Ashina Castle | Sekiro Shadows Die Twice Wiki

Ashina Castle is an impressive complex guarded by tall walls, fearless Fencer and the agile Nightjar Ninja. They protect the nobles within the palace, as well as guarding against the escape of the hostage: Kuro The Divine Heir.

Eavesdropping Opportunity

After grappling onto the roof of the first locked gate, look behind you to see two Assasins (straw hat stocky fellows). They will discuss the Land of Ashina might not survive long as Lord Isshin is sick and mention a separate mission by the Serpent Valley. Be mindful that these enemies have ranged attacks, a perilous grab, and can also inflict the Poison Status Abnormality. They will also grapple onto ledges and follow you around.

To engage them, it's best to go to the left side and stealth the one that is hiding behind a tree. The Loaded Axe is particularly useful against these enemies, wait until they are charging at you, and then use it to open them up to a Deathblow. These enemies can drop Black Gunpowder. Pick up 1x Pellet.

Go back to Tengu of Ashina

If you go back to talk to Tengu of Ashina he'll reward you with Ashina Esoteric Text, which unlocks the Ashina Arts tree. He mentions that they have no specific rules but winning and that it will assist you in further "rat hunting".

Now go to the Sculptor's Idol and unlock the first passive skills in Ashina Line if you have the skill points, as they are very useful.

Infiltrating the Castle

Return to the castle gates and go to where you fought the rats. A small staircase down leads to three dogs and a warrior. Defeat them and continue on. Two enemies and 1x Ceramic Shard await ahead. You can take a branch to the left of the ceramic shard to get around the enemies and stealth them if you wish. A third warrior comes out of the gate, deal with him then look the way you came from and slightly left, you'll want to jump and hold onto the yellowish ledge.

Get some Scrap Iron

Go up this path and grapple onto the roof of the building, there's 1x Spirit Emblem behind you and a jump + grapple to a branch to obtain 2x Gachiin's Sugar and 1x Scrap Iron. But BE CAREFUL as Geckos hang above the items. Kill them with shurikens to be safe. Each lizard gives you 19XP.

Return to the main building before the Spirit Emblem and collect 1x Light Coin Purse.

Deathblows from Above

This building affords you a great view of the area below, and you will spot 2x Taro Troop (Wooden Mallet). You can jump down and eliminate one right away as you land. Move out of the way to force the adds to separate and come at you one by one, kill them and engage the Taro Troop (Wooden Mallet) last. Its hammer attacks are slow, but it has an AOE effect that you should be mindful of in the form of a barrage. Jumping away from the attacks seems to work well. Each one of these gives you +38XP.

Before you leave this area, climb onto the wall near the entrance tunnel and look down - there's 1x Ako's Sugar that you can pick up. Turn around and Grapple onto the protruding rooftop to go back up. You will then want to go to the furthest side of the empty area and go up a short staircase that leads to a cliff, there's 1x Scrap Iron in this corner, as well as 2x Fistful of Ash.

Eavesdropping Opportunity

Go toward the exit gate and grapple up, and an Eavesdropping opportunity will trigger. The guards discuss that there's something being used for a battle that does not discriminate between friend or foe. You will want to make sure to equip Shinobi Firecracker before going forward. Continue ahead and you'll be greeted to "Ashina Castle" naming. Three enemies await, but as soon as you make it past half point of the area a mini-boss appears.

Mini-Boss: Blazing Bull

You will encounter a mini-boss, and it is an enraged bull named Blazing Bull. The key to this fight is to get behind him and use the Shinobi Firecracker every so often for a brief stun effect. Chase after the boss and dodge its incoming charges and you should be able to defeat it in a few tries. This Mini-Boss rewards 1x Prayer Bead, the passive skill Shinobi Medicine Rank 2 and 215XP

Ashina Castle Idol

After the fight, you'll go through a gate and meet an old woman NPC. You cannot do much now but talk to her regardless. Ahead, commune with the Ashina Castle Sculptor's Idol, and use your Prayer Beads if you have four and have been following our guide, this will give you the Second Prayer Necklace item and thus enhance your attributes. This idol marks an important Divergence point as there are several ways to go: Ahead up Ashina Castle, or to your left toward Ashina Reservoir and the Abandoned Dungeon.

If you Jump across from the Bridge

Go back to where the praying woman is, and jump and grapple to make it across the moat. If you fall, you'll get 1x Spirit Emblem and can grapple back up from the other side. Once across, go left inside a building to pick up 1x Light Coin Purse.

From the gate, take a moment to eavesdrop on the enemies, who will comment on putting armor on someone from "Taro's Troup". They say it is an unwieldy thing that might come off surprisingly easy. Defeat the enemies here to get 1x Gatehouse Key.

