All Nioh 3 Kodama Locations
There are 150 Kodama scattered across the four eras of Nioh 3. Each one you guide to a Shrine gives you a Kodama Blessing point, which translates into permanent passive bonuses like extra Elixir drops, increased melee damage, or better equipment drop rates. Missing even a few Kodama means you are leaving free power on the table. This guide covers every Kodama location in Nioh 3, region by region, with specific landmarks and strategies for the ones Team Ninja hid in particularly nasty spots.
Kodama Counts by Region
Kodama are distributed unevenly across regions. The Warring States era is the largest open zone and contains the most Kodama, while Antiquity is a smaller, denser area with fewer but harder-to-find Kodama.
| Region | Era | Kodama Count | Blessings Unlocked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Region 1 | Warring States (Sengoku) | 52 | Full Healer + Warrior |
| Region 2 | Heian | 42 | Full Archer + Diviner |
| Region 3 | Bakumatsu | 34 | Full Supplier |
| Region 4 | Antiquity | 22 | Bonus blessing slots |
| Total | All Eras | 150 | All 5 blessings maxed |
Warring States Kodama Locations (52)
The Warring States region is the first and largest area you explore. Its 52 Kodama are spread across 11 sub-regions. Most are along main paths, but about a third are hidden behind destructible objects or tucked into dead-end caves.
Hitokoto Slope (7 Kodama)
The first sub-region has 7 Kodama placed as a tutorial. Three sit along the main path and are almost impossible to miss. Two are behind the waterfall at the base of the cliff — walk through the water curtain and they are sitting on a rock ledge. One is on the rooftop of the abandoned watchtower, accessible by climbing the ladder on the back side. The last one is inside a breakable crate stack near the second Shrine. Hit the crates with any attack to reveal it.
Futamata Castle (8 Kodama)
Futamata Castle is the densest early Kodama zone. Four Kodama are inside the castle proper — check behind sliding doors that look like walls. The storage room on the second floor has one behind a stack of rice barrels. Two are in the moat area beneath the bridge, accessible by dropping down from the castle rampart. The hardest to find is inside the well in the courtyard. Look for the well with a rope hanging down and interact with it to descend. The Kodama sits at the bottom next to a corpse with a Summoner's Candle.
Hamamatsu Castle Town (6 Kodama)
The castle town layout makes these tricky because streets loop back on themselves. Three Kodama are on rooftops — use the grappling points on wooden beams to reach them. One hides inside the Crucible zone itself, sitting on a corrupted tree root behind the Crucible Spike. You need to destroy the Spike first, or the Life Corrosion aura will kill you before you reach it. Two more are in the underground tunnels accessed through the trapdoor near the blacksmith's forge.
Remaining Sub-Regions (31 Kodama)
The other 8 sub-regions — Tenryu River, Prospect Hill, Mikatagahara Plateau, Saigagake Pass, Mount Fuji Foothills, Sunpu Castle Ruins, Okazaki Road, and Hamamatsu Outskirts — contain 31 Kodama total. Most follow the same patterns: check behind waterfalls (4 total across these areas), inside breakable walls marked by cracks (6), on elevated platforms requiring grapple hooks (5), and in dead-end branches of cave systems (3). The rest are along main paths or near Shrines. Tenryu River is particularly sneaky — 3 of its 5 Kodama are on small islands in the river that you can only reach by swimming, which is easy to miss since swimming is not tutorialized.
Heian Era Kodama Locations (42)
The Heian era is darker and more vertical than the Warring States. Its Kodama tend to hide in elevated positions — temple rooftops, shrine gate crossbeams, and cliff ledges above the fog line. The Kodama Sensor is almost mandatory here because visibility is poor in many sub-regions.
Key Hiding Spots
Mount Hiei has 9 Kodama, and 4 of them are on or inside the burning temple complex. You need to navigate the fire hazards to reach them — equip fire resistance gear or use a Water Talisman. The Village of Cursed Blossoms has 7 Kodama hidden among the cherry blossom trees, and 2 of those are inside Nurikabe wall yokai. Gesture at the Nurikabe (use the "Whistle" gesture) instead of attacking it to make it move aside peacefully and reveal the Kodama behind it. Attacking forces a fight, and the Kodama is still there after, but you take unnecessary damage.
Viper's Sanctum (5 Kodama)
This poison-themed sub-region has 5 Kodama, all in areas with active poison pools. Equip the Antidote Pill item or the Poison Resistance special effect to explore safely. Two Kodama are on platforms above the main poison lake, reachable via a hidden grapple point on the cave ceiling. One sits inside the snake statue's mouth — interact with the statue from the front to open it.
Bakumatsu & Antiquity Kodama Locations (56)
Bakumatsu (34 Kodama) features urban environments with buildings you can enter. Check every room in every building — Kodama hide behind fusuma sliding doors, inside barrels in storage rooms, and on balconies above street level. The Antiquity region (22 Kodama) is the final area and the smallest, but its Kodama are the most cleverly hidden, often requiring you to solve minor environmental puzzles like rotating bridge mechanisms or draining water channels.
Kodama Blessing System
Every Kodama you return to a Shrine gives you one point toward Kodama Blessings. These are passive bonuses you can activate at any Shrine, and they apply across the entire region. You can only have one blessing active per region, but you can switch freely.
| Blessing | Effect at Max Rank | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Healer | +4 Elixir capacity, +30% Elixir drop rate | Boss attempts, hard missions |
| Warrior | +8% melee damage | Farming runs, DPS builds |
| Archer | +8% ranged damage, +15% ammo drops | Bow/Rifle builds |
| Diviner | +25% equipment drop rate | Gear farming, loot runs |
| Supplier | +20% material drop rate, +10% consumable drops | Crafting material farming |
For most players, Healer is the best choice during your first playthrough. The extra Elixir capacity is effectively free healing that stacks with your base supply. Switch to Diviner when you are farming for gear in the late game, or Warrior when you are confident enough to not need extra healing.
Sudama vs Kodama
Sudama are the purple variants of Kodama. They do not count toward Kodama Blessings. Instead, Sudama are merchants — drop an item near them and they will trade it for something else. The trade follows a rarity-matching system: drop a purple item and you get a purple item back, but of a different type. The best Sudama trick is dropping a Soul Core you do not want — they often trade it for a higher-ranked Soul Core of a different yokai type. Sudama locations are fixed and do not respawn. There are 24 Sudama total across all regions.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Kodama are there in Nioh 3?
There are 150 Kodama across all 4 regions in Nioh 3. The Warring States era has the most at 52, followed by Heian with 42, Bakumatsu with 34, and Antiquity with 22. Each Kodama you find is permanently saved to the nearest Shrine, so you never lose progress even if you die.
What do Kodama do in Nioh 3?
Each Kodama you guide to a Shrine unlocks one Kodama Blessing point. Blessings are passive bonuses that apply to the entire region: Healer (Elixir drops), Warrior (melee damage), Archer (ranged damage), Diviner (equipment drop rate), and Supplier (material drop rate). You can switch blessings at any Shrine for free.
Do Kodama locations reset in New Game Plus?
No. All Kodama you collected in your first playthrough stay collected in Shogun's Journey (NG+). Your Kodama Blessings carry over too, so you start NG+ with all your passive bonuses intact.
How do I find hidden Kodama in Nioh 3?
Use the Kodama Sensor skill (unlocked in the Shiftling tree) to display a green pulse on screen when a Kodama is within 60 meters. Also watch for Scampuss cats — they often sit near hidden Kodama. Destructible walls, boxes behind waterfalls, and rooftops above enemy camps are the most common hiding spots.