Genma Notes are collectible records containing information about the Genma, found scattered all over Kyoto and its surrounding areas. Collected notes can be reviewed from the Main Menu at any time.
Finding Notes
Genma Notes are placed throughout Edo-Era Kyoto rather than being tied to a single location or story beat, so they turn up naturally while exploring side paths and areas away from the main route. There is a complete set to be found, confirmed by an achievement awarded for collecting every one of them.
What They Contain
Each Genma Note adds to the player's understanding of the Genma threatening Kyoto, complementing the more personal accounts told through characters encountered during Mysteries of Kyoto and Chance Encounters.
Genma Notes Versus Curious Cases
Genma Notes are easy to mix up with Curious Cases, a separate Main Menu feature unlocked at a certain point in the story, but the two cover different ground. Curious Cases are records of Musashi's own strange experiences, filled out with local legends and commentary, while Genma Notes are specifically about the Genma themselves. Both accumulate as the story and exploration progress, and both are read from the Main Menu, but neither substitutes for the other.
Genma Notes and the Enemy Roster
Genma Notes serve as a natural companion to any page describing the Genma themselves. Where a bestiary-style overview covers what an enemy looks like and how it fights, a Genma Note is framed as an in-world document about that same threat, giving the fight against the Genma a paper trail that exists alongside the combat itself.
Practical Notes
Because Genma Notes are read from the Main Menu rather than triggering their own cutscene, it is easy to pick one up in passing and forget it exists; checking the Main Menu periodically after clearing an area is the simplest way to catch up on notes gathered along the way, and to see how close the full set is to being complete.