Imai Sokun is one of the NPCs you’ll encounter while playing the main story in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. He’ll be a great help to you as you search for the Shinbakufu. You can return to Imai Sokun after you’ve completed the assassination required where he is involved and receive a side mission.
The Iron Hand Guild quest is what Imai calls it. He asks that you find out more about the Iron Hand by talking to the merchants, so that you can remove him from the picture. If you want to finish this quest, however, you will need to locate some specific locations.
What Should You Do With The Merchants?
After you complete the Golden Teppo mission, you’ll be asked to go back to Imai to do this side quest. He will ask that you spare the merchants but only kill the Iron Hand. This is so he can influence the merchants to work for him. This is not necessary for the quest.
The rewards will be the same whether you kill or spare the merchants. Imai is much happier if they are alive. You’ll hear different dialogues depending on how many merchants are still alive.
Where To Find All Merchants
You’ll see four merchants at the bottom of the circle, with the Iron Hand on top. The Iron Hand is in a very obvious place, but you will not find him until you have gotten clues from the four merchants either by assassinating them or sparing their lives.
You can find all these retailers in the following locations:
Merchant Kanta
You’ll find the Mouth of Seta area, which is located just north of Omi on the left bank of the river. In this settlement you can find the Otsu Upper District and, using the observer mode will reveal the merchant.
He will be sitting peacefully in his home. You can either kill him from behind, or grab him and knock him out first to save him. This part of the quest is complete.
Merchant Ginroku
You can find the second merchant in the northwest of the Tamba Province. On the southwest side of the city, just above the Mizuyu Bay written on the map, you can find him. You can kill him or spare his life in the same way as before.
Merchant Kin-No-Suke
If you wish to spare Kin-no-suke, you will need to take a slightly different path. You must first find the Kata on the northeastern side of the Onyu Pass on the map. You can find a letter on the shore north of the Kata. It is guarded by some bandits.
After you defeat the bandits, take the letter and head to Obama City in the northwest to find the merchant. Find him on the map, to the left of Obama. You can then give him the letter that you received from the bandits.
Kin-no-suke then takes you to another location. Enter the nearby warehouse to find out more about the Iron Hand.
Merchant Tamao
You can find Merchant Tamao by going to the eastern side of the Honnoji Temple, which is located in the lower-middle part of Kyoko. The Honpoji Temple is to the east. On the left, you’ll see the merchant inside a building which you cannot enter.
You can use the jars to get the merchant out of the main entrance. You must be very careful as the merchant may detect you and you will have to avoid this if you wish to spare him. Once he is out, you can use the same process of grabbing him and knocking him out to save him.
Where To Find The Iron Hand
You can find the Iron Hand in the Fukuchiyama Castle on the northern part of Tamba Province after you have gathered clues from the four merchants. You can teleport to the fast travel area in the castle, or go to its southern section if you’ve never been there.
The Iron Hand is located in a group of buildings southwest of the view point. He’ll be heavily protected by fully armored enemies. Assassinate each enemy without alerting the others. If you plan to engage in a direct fight, disable the alarm first.
If you want to defeat the Iron Hand, you can go back to Imai to get 5,000 EXP, a Gold and Fujin’s Tempest trinket. After defeating the Iron Hand, head back to Imai for 5,000 EXP and a Gold. You will also receive Fujin’s Tempest.
