Image: Sucker Punch Productions / PlayStationNo screenshot of The Tale of Sensei Ishikawa yet. This one shows Jin Sakai (Sucker Punch Productions / PlayStation).
The Tale of Sensei Ishikawa
The Tale of Sensei Ishikawa is the Act 1 story tale where you recruit the archery master Ishikawa. It gives you your first bow, the Half Bow, and opens the Ishikawa side storyline as Ishikawa Tale 1 of 9.
- Type
- Story
- Given by
- Sensei Ishikawa
- Region
- Izuhara
- Province
- Hiyoshi
- Rewards
- Major Legend increase, Half Bow, Arrows
Storylines
Part 1 of 9 in Ishikawa's Tales
Part 3 of 26 in Jin's Journey
Found in
- Fort NakayamaFort Nakayama is a Hiyoshi outpost the Mongols captured during the invasion. You raid it with Sensei Ishikawa in The Tale of Sensei Ishikawa, the tale that gives you the Half Bow.
- IzuharaIzuhara is the southern region of Tsushima and the first one you explore in Act 1. It is where you rescue Lord Shimura from Castle Kaneda, meet most of your allies and learn the stealth tools that turn Jin into the Ghost.
- Sensei Ishikawa's DojoSensei Ishikawa's Dojo is the archery master's training hall in Hiyoshi. Several Ishikawa tales start here, and a piece of vanity gear is hidden nearby.
Good to know
- Act 1: Rescue Lord Shimura; also Ishikawa Tale 1 of 9.
- It takes place around Sensei Ishikawa's Dojo in Hiyoshi, Izuhara.
- Base game rewards: major Legend increase, the Half Bow and Arrows.
- In New Game+ you get a major Legend increase and 5 Ghost Flowers instead.
- The Mongol stronghold you raid is Fort Nakayama.
- The next Ishikawa tale is The Sensei and the Student.
What you do
Ask about Ishikawa at the inn, then travel to his dojo and find him. He says bandits kept him away from the battle at Komoda Beach. Together you search for his student Tomoe and find her abandoned camp with signs of a struggle.
Getting the bow
Ishikawa hands you the Half Bow and Arrows and has you shoot some lamps to learn aiming. Then you scout Fort Nakayama with him, ambush a patrol, and clear the fort. He prefers a quiet approach over a frontal attack.
Tips
Practice headshots on the patrol before the fort. The Half Bow is short range, so get close to archers on rooftops before you fire.
What happensSpoilerShow
Inside the fort Jin learns Tomoe is training Mongol archers in Ishikawa's Way of the Bow. Ishikawa admits he pushed her too hard, and that Tomoe herself, not bandits, attacked him. Jin and Ishikawa agree to hunt her down.
Rewards
On a first run you get the Half Bow, Arrows and a major Legend increase. In New Game+ it pays a major Legend increase plus 5 Ghost Flowers. The tale also unlocks the next Ishikawa tale, The Sensei and the Student.
- ArrowsArrows are the bow ammunition in Ghost of Tsushima, in four types split across the Half Bow and the Longbow. Each type unlocks through a tale, and Predator Hides raise how many you can carry.
- Half BowThe Half Bow is Jin's first bow, lent to him by Sensei Ishikawa in The Tale of Sensei Ishikawa. It draws fast and carries plenty of arrows, which makes it the bow for mid-range fights and quick silent kills.
Jin SakaiJin Sakai is the samurai you play in Ghost of Tsushima and the Iki Island expansion. He is Lord Shimura's nephew and the last lord of Clan Sakai. After the Mongol landing he trades the samurai code for stealth and fear, and the people start calling him the Ghost.- Sadanobu IshikawaSensei Ishikawa is a famous archer and one of Jin's allies. He teaches Jin the bow and sends him after Tomoe, the student who now trains Mongol archers. His nine-part storyline, Ishikawa's Tales, starts with The Tale of Sensei Ishikawa in the main story.
- TomoeTomoe is Sensei Ishikawa's former student and the main target of Ishikawa's Tales. A brilliant archer, she now trains Mongol bowmen in the Way of the Bow. You chase her camps across Hiyoshi, Kushi and Otsuna with Ishikawa.
Related missions
- Side
The Way of the Bow
The Way of the Bow is Ishikawa Tale 4 of 9, the last Act 1 part of his storyline, where you defend Hiyoshi Springs from Tomoe's attack. It is worth doing early because it gives you the Flaming Arrow, plus the Charm of Immunity and the Storming Falcon vanity gear for your half bow.
- Side
The Past Never Passes
The Past Never Passes is Ishikawa Tale 3 of 9, an Act 1 side tale in Hiyoshi. Tomoe's archers have ringed Hiyoshi Springs ahead of a Mongol attack, and you scout the area with Ishikawa and clear bridges along the coast. It rewards the Charm of Precision and 2 Silk.
- Side
The Sensei and the Student
The Sensei and the Student is Ishikawa Tale 2 of 9, an Act 1 side tale in Hiyoshi. You and Sensei Ishikawa start tracking his former student Tomoe through Mongol archer positions and free some prisoners. It rewards the Charm of Efficiency and 2 Silk.
- Side
Dreams of Conquest
Dreams of Conquest is Ishikawa Tale 5 of 9 and the first of his Act 2 tales, starting at the Akashima Survivor Camp. You rescue a pinned-down Ishikawa and raid Tomoe's archer training camp for clues. It needs A New Horizon done and rewards the Charm of Precision and 2 Silk.