The Headaches Myth is a Warring States–era side quest in Nioh 3 that sends you on a multi-step errand for Tokugawa Ieyasu. He's suffering from terrible headaches and needs you to track down a remedy — but the recipe and its key ingredient are scattered across Futamata Road and Hamamatsu Castle. Completing the quest rewards you with a Sohaya Tsurugi sword, Righteous Gauntlets, and Samurai's Locks.
Quick answer: Complete the Fated Land Myth to unlock Headaches, then retrieve the Craft Guide: Ghostly Call from a village corpse near Futamata Road, defeat the Nuppeppo boss inside Hamamatsu Castle to get a Yokai Gallstone, forge the Ghostly Call at the Blacksmith in the Eternal Rift, and deliver it to Ieyasu.
How to Unlock the Headaches Myth
Headaches becomes available automatically after you finish the Fated Land Myth, which itself unlocks after completing The Hamamatsu Incident main mission. If the quest isn't appearing on your map, make sure Fated Land is fully resolved — simply reaching the Warring States era isn't enough.
Retrieve the Craft Guide From Futamata Road
Step 1: Travel to Hamamatsu Castle and speak with Tokugawa Ieyasu at the top of the castle. He'll explain his headaches and ask you to investigate a village along Futamata Road.
Step 2: Head to the village south of Futamata Road, near the Silver Grass Meadow shrine. From the shrine, follow the road south into an area overrun by twisting yokai trees. Most of the houses here are destroyed.
Step 3: Look for the only intact house along the road. Go inside and interact with the corpse to pick up the Craft Guide: Ghostly Call. This is just the recipe — you don't have the medicine yet.
Return to Hamamatsu Castle and Find the Nuppeppo
Step 1: Fast travel back to Hamamatsu Castle and go to the top floor. This time, speak with Hattori Hanzo, who is standing beside Ieyasu. He'll tell you the headaches persist and that Yokai have appeared inside the castle grounds.
Step 2: Head down from the top of the castle and make your way toward the gate. Use the Hamamatsu Castle – East Gate shrine, then head west into the castle grounds. You'll find the Nuppeppo yokai up a slope to the right.
Step 3: When the Nuppeppo spots you, it will immediately start rolling away. Chase it — don't waste time trying to land melee hits while it's rolling, because your attacks will be deflected. Ninja skills and ranged attacks can chip away at its health during this phase, but the main goal is simply to follow it until it reaches a dead end at the far side of the castle grounds.
Defeat the Nuppeppo Boss
Once the Nuppeppo hits a wall and can't roll any further, it turns hostile and a proper boss fight begins. This is a relatively straightforward encounter compared to other Nioh 3 bosses.
Most of the Nuppeppo's attacks have clear wind-ups and are fairly easy to deflect, making the Samurai style particularly effective here. If you've invested heavily in Ninja skills instead, you can keep your distance and whittle it down with ranged tools. Either approach works — the boss doesn't have an enormous health pool, and consistent pressure will end the fight quickly.
When the Nuppeppo falls, it drops a Yokai Gallstone. Pick it up before moving on.
Forge the Ghostly Call at the Blacksmith
Step 1: Enter the Eternal Rift and speak with the Blacksmith. You need to select the Forge Tools option — a new recipe for the Ghostly Call (sometimes referred to as Ghostly Gall) will now be available, using the Yokai Gallstone you just obtained.
Step 2: Craft the item. If you haven't unlocked the Eternal Rift yet, you'll need to progress through the main story until it becomes accessible.
Deliver the Medicine and Complete the Quest
Fast travel back to Hamamatsu Castle one final time. Speak with both Hattori Hanzo and Tokugawa Ieyasu to hand over the Ghostly Call. Talking to each of them triggers the quest completion.
| Reward | Type |
|---|---|
| Samurai's Locks | Skill points |
| Sohaya Tsurugi | Weapon |
| Righteous Gauntlets | Armor |
What Headaches Unlocks Next
Finishing the Headaches Myth immediately unlocks The Great Shogun of the Heian Era, the next Myth in the Warring States chain. That quest rewards Ninja's Locks and the Mikazuki Munechika weapon, so it's worth tackling right away while you're already at Hamamatsu Castle.
The Headaches Myth is one of the more involved fetch-style side quests in Nioh 3's Warring States era, but none of its individual steps are especially difficult. The Nuppeppo chase can feel odd the first time — just resist the urge to swing at it while it's rolling and wait for the cornered phase to deal real damage. Once you've forged the medicine and turned it in, the rewards are well worth the trip.