Remnant: Kuro and Emma

Walk a few steps from the Idol and interact with a remnant to see a short memory of Kuro and Emma. Kuro says he will use the "Reed Whistle" from Ashina Reservoir times to call upon you, the Wolf, this time.

Way down to Ashina Reservoir Idol

Go left from the Remnant and jump over a wall too fall into some water. Grapple out and you'll find 1x Scrap Iron and 1x Mibu Possession Balloon. From here, you can open a nearby door to go into the structure nearby. Go inside and open another door and you'll emerge at the courtyard you were before jumping the wall (near the remnant). You can now drop down and pick up 1x Pellet and unlock the nearby door. This is the closed gate from the tutorial, right next to Ashina Reservoir Idol. Commune with it and continue to Ashina Reservoir Revisited if you want to unlock a new prosthetic.

Back to the Ashina Castle Idol

Return to Ashina Castle Idol and this time go to the right side. The rooftops in this area have special flying mobs. Up the stairs, you can find General Kuranosuke Matsumoto.

Grapple onto the rooftops and drop onto some of the Ashina Soldier (Matchlock Rifle) ads to eliminate them before the battle, or remove one posture bar from the boss. You will need to kill the adds before engaging the main boss or they will get you with the rifles the whole fight.

Defeating him will grant 1x Prayer Bead and 280XP, 89 Sen. The chest behind him contains 1x Divine Grass.

Around the corner, there's Mibu Balloon of Wealth x1 and a dropdown to NPC. This NPC is Fujioka the Info Broker. Talk to him and respond yes, and he will ask you to defeat the Samurai of Ashina in exchange for information. 

Unlock Fujioka as a Merchant

Go down and defeat the cluster of enemies in the courtyard, and you can loot 1x Ceramic Shard. The area below is populated by many enemies including the "Rats", rifle-armed warriors, and a new Nightjar Ninja-masked assassin type enemy that attacks with projectiles and at high speed. They yield 76XP.

You will find 1x Scrap Iron by a tree overlooking the moat and bridge with the Ashina Castle Idol, and 3x Fistful of Ash on a courtyard right by the tunnel connecting to the Remnant of Kuro and Emma. Once you have cleared the area, return to Fujioka the Info Broker and he will reward you with 1x Nightjar Beacon Memo. He now becomes a Merchant at the Dilapidated Temple.

Taking to the Rooftops

You will notice Incense Smoke going up from some rooftops. Jump onto the first one you see ahead of where the previous items were, and then to the second roof beyond. From here you can access 2x Ceramic Shard.

Make your way toward the bigger building with a purple banner, defeat the Nightjar Ninja here and spot the two across the way, that's your destination. Step a bit back from this tower and grapple onto its roof, there's 1x Pellet in a nest.

Grapple onto the opposite building and take on the two enemies here. If you are having trouble with them, you can attempt to dash past and hide, but there are a lot more ahead so it will require a lot of grappling. You can alternatively use items to boost your performance. The item ahead in one of the rooftops is 1x Ungo's Sugar, and you can stealth around these rooftops to defeat several more enemies.

After thinning out the enemies, you'll notice a remaining item, this is 1x Ceramic Shard.

Upper Tower - Antechamber Idol

Instead of going around the corner, carefully creep about and you'll see a grapple point. An enemy is about to ambush you, so slowly edge forward to be able to grapple without activating the trap. Inside, the room, you will find 1x Fistful of Ash and a Treasure Chest with 1x Gourd Seed. Travel back to the Dilapidated Temple to upgrade your Gourd and return here to continue. (Remember you can now buy 1x Gourd Seed from Fujioka the Info Broker at the temple as well!)

From here, you will face some challenging enemies. Go up the stairs and to the right so you can go around the dividers and ambush the Fencer. Open the nearby door and you will see a lot of them patrolling the area, as well as an old woman who will call for help if she spots you. Wait for their patterns to align, then approach inside and kill her first. once she's out of the way, retreat and wait to deal with the samurai, that gives you 78XP and has a chance to drop Pellet.

Dropping down the hole in this area allows you to open the main gate of the castle (leading to Ashina Castle Idol), and pick up prosthetic tool Sabimaru, as well as 2x Eel Liver, 1x Gokan's Sugar and the path to the Old Grave Idol. For the purpose of this walkthrough, we'll assume you didn't jump down. If you did, skip to "To Old Grave Idol" heading below.

Clearing up the Samurai

Follow the wall to the right of where you entered and you'll find 1x Pellet and a Fencer you can stealth-kill.

