Kuji-kiri meditation spots let you gain knowledge points in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. While the first four of these will trigger Naoe’s backstory quests, the rest are simple mini-games that are harder to discover than to finish themselves. They tend to be in remote locations scattered across fictional Japan so here’s our guide to all 22 Kuji-kiri locations in Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

Table of Contents¶

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How to complete Kuji-kiri¶

Once you reach a Kuji-kiri spot, you can interact with it as Naoe. If you’re playing as Yasuke, switch characters near orange meditation icons whenever you want to clear them. Interact with one and you’ll start a button-prompt sequence. Tap them in the right order and timing to beat the mini-game. These prompts get slightly more complicated and speed up as you run into more meditation spots. They turn red if you get the timing or button wrong. As you progress, you’ll have to press more than a single button to get the pattern right. If you find this to be an annoying challenge, you can set the game to autocomplete them for you.

Completing Kuji-kiri will reward you with 500 XP and a knowledge point. Earning more points will give you access to new skills for your weapons and protagonists. These are different from the mastery points you earn while leveling up. The first four Kuji-kiri will spring some of Naoe’s backstory via quests like Shinobi Warfare. Finishing these four quests clears the “Before the Fall” quest and grants you 1000 XP and a decoration for your hideout.

Izumi Settsu¶

The starting province has five Kuji-kiri spots for you to meditate at. These are largely concentrated on the eastern side of Izumi Settsu. You’ll find the Eboshigata Hachiman Shrine and Sacred Bridge at Kawachi Heights. The second one is a short hike to the southeast of your hideout. And the Rolling Glen meditation spot is at the Katano Foothills. There’s one on the east side of the League Hideout too, which is easily accessible. Lastly, the fifth spot is near the southern edge of Nakayama Peak.

Yamashiro¶

Yamashiro, the region to the north of Izumi Settsu, has three Kuji-kiri locations for you to find. The Cliffs of Thought is to the west of the Shoryuji castle at Eagle’s Nest. The second one, known as the Kuramadera Temple, is up north in the Genba Highlands. The Ginkakuji Garden lies to the northeast of Kyoto and is close to a fast travel point.

Omi¶

While the two Kuji-Kiri spots in Omi won’t make you cross its massive lake, they’re still far from fast travel points. When you run into mountainous terrain, we recommend using the Pathfinder feature (left on the D-pad on a controller) to find a road to your destination. The Himega Falls meditation spot is near the topmost tip of the lake. And the Omi Trail can be found to the north of Mount Hiei. Watch out for The Pond Yamabushi, a level 40 boss who will attack you when you attempt to meditate here. You’ll need to defeat them to meditate here so save this one for when you’re at a higher level.

Iga¶

Naoe’s home region has two Kuji-kiri spots but one of them is a part of her flashback quests. If you’ve already found four Kuji-kiri locations, you won’t have to go all the way to Naoe’s house. That’s because one of the backstory quests involves a Kuji-kiri challenge here. The other one, known as the Cliffside Buddha, is near a fast travel point in the Nabari Wilds.

Harima¶

To the west side of Izumi Settsu, you’ll spot the Harima province. While Harima’s Peak is a long trek from Mount Kasagata, Mount Sen is right next to a fast travel point to the east of the same region. If you run into any powerful enemies, simply sprint past them or use your mount for a quick getaway.

Yamato¶

As you enter Yamato, you might find the mercenaries to be at a higher level than you if you haven’t progressed far in the main story. There are two Kuji-kiri locations in Yomato for Naoe to meditate at. The Soni Highlands lies to the south of Uda Matsuyama and is flanked by two fast travel points. And the Nyoirinji Footpath can be found in Yoshino next to, you guessed it, a fast travel point.

Kii¶

Kii is another region with powerful adversaries. Wrap up these two Kuji-kiri spots quickly if you haven’t done them already. The first one, known as the Kumano Nachi Waterfall, can be found in Kumano Sanzan to the south of a fast travel point. And naturally, the Shores of Kii spot is on the southern edge of Sazae Oni Shores. It gives you a spectacular view of the coast.

Tamba¶

Tamba’s unforgiving terrain can be a challenge if you haven’t already explored it. Two Kuji-kiri spots can be found in Tamba. The Annoji Temple is thankfully next to a fast travel point in Kameyama. And the Sukyoji Bell at Miyazu Bay lies on the western side of the province.

Wakasa¶

The final province, Wakasa has the last two Kuji-kiri meditation opportunities. The first one is the Kajii Monzeki Temple at the southern edge of Onyu Pass. And the last one is the Pond of the Heron, promising a stunning view of the coast of Obama. Finding every Kuji-kiri location in Assassin’s Creed Shadows will grant you the Zen Master trophy so get to exploring!