Genma Notes are the one collectible in Onimusha: Way of the Sword that never appears on your map. There are 23 of them, hidden inside chests that stay invisible until you use your Oni power to reveal them. Collect all of them and you unlock the Genma-ologist trophy. The catch is that one note only becomes reachable after you finish the main story, so you cannot fully clear the list on a straight run without a specific save trick.
Quick answer: Hold L2 and R2 together to activate Oni Vision near a hidden chest. When an Oni medallion appears, interact with it to break it open, then open the chest to claim the note. Finding all 23 notes unlocks Genma-ologist. The final note (Yoshitsune) is only reachable after beating the final boss.
How to reveal hidden Genma Note chests
Every Genma Note sits inside a chest that is invisible until you trigger it with the Oni Gauntlet. Hold L2 and R2 at the same time to run Oni Vision, which scans the area around you. If a note is nearby, an Oni medallion floats into view. Interact with it and it shatters, exposing the chest underneath, which you then open to take the note.
Your gauntlet also blinks on its own when you walk close to a hidden chest, so you often get a warning before you even hold the buttons. To make hunting far easier, buy the three special skills Oni Vision: Treasures, Oni Vision: Treasures 2, and Oni Vision: Search Range as soon as you can afford them. These widen the detection range and highlight chests more clearly.
Tip: If you plan to backtrack for a note in an old boss arena, you may need to reset the area first by resting at a Spirit Mirror. Otherwise the chest may not appear.
The pattern behind where notes appear
Most notes follow a simple rule once you know it. Regular Genma notes appear in the spot where you first fight a new type of enemy, and boss notes appear in the arena where you beat that boss. Because of this, the smart habit is to run Oni Vision before leaving any boss arena or any area where you fought a new Genma for the first time.
- Regular Genma notes spawn near the location of your first encounter with that enemy type. Linger for a moment after the fight and your gauntlet will pick up the medallion.
- Boss Genma notes wait in the same arena where you defeated the boss. Return to that space after the fight to grab the chest.
- The final boss note is the exception. It does not drop in the arena and needs the save reload described below.
Genma Notes in Kyoto (Eastern Kyoto)
The first cluster of notes is packed into Kyoto itself, mostly tied to enemies and bosses you meet early on. Use the nearest Spirit Mirror listed as your anchor point for each one.
| Genma Note | Where to reveal it |
|---|---|
| Hitotsume Gasa | West of the Higashioji Street Spirit Mirror, near a stone lantern and wooden fence. |
| Kubi Akari | South of the Kamo River – East Spirit Mirror, inside a house near barrels in the back. |
| Togemaru | Courtyard west of Yorimasa’s Monument, at a small shrine in the back. |
| Kogai | House north of the Gojo Street – West Spirit Mirror, reached through a gate and under debris. |
| Dohatsu-ten | The opening where you first fight Dohatsu-ten, east of the Gojo Street – East Spirit Mirror. |
| Rasho-gan | Courtyard next to the Higashioji Street Spirit Mirror where you fought Rasho-gan. |
| Benkei | On the bridge in Kyoto where you first fought Benkei. |
| Ifuu | The opening where you first fight Ifuu in Kyoto. |
| Burai | The opening where you first fight Burai in Kyoto. |
Genma Notes at Kiyomizu-dera Temple and Oni Refuge
Kiyomizu-dera Temple and the connected Oni Refuge hold three notes, two of them tied to early bosses. Reset the Spirit Mirror if a boss chest fails to appear.
| Genma Note | Where to reveal it |
|---|---|
| Hitotsume Sho | Inside the dojo in the northmost part of Kiyomizu-dera Temple, near the altar. |
| Byakue | On a rooftop just north of the Kiyomizu-zaka Slope Spirit Mirror. |
| Sasaki Ganryu | Kiyomizu-dera Temple (Oni Refuge), in the room where you fought Sasaki Ganryu, on a balcony overlooking the forest. |
| Daidara | Courtyard just north of the Shrine Grounds Spirit Mirror in the Oni Refuge. |
Genma Notes at Nijo-jo Castle, the Underground Laboratory, and Kyoto Imperial Palace
These notes sit inside the interior and underground areas. Two of them are on separate underground levels of the laboratory, so track which level you are on before hunting.
| Genma Note | Where to reveal it |
|---|---|
| Nue | Nijo-jo Castle Gardens, in the arena where you fought your first Nue, north of the Nue Pond Spirit Mirror. |
| Kogashira | Underground Laboratory, Underground Level 3, near the Grand Theater Spirit Mirror. |
| Chijiko | Underground Laboratory, Underground Level 2, along a dark corridor. |
| Greater Nue | Kyoto Imperial Palace, Palace Interior, in the arena where you first fought Greater Nue, north of the Oikeniwa Pond Garden Spirit Mirror. |
Genma Notes at Mount Oe
Mount Oe holds three notes. Two of them are in the Valley but on different levels, so read the height carefully. For Oboro Garasu, skip the bridge and instead drop down, then use a wall run to reach the platform.
| Genma Note | Where to reveal it |
|---|---|
| Oboro Garasu | Mount Oe Valley. Head down instead of crossing the bridge and wall run to the platform, then reveal the chest inside the cave. |
| Hirehime | Mount Oe Valley, on the lower level near the water, inside a cave near a campfire. |
| Shuten Doji | Outside the building where you fought Shuten Doji, east of the Mountain Trail Spirit Mirror. |
Genma Notes at Arashiyama
Arashiyama contains two notes. One is behind a gate you have to blast open with explosives, so bring the means to break it before you head in.
| Genma Note | Where to reveal it |
|---|---|
| Mohja | Arashiyama Temple area, south of the Mountain Trail, just through the gate you open with explosives. |
| Dokyo | Just past the Hozukyo Gorge in Arashiyama, where you first fought Dokyo, in a grassy field at night. |
Yoshitsune: The final note after the story
The Yoshitsune note is the only one you cannot pick up during normal free-roam. It is tied to the final boss, Minamoto no Yoshitsune, but it does not drop in the arena like other boss notes. To reach it, you have to finish the game and then reload your save.
Grabbing this final note completes the set of 23 and pops the Genma-ologist trophy right away.
How to confirm the trophy unlocked
When you claim the twenty-third note, the on-screen prompt reads “Genma-ologist Trophy earned!” and the silver trophy pops. If it does not fire after the Yoshitsune chest, check your collectible count in the menu to see which note you still owe.
Two common reasons a note fails to appear are worth checking. A boss arena chest may not spawn until you reset the area at a Spirit Mirror, and a chest stays invisible if you never trigger the medallion, so hold L2 and R2 and interact with the medallion before assuming a spot is empty. Since none of the notes are missable, you can always return before the final mission and clean up anything you skipped.
Genma Notes carry over into New Game+, so once you have all 23 you do not need to collect them again on a second playthrough. That makes the platinum cleanup much lighter, since Genma-ologist stays earned once you have it.