From here, you can see there are 3 Fencer in the adjacent room. Grapple onto the ceiling and go into the crawlspace to pick up 2x Gachiin's Sugar and get a good view of their positioning. You can use these grapples to get to a safe space if you are in a tight spot. In the room below you, there's 1x Scrap Iron and 1x Ako's Sugar.

Hidden Wall

Right where you got Ako's Sugar, hug the wall and use the hidden passage. You'll get 1x Light Coin Purse, 1x Heavy Coin Purse (behind a breakable screen) and a treasure chest with 1x Prayer Bead.

Clear the locked room

Go to the ceiling crawl space and make it to the other room, there are three enemies here, one woman and two Fencer. Stealth kill one of them and then open the door, you'll be immune to damage while you do it. Kite the other outside and use your Loaded Spear to deal damage from a safe distance, or dispatch as you prefer. When done, proceed forward and pick up 1x Mibu Balloon of Wealth from the staircase and 1x Gokan's Sugar from the top landing.

Remnant: Kuro and Emma

A remnant is available ahead, where Kuro and Emma talk about Ashina's plans of using Rejuvenating Waters. Those waters spring from the Dragon's Blood and make those who drink it unable to die.

Upper Tower - Ashina Dojo Idol

Commune with the nearby Upper Tower - Ashina Dojo Idol and enhance your physical attributes if you can. You will get 1x Third Prayer Necklace. Go back downstairs and defeat the 2 Fencer here with stealth to then pick up 1x Ceramic Shard. Break the screen behind them to reveal a path

Fight the Nightjar Ninja

There are three feathered enemies ahead that can be quite challenging. aggro them and run back to the crawlspace to lure them out and separate them. They give 84XP. The room ahead contains 2x Eel Liver and 2x Pellet. Go upstairs from this room and you'll find 1x Isshin's Letter. A tower nearby has 1x Gachiin's Sugar.

Mini-boss Ashina Elite - Jinsuke Saze

Go back to Ashina Dojo Idol, and open the door to reveal a room. Within it is Ashina Elite - Jinsuke Saze. The trick to defeating this master swordsman is to deflect his attacks, his posture will fill very fast and you will be able to defeat him very fast. He is also vulnerable to a stealth deathblow if you use Gachiin's Sugar and crouch walk along the right perimeter of the room as close to the wall as possible. Afterward, you're rewarded with 1x Prayer Bead and 314XP. In this room, you can pick up 1x Pellet, 1x Scrap Magnetite from here and 3x Eel Liver.

 You can also interact with the nearby scroll for some lore.

Boss Fight: Genichiro Ashina

You will now get your rematch with Genichiro Ashina. See his page for details on how to defeat him. Upon beating him, you will be rewarded with 2000XP, Memory: Genichiro and unlock your first Ninjutsu: Bloodsmoke Ninjutsu.

Talk to Emma

Commune with the nearby idol to unlock the Castle Tower Lookout travel destination, then talk to Emma. She will reveal that she works for Isshin Ashina, who has no desire to use the Divine Heir's blood and has thus tasked her with assisting Kuro's escape.

Talk to Kuro

Go down and commune with Upper Tower - Kuro's Room idol. This room contains 1x Scrap Magnetite, and if you go behind some dividers you get an Eavesdropping Opportunity where you can hear Kuro ask when Genichiro lost his way.

You can also find 1x Hidden Wall that leads to the Dilapidated Temple. This is probably how Emma comes and goes.

After this, approach your master. He reveals he wishes to sever the stagnation that is caused by the Dragon Heritage. The game gives you a choice: Help Kuro or Obey the Iron Code, Protect Kuro. If you select Help Kuro, Sekiro reponds with "I cannot break the Iron Code" so the only option you have is to Obey the Iron Code. 

Kuro will ask you to join him in his quest to Sever Immortal ties. You will receive Immortal Severance Text. He asks you to look at the incense burner nearby. Apparently, it belonged to a previous Divine Heir, Lord Takeru. The scent of the fountainhead is the key to reaching the divine realm that Kuro wants to go to in order to obtain Dragon Tear.

Find Isshin Ashina

Lord Isshin Ashina is at the tower where you found Isshin's Letter. When you talk to him, he gives you 1x Unrefined Sake. Talk to him and ask him about the Immortal Severance and he will say you need Fushigiri, the Mortal Blade. Ask him where can the Mortal Blade be found and he will say it's in Senpou Temple, but can't be drawn.

