{"id":18701,"date":"2026-08-21T05:05:48","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T05:05:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=18701"},"modified":"2026-08-21T05:05:48","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T05:05:48","slug":"onimusha-way-of-the-sword-shines-a-light-on-one-of-japans-most-important-women","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=18701","title":{"rendered":"Onimusha: Way Of The Sword Shines A Light On One Of Japan\u2019s Most Important Women"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\u00a0Onimusha: Way of the Sword is just a couple of weeks away. In case you missed it,\u00a0it\u2019s the latest game to grace the cover of\u00a0Game Informer<\/em><\/a>, and I traveled to Capcom\u2019s Osaka HQ to play never-before-seen parts of the game, interview the developers making it, and more.\u00a0Subscribers can read my cover story here<\/a> for the full picture, but alongside that, I\u2019ve been posting exclusive behind-the-scenes interview features, news breakouts, retrospectives, and more, and it can all be found in the\u00a0Game Informer<\/em>\u00a0Onimusha: Way of the Sword coverage hub<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With the game closer than ever, I have just two more features to go \u2013 I know, I know, very sad. But hey, these pieces will live forever on the site for you to read, and I suspect a lot of them will be especially insightful as you play the game in September. For the penultimate feature, I want to talk about Izumo no Okuni.\u00a0<\/p>\n

History tells us that Okuni was born around 1578 and that, famously, she invented the Japanese theatrical art form known as Kabuki. She apparently began performing where the Kamo River cuts through Kyoto today, and there\u2019s even a beautiful bronze statue of her watching over the river that I photographed (see below).\u00a0<\/p>\n

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A bronze statue of Izumo no Okuni in Kyoto, watching over the Kamo River<\/p>\n<\/article>\n

Something interesting I learned during my visit to Capcom HQ is that Onimusha: Way of the Sword lead writer Hiroshi Yamashita specifically wanted to shine a light on Okuni in the game. Though I didn\u2019t get to see her in the game at all, he tells me the reason protagonist Miyamoto Musashi visits\u00a0Dokyo\u2019s<\/a> underground lab (read more about that in my hands-on preview here<\/a>) is because of Okuni, stopping short of saying why. Yamashita says he’s long wanted to include Okuni in previous games he\u2019s worked on in some way, but it never worked out.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSo finally, after 20 years of working as a scenario writer or lead writer, being able to finally have her in this game is a dream come true for me,\u201d Yamashita says.\u00a0<\/p>\n