best band in the world. Hey, everyone
else pointlessly credits their favorite bands in their FAQs, why not me?


Lastly, a shameless bit of advertising is needed to close out the guide.
Join Goozex, an excellent game trading site through this referral link (it's
free)...

http://www.goozex.com/trading/asp/join.asp?idr=559496179505

Make just one successful trade there and earn the possibility of choosing a
FREE game (from over 4,000 choices)! Seriously, no catch! I earn points too,
which is of course why I'm typing this. Just think of it as thanking me for
my hard work in authoring this FAQ. :)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"It's difficult to be a human being, but let's not turn into monsters,
okay?" -On the Occasion of Remembering the Turning Gate