Back to Kuro's Room

Go back to Kuro's Room and you'll find a letter from Kuro telling you to meet him in the library. You can talk to Emma and she will say that Genichiro took a Rejuvenating Sediment, which was originally researched by her master. You can now give her Gourd Seeds, and even give her a drink. Pick up 1x Gun Fort Shrine Key from the Library and then talk to Kuro

• Show the Sakura Droplet: It's something left behind by Lord Takeru. You can keep the droplet or give it to Kuro.
• Ask about the flower gets you 1x Fragrant Flower Note. It seems this takes you to the Sunken Valley. This is accessed via the Serpent Valley, that is just beyond Ashina Castle. You have to fall down.
• Ask about the stone refers to a hidden village. The access is near Moon-View tower in Ashina Reservoir - that would have been the Bottomless Hole idol in Abandoned Dungeon.

To Old Grave Idol

Go back to Upper Tower - Antechamber Idol and find this room patrolled by 1x old woman and 1x Fencer. Dropping down the hole in this area allows you to open the main gate of the castle (leading to Ashina Castle Idol), and pick up prosthetic tool Sabimaru, as well as 2x Eel Liver, 1x Gokan's Sugar and the path to the Old Grave Idol.

Unlock the nearby door leading to a pond. If you drop into it you'll find some aggressive fish in the lake, which you can kill easily. Then grapple to shore and there's a locked gate. Grapple onto a branch and jump on the ledge, then approach the monk enemies ahead cautiously. You will receive 1x Heavy Coin Purse.

Old Grave Idol

Ahead of these two Ashina Soldier (Matchlock Rifle), commune with the Old Grave Idol. and you will see 1x Gachiin's Sugar in a nest perched on a wall nearby.

The buildings down to your left contain many treasures, but first, you need to deal with a Sunken Valley Clan (Cannon) on a building at the end of the staircase. As you approach the bottom, enemies will have a conversation about a miscreant nearby.

Grapple onto the rooftop ahead of them and position yourself to grapple to the Sunken Valley Clan (Cannon), and you can stealth deathblow him. Now drop down onto the other two guys, and prepare to kill a third spear user that will come by.

Another Cannon

As you prepare to go down the stairs, you'll note another cannon enemy and a "Assasins" in the building with the broken roof. Now drop down again behind the tower with the cannon enemy and land on a Ashina Soldier (Matchlock Rifle) that you can stealth kill. Defeat one more enemy by the watchtower, then go up and kill the cannon-bearer.

After you do, you will see the ambush that was waiting for you by the staircase. Dispatch the warrior and then grapple up to the broken roof building, and drop in to meet an NPC

Meet Blackhat Badger

Drop down from the hole in the broken rooftop, and talk to the NPC Blackhat Badger. He asks if you're one of the Nightjar Cronies, which you are not, and comments on how horrible his day is. He says he's strapped for cash and wants to sell you items. He sells the Iron Fortress Upgrade Material, that makes the Loaded Umbrella Prosthetic Tool.

Outside this room, grab some 1x Ungo's Sugar and drop down to defeat the alarm enemy and finally loot all the treasure you saw earlier. The courtyard has 1x Ceramic Shard, 1x Fistful of Ash, 1x Light Coin Purse, 1x Gachiin's Sugar.

Spot Ashina Outskirts

Walk toward the wall and jump up and you'll see Ashina Outskirts, Underbridge Valley Idol across the broken bridge. Now go to the broken bridge to find 1x Black Gunpowder. This area is now cleared, so head back up to Old Grave Idol.

Dragon's Blood Droplet

To the left of the idol you will find a grave and 1x Dragon's Blood Droplet can be picked up.

Eavesdropping for Anayama

Go back to where you killed the spear monk, and eavesdrop on the enemies on the bridge. They talk about how salt is scarce because it's used both for cooking and for ritual purification, and with all the dead there's not enough for all burials. Bring this information back to Anayama the Peddler at your convenience.

Great Serpent Shrine Idol

Go ahead and defeat them, and the nearby rifle user, and then pick up 1x Mibu Possession Balloon. There's also 1x Mibu Possession Balloon under the bridge. The gate beyond leads to a few Monkey enemies, but first jump and grab onto the side of the gate and walk across it and drop down toward the pond to find 2x Scrap Iron.

Back to the Monkeys, they are fast but can be taken down with Shuriken. Each Monkey will give you 19XP. You can replenish emblems as there are 2x Spirit Emblem in the area. Go forward and enter the temple ahead to gain 1x Mibu Balloon of Spirit and commune with the Great Serpent Shrine Idol.

Talk to Tengu of Ashina

Tengu of Ashina has now moved here, and he asks if you have mastered any techniques. Jump across the cliff and grapple, then grapple up again to obtain 3x Eel Liver. This takes you to Sunken Valley.

Go to Senpou Temple

You should now go to Senpou Temple, Mt. Kongo, and finish that area before returning here.