Hello, fellow assassins! It's 2026, and I'm still hopelessly addicted to Assassin's Creed Shadows. Today, I want to talk about the Ishibutai Kofun in Yamato, southeast of the Asuka Rocks Basin. This ancient tomb is like that one friend who invites you over and then makes you climb through a window because the front door is 'too small.' Speaking of small, you must use Naoe here. Yasuke, bless his giant samurai heart, simply cannot fit through the main entrance. I tried. He got stuck. It was embarrassing for both of us. 😅

The Not-So-Grand Entrance

Once you're inside, the path is pretty straightforward. You'll hop across some rock pillars, do a little grappling hook jump to the far side of the room, and then cross another set of pillars. Easy, right? Wrong. Soon you'll find a massive room with two grappling hook swings. This is where I, your humble narrator, made a fool of myself. I was careless and slid down the ramp by accident. The ramp is a sneaky little devil, I tell you. But fear not! You can run back up the incline and throw your grappling hook again as you start sliding back down. You know the drill: fall, curse, try again.

After that, you'll pass another set of platforms and grappling swings, then duck under a tunnel. The Kofun isn't overly complicated, but some parts might disorient you. You need a decent grasp of Naoe's controls, and your timing on those grappling hook swings has to be on point. Otherwise, you'll be sliding down ramps more times than you'd like to admit.

The Big Tree Room

Ah, the room with the big tree. It's beautiful, serene, and absolutely determined to make you fall. You'll have to slide down the incline a bit before hitting the grapple point, then swing across. Swing to the second hook, and you'll see a platform across the way but nowhere to throw your hook. You'll have to slide about halfway down the slope before hitting the grappling point. From here, the jump can be a little tricky. Trust me, I learned the hard way. If you fall, you can run up the incline you just came down and hit the grappling point to try again. No shame in that game.

After you reach the center platform with the tree, swing over to the wooden planks and make your way to one final grappling hook swing. From there, climb up the cave wall to the top, where you'll see a path leading to the legendary chest. Opening it rewards you with Masakado's Vengeance trinket, a Knowledge Point, and some XP.

Why Masakado's Vengeance is a Game-Changer

Masakado's Vengeance is a legendary trinket that's perfect for any Naoe build in AC Shadows. Especially if you're like me and often forget to check if you have Mastery Points to spend, or if you only use one weapon. The effect? It gives you +1% damage for every unspent Mastery Point. And from what I can tell, there's no cap. That's right, no cap. You can hoard those points like a dragon and still hit like a truck.

Unlocking this trinket also unlocks the Damage for Unspent Mastery Points engraving. That means you can slot this engraving on another trinket if you want. Flexibility is key, my friends.

Oh, and before you leave the Kofun, you'll also get an Epic piece of gear as you first enter: the Revenge of the Onryo Robe. This isn't a bad option if you know how to use the Oni's Fury Trinket effect to your advantage, which increases damage for non-legendary gear equipped. You might even consider engraving the Oni's Fury trinket with your damage for unspent mastery points buff to combine the two effects. Whether you plan to use Masakado's Vengeance or not, having the engraving available is always good, as you'll likely switch up your build more than a few times.

Also, a version of this trinket exists as an amulet for Yasuke, but you'll acquire that during the main story progression as part of the Templar questline. So if you're a Yasuke fan, don't worry—you'll get your own shiny toy eventually.

Summary Table

Final Thoughts

The Ishibutai Kofun is well worth completing when you come across it. The reward is one of the best trinkets in the game because there are so many ways to earn Mastery Points. Even if you don't use Naoe as your main, having this trinket and its engraving in your arsenal is a no-brainer. So go forth, swing that grappling hook, and may your slides be short and your landings be soft. And if you fall... well, you know what to do. Run back up and try again. 😉

As of 2026, this guide still holds true. Happy assassinating!