Onimusha: Way of the Sword Upgrade Materials Guide

Quick answer

Upgrade materials in Onimusha: Way of the Sword split into two main groups. Power Stones, Oni Stones and Red Souls improve abilities, while equipment uses separate material families for Clothing, Sword and Gauntlet enhancements. Open Enhance Equipment/Abilities at a Spirit Mirror after the system becomes available, then check the exact requirement on the next node before farming.

For the materials players most often run short on: Leather and Fine Silk Cloth feed Clothing upgrades; Tempered Iron and Tamahagane feed Sword upgrades; Power Stones and Oni Stones feed skill progression. Gauntlet equipment uses its own Genma-derived materials such as Malicite and named boss drops.

Checked September 15, 2026 against current launch guides. Current references disagree on the exact first-run Oni Stone total, so this page does not present one disputed count as a universal maximum.

What each upgrade material is used for

These families are not interchangeable. A large Red Soul balance does not replace a missing Power Stone, and Leather does not help a Sword step that specifically asks for Tempered Iron.

Power Stones and Oni Stones

Power Stones and Oni Stones are tied to the Well-Rounded trophy or achievement because the skill trees use them alongside Red Souls. Current PowerPyx coverage lists 54 Power Stones and treats that route as sufficient for the Power-Stone side of the tree in a first playthrough.

The Oni Stone side is less tidy. Current launch references conflict: PowerPyx's updated collectible index lists 55 Oni Stones, while several other launch guides still list 54 and agree that a first run can leave Oni-funded upgrades unfinished. The practical rule is to collect every source you encounter, check which nodes remain unpaid, and finish remaining upgrades in New Game Plus if necessary.

Stone sources include mission rewards, Chance Encounters, Mysteries of Kyoto, normal and Hidden Oni Treasure chests, Oni Portals and exploration pickups. If a node is still locked even though you have enough currency, check story and Oni Portal progress before assuming the material count is the problem. For Red Soul spending and portal-gated upgrades, use the Souls & Oni Gauntlet guide.

Leather, Fine Silk Cloth and Clothing upgrades

Clothing uses Hempen Cloth, Cotton Cloth, Leather and Fine Silk Cloth. Leather becomes a recurring requirement as proficiency rises, while Fine Silk Cloth appears at important higher-tier checkpoints.

Leather can come from fixed treasure chests, story missions, Chance Encounters, Mysteries of Kyoto and Yorimasa's limited shop stock as the story advances. That means a player short on Leather should not search only for one farming enemy.

Fine Silk Cloth is rarer and more completion-sensitive. PowerPyx currently tracks 25 Fine Silk Cloth locations for the Dressed to Kill route. It comes from fixed chests and activity rewards, and current material guides also document it as purchasable from Yorimasa when available.

A simple Clothing plan is to open nearby material chests during normal travel, finish side activities that pay rare materials, and check Yorimasa whenever the story advances.

Tempered Iron, Tamahagane and Sword upgrades

Sword enhancement uses Whetstone, Iron, Tempered Iron and Tamahagane. The early steps lean on Whetstone and Iron; Tempered Iron becomes more important later, while Tamahagane marks high-tier checkpoints.

Tempered Iron can be found in material chests, earned from selected missions or Chance Encounters, and purchased from Yorimasa when stocked. Material chests can also change as progression advances, so an early chest route is not necessarily the complete lifetime supply for an area.

PowerPyx currently tracks 25 Tamahagane locations, spread across mission rewards, treasure chests, Chance Encounters and Hidden Oni Treasure. If the Sword is one or two levels behind near the end of a run, check fixed Tamahagane rewards before spending time farming common Iron.

Gauntlet enhancement materials

The equipment side of the Oni Gauntlet uses a different material family from the skill tree. Current enhancement guides list Malicite, Malicite Mass, Byakue's Talisman and Dohatsu-ten's Horn for Gauntlet enhancement. These upgrades improve Gauntlet-related performance such as Oni Power capacity and soul-absorption capability.

This distinction matters: Oni Stones are not Gauntlet equipment materials. Oni Stones belong to skill progression, while Malicite and the named Genma materials belong to the equipment enhancement track.

PowerPyx also documents post-final-mission rifts as repeatable farming opportunities for some Gauntlet materials, so the exact in-game requirement should remain your source of truth when deciding what to farm.

Best places to look for missing materials

When one material is missing, check sources in this order:

1. Confirm the exact material and quantity in the current upgrade screen.
2. Open nearby unopened treasure chests.
3. Finish incomplete Chance Encounters and Mysteries.
4. Check Hidden Oni Treasures and Oni Portals for stone progression.
5. Visit Yorimasa's Monument for materials that can enter his limited stock.
6. Check later-story or post-game sources for materials that are not available early.

Current material guides report that some chests can repopulate later and may not keep the same contents forever, so do not assume the first item you found in a chest is its only possible role across the whole playthrough.

Cleanup before The Clash at Rendaino

The major cleanup boundary remains The Clash at Rendaino. Current collectible routes recommend keeping a manual save before the final mission so you can return to the broadest first-run cleanup state if a rare material or side reward is still missing.

Before crossing that point, check unfinished side activities, unopened chests, Power Stone and Oni Stone nodes, remaining Fine Silk Cloth and Tamahagane needs, Yorimasa's stock, and the exact Clothing, Sword and Gauntlet levels still required for Dressed to Kill.

For the wider Platinum route, use the Trophy Guide & Platinum Roadmap.

What happens to materials in New Game Plus?

Do not assume every material carries into the next run. Current launch evidence says enhanced skills carry, which is why unfinished Oni-funded skill upgrades can be completed later, but equipment enhancement levels and enhancement materials follow different reset rules. The carryover prompt describes only some materials rather than establishing a universal all-material rule.

Finish important equipment enhancement before starting a new run, preserve a manual save, and read the completed-save carryover prompt before committing. For the detailed carry/reset matrix, use the New Game Plus guide.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I get Leather?

Leather comes from fixed chests, story and side-activity rewards, and can also be purchased from Yorimasa when available in his current stock.

What is Tempered Iron used for?

Tempered Iron is a higher-tier Sword enhancement material.

What are Oni Stones used for?

Oni Stones are used for skill progression, especially Oni / Special-skill nodes. They are separate from Malicite and named Genma materials used to enhance Gauntlet equipment.

How many Power Stones are there?

Current launch collectible guides consistently track 54 Power Stones.

Why do guides list different Oni Stone totals?

Current launch references disagree, with updated sources listing 55 while several others still list 54. Use your purchased skill nodes and remaining upgrade costs rather than relying on one disputed total.

Which rare materials matter for Dressed to Kill?

Fine Silk Cloth and Tamahagane are important fixed high-tier materials in the equipment route. Current PowerPyx coverage tracks 25 of each.

Sources

• PowerPyx — All Power Stone Locations
• PowerPyx — All Oni Stone Locations
• PowerPyx — All Fine Silk Cloth Locations
• PowerPyx — All Tamahagane Locations
• PowerPyx — All Equipment Enhancements
• Vandal — All Materials and How to Get Them
• Vandal — Leather
• Vandal — Tempered Iron