Ghost of Tsushima: The Past Never Passes
Ghost of Tsushima's The Past Never Passes is the third part of The Tale of Sensei Ishikawa wherein Jin and Sensei Ishikawa attempt to stop Tomoe from attacking Hiyoshi Springs.
Sensei Ishikawa's traitorous former student, Tomoe, is training Mongol archers in Hiyoshi. We stopped some from brutalizing a small settlement, but Tomoe is still out there.
I will meet Ishikawa at his dojo to plan our next move.
Rewards:
- Minor Legend Increase
- Minor Ranged Charm
- + 2 Silk
Meet Ishikawa at his dojo in Hiyoshi
Similar to the previous tale The Sensei and the Student, just fast travel to the dojo, as it is now a permanent fast travel spot.
Ishikawa will update with some bad news regarding Tomoe.
Jin: Any news of Tomoe?
Ishikawa: Travelers have been shot dead on the roads in and out of Hiyoshi Springs. People are afraid to leave or deliver supplies.
Jin: You think that's her doing.
Ishikawa: A few archers at strategic points can isolate a whole town.
Jin: A tactic of yours when you were clan Nagao's archery master.
Ishikawa: Tomoe was a good student.
Jin: Too good. We're fighting your own reflection.
Ishikawa: We will turn that to our advantage.
Follow Ishikawa
Follow Sensei Ishikawa as he brings you to the back of his house. It has a very good aerial view of the surroundings, including that of Hiyoshi Springs.
Jin: How do you propose we find these archers?
Ishikawa: We think like Tomoe.
Jin: We want to control movement in and out of Hiyoshi Springs. Where do we put archers?
Survey the region around Hiyoshi Springs
Similar to previous Survey objectives, you will use Survey Circles to get an insight into an area.
Jin: That path behind the inn.
Ishikawa: No. Poor cover, no clear lines of sight. You want to cover the largest territory with the fewest archers.
Jin: It would be smart to control the main entrance into town.
Ishikawa: People already avoid the main road. Archers there would be wasted.
Jin: A handful of men could shut down the road to the coast.
Ishikawa: Yes.
Jin: I would want someone looking over the bridge into town.
Ishikawa: So would I.
Jin: The road south runs along a high ridge. Perfect place to rain down arrows.
Ishikawa: Tomoe would agree. There's hope for you. Let's go hunting
Reach the coastal road
This time it will be Sensei Ishikawa who will follow you. Go on and proceed to the Coastal Road. You can use the guiding wind in case you lose track of the direction.
Jin: What else did you teach Tomoe?
Ishikawa: I held back nothing.
Jin: Including why you left clan Nagao?
Ishikawa: That's no secret. It was time to retire. And the hot springs suited me.
Jin: But you continued to teach.
Ishikawa: Not at first.
Jin: What changed your mind?
Ishikawa: The bow is my life. Putting it down felt like death. So I chose to live.
Jin: But do you regret giving up a warrior's life.
Ishikawa: Mastery of the bow is mastery of oneself. That is the only victory worthy of a samurai. The rest is noise.
Keep an eye out for Mongols
Continue moving forward to your target location. Use the guiding wind to refresh your direction.
Once you reach the forest, you will notice dead bodies.
Ishikawa: We're getting close. Eyes open.
Jin: Innocent travelers. Murdered.
Ishikawa: Let's help their killers follow them across the Sanzu River.
Defeat the Mongols
You will soon meet the Mongol soldiers. While approaching them, wait for the Standoff trigger to appear, then activate.
Standoff Streak Tutorial
If you were able to activate the standoff, you will get the Standoff Streak tutorial. This tutorial might show up elsewhere for you if you are actively raiding Mongol territories or exploring the world while following the main and side quests.
After you win a Standoff, additional enemies will rush you. Wait until the charging enemy swings their weapon, then attack.
For the second kill to become successful, wait for his attack wind up, that is, when he is positioning his weapon for an attack.
This is not the same as a parry. With the parry, you counter when the attack is about to land. With the standoff streak, you move when he starts to position the attack.
In other words, the standoff has a larger window to pull off and is easier.
Eliminate the rest of the Mongol enemies.
Jin: Tomoe wasn't here.
Ishikawa: Keep moving.
Reach the bridge near the coast
Continue your search for Tomoe. Use the guiding wind to refresh your direction. As the target location is a little far, use the horse. When you gallop, your company gallops as well.
Jin: All those innocent dead. Tomoe has thrown everything away. Betrayed our people.
Ishikawa: She is a traitor because the Mongols offer power, wealth, status. Things denied her by birth.
Jin: Tomoe knew she was born to a lower station than she deserved.
Ishikawa: Now you're being too kind.
Jin: Kindness can be useful - even to a warrior.
Ishikawa: Who told you that? Sun Tzu?
Jin: My uncle. And he didn't tell me - he showed me. Mercy creates a debt.
Ishikawa: Your uncle showed mercy to people who posed no danger to him. A safe bet.
Defeat the Mongols
Upon reaching the bridge, you will be ambushed by Mongols. You will see a number of foot soldiers approaching you, just run and move past beyond them.
There are three archers strategically placed in an elevated rock at the back. Your aim is to eliminate them first so you don't get shot by multiple arrows while fighting the soldiers.
After the archers, you can go clear the remaining soldiers below.
Reach the road south
Once you have defeated all the enemies, you will move to the next target location where the archers of Tomoe are camping.
On the way there, Sensei will share more stories on the past of Tomoe.
Ishikawa: One more snake nest to find. Come.
Jin: How did Tomoe become your student.
Ishikawa: She showed up at my dojo with her father's makeshift hunting bow, and refused to leave.
Jin: You didn't turn her away.
Ishikawa: I tried. But she sank arrow after arrow into my targets. I'd never seen talent like hers.
Jin: She must have had training.
Ishikawa: Her form was wrong. Would've been useless in a real fight. But she had no fear of missing a shot. She never hesitated.
Jin: A warrior's spirit.
Ishikawa: No - a killer's. I didn't see it until it was too late.
Defeat the Mongols
Similar to the earlier camp, the enemies here will have a lot of archers. Go for them first.
Surprisingly, when you are about to kill the leader, he will give you a message.
Mongol: Sensei Ishikawa!
Jin: You know the name Ishikawa?
Mongol: I do. I have message.
Ishikawa: Speak.
Mongol: Sensei, all of Hiyoshi Springs will beg for mercy. Like the victims of Hironori Nagao.
Ishikawa: Silence!
Sensei will deliver the finishing blow for this leader.
Who is Hironori Nagao?
The leader was speaking about Hironori Nagao before Sensei abruptly finished him.
Jin: Hironori Nagao... Didn't he die fighting bandits?
Ishikawa: It was decades ago.
Jin: He was reputed to be a great archer... Did he study with you?
Ishikawa: No. Tomoe is spreading lies.
Jin: But there's a seed of truth.
Ishikawa: She wants us to doubt each other. We are all that stands between Hiyoshi Springs and a bloodbath.
Jin: Then we stand together.
Ishikawa: We'll plan the town's defense at my dojo. Meet me there, and be ready to fight.
And with that, you have completed The Past Never Passes side quest.
Charm of Precision Reward
Completing the tale rewards you with a Minor Ranged Charm. This item is the Charm of Precision.
- Moderate increase to arrow damage
The Next Quest
If you would like to continue the adventures with Sensei Ishikawa, let's proceed with The Way of the Bow.
