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Locationmajor

Katayama Market

Katayama Market is a former trading settlement on Iki Island, in the Gonoura area.

Importancemajor

Key takeaways

  • Katayama Market is on Iki Island, not Tsushima It is part of the Director’s Cut / Iki Island content and is not present in the base-game Tsushima map.
  • It is a Mongol Territory whose liberation rewards +6 Steel and contributes to Iki’s territory-clearing progress.
  • The compound is defended by outer watchtowers, numerous archers, a Hwacha and an eagle. Approaching from the north-west is a practical route because it allows Jin to begin with exposed watchtower guards.
  • A Sakai Banner is located on a watchtower inside the market.
  • A Pillar of Honor lies south of the market along the river, but it is a separate nearby landmark rather than part of the market compound. It awards the sword kit The Stonecutter.
  • Katayama Market can later function as a service stop with an armourer, merchant and trapper, but vendor availability is progression-sensitive. Do not treat the initial liberated state as the final state.

About this guide

Scope note: This guide treats Katayama Market as the named Mongol Territory and settlement area shown on the Iki Island map in Ghost of Tsushima: Iki Island, rather than expanding the article to include every nearby forest, riverbank, animal sanctuary or landmark. Nearby places are listed separately where they are useful for navigation. The game does not provide a formal boundary line beyond the territory’s marked area, so the practical boundary is the market compound and its immediate guard posts.

Overview

Katayama Market is a former trading settlement on Iki Island, in the Gonoura area. During the events of the Iki Island expansion, Mongol forces occupy the market and turn it into a fortified outpost. Jin can liberate it as one of Iki’s major Mongol Territories.

The location is more substantial than its name initially suggests. Katayama Market is not merely a few stalls around a road. It is a broad, heavily guarded compound with perimeter watchtowers, several archer positions, a Hwacha, an eagle, and a sizeable central market area. Its wide perimeter makes it one of the more awkward Iki outposts to clear quietly, particularly if Jin is discovered before the outer guards have been removed.

After liberation, Katayama Market gradually becomes one of Iki’s useful service settlements. Its vendors and civilian activity are tied partly to progression through the Iki story, so the post-liberation appearance of the market can differ depending on when it is visited. Players who expect every service immediately after the battle may find that some stalls or NPCs are not yet present.

Location and boundaries

Katayama Market lies in central Iki, south of Fort Sakai and north-east of Kidafure Battleground according to available location references. It is one of the larger occupied sites in the central part of the island, and its perimeter extends beyond the most visually obvious market stalls.

The name refers to the whole occupied market compound, not only the central collection of stalls. The territory includes:

The Pillar of Honor south of Katayama Market is not included in the market’s core directory. It is best understood as a nearby landmark reached by following the river south. Likewise, a cat sanctuary southeast of the market belongs to the wider surrounding landscape and should not be counted as a Katayama Market subarea.

Nearby, but separate

The game does not appear to assign individual official names to the market’s separate watchtowers, stalls or defensive corners. Those descriptions are functional labels used for navigation rather than additional canonical place names.

Named entries within the practical scope

Nearby, but separate

History and atmosphere

Before the invasion, Katayama Market was a functioning market town. Its layout suggests a place built around trade and passing traffic rather than military defence. Mongol occupation changes that role completely: the market’s open approaches become firing lanes, its towers become lookout posts, and the central stalls become a fortified killing ground.

The site is particularly effective as a visual example of the invasion’s disruption of ordinary life. The location is not a castle or a purpose-built fort. It is a civilian market repurposed by force. The later appearance of civilians, repaired stalls and additional vendors reinforces the idea that liberation is an ongoing process rather than a single instant of restoration. Player reports consistently note that the market gains more ambient activity and services as the Iki story advances, although exact vendor timing is not consistently documented in the available sources.

Access and routes

Katayama Market is accessible during the Iki Island expansion after Jin reaches the point in the main game at which Iki becomes available. Sony’s official announcement states that the Iki content opens from Act 2, after Jin has reached the Toyotama region.

Once the market has been liberated, it becomes a fast-travel location. Before liberation, Jin can still approach it as an enemy territory, but the occupation status prevents it from functioning as a safe settlement.

The most reliable approach is from the north-west.

This route is not a required solution. A direct assault, standoff or Ghost approach is possible, but the compound’s wide perimeter and large number of elevated archers make an unprepared frontal attack dangerous.

Recommended approach

  1. 01
    Travel towards the market from the north-western side.
  2. 02
    Stop outside the compound and identify the two exposed archers on the outer watchtowers.
  3. 03
    Use the longbow, if available, to eliminate distant archers before entering the main area.
  4. 04
    Move around the perimeter rather than crossing directly through the market.
  5. 05
    Remove the outer guards and Hwacha operators before committing to the central stalls.
  6. 06
    Watch for the eagle on the south-western side of the camp.
  7. 07
    Enter the market only after the perimeter has been weakened.
  8. 08
    Finish the remaining Mongols in the central area.

Note

Defeat all the Mongols.

The Mongol Territory

Objective

Unlike some larger liberation missions, the available guide evidence does not identify a special optional objective, prisoner rescue sequence or destruction target at Katayama Market. The defining challenge is the arrangement of the guards rather than a complicated objective list.

Defences

The watchtowers are important because they allow the defenders to cover much of the compound. Killing only the guards in the centre can leave Jin exposed to arrows from several directions. The Hwacha is also a major threat if Jin is detected in the open.

Suggested stealth plan

The following sequence is a practical