Revision 1

Hozuki is the healing consumable carried by Musashi throughout Onimusha: Way of the Sword. It is stored in a Hozuki Pouch, a container of limited capacity that restores health when used. Hozuki turn up throughout Kyoto and its surrounding areas, and only one pouch can be equipped at a time.

Finding and Storing Hozuki

Hozuki picked up while exploring fill the currently equipped pouch first. Once that pouch is full, any additional Hozuki collected are sent to the storehouse instead of being wasted. The pouch is automatically refilled from those storehouse reserves every time Musashi interacts with a Spirit Mirror, so there is no need to manually shuttle Hozuki back and forth.

Swapping and Enhancing Pouches

Multiple Hozuki Pouches exist, but only one is equipped at a time. Talking to Izumo No Okuni lets a player swap the currently equipped pouch for another, and Okuni can also enhance a pouch when given the right materials, raising both its capacity and its restorative power. Each pouch can be enhanced up to a maximum level. The equipped pouch can also be changed at a Spirit Mirror, or from the retry screen after a defeat, without needing to seek Okuni out directly.

On the Screen

The currently equipped Hozuki Pouch and the number of Hozuki remaining in it are displayed on the game screen at all times, so a player can check their supply mid-fight without opening a menu.

Hozuki and the Health Gauge

The Health Gauge is what a Hozuki Pouch exists to protect: when it is fully depleted, the game is over, and the run restarts from the most recent saved data. Hozuki, used from the equipped pouch, is the most direct way to restore health mid-fight, working alongside other items rather than replacing them entirely.

Changing Pouches After a Defeat

If Musashi is defeated by a boss, the retry screen that follows offers several ways to prepare for another attempt. Equipping a different Hozuki Pouch is one of the specific options presented there, alongside enhancing equipment and skills, or changing and replenishing items from the storehouse. This means a pouch swap does not require a special trip if a defeat has already happened, since the retry screen provides direct access to it.

Practical Notes

Because overflow Hozuki go straight to the storehouse rather than being lost, there is little downside to picking up every Hozuki found while exploring, even with a full pouch. The real decision point is which pouch to equip and enhance: a higher-capacity pouch suits long stretches away from a Spirit Mirror, while a pouch with stronger restorative power suits tough boss fights handled at Difficulty Levels set to Action. Enhancing every pouch to its maximum level is also its own long-term goal, tracked by a dedicated achievement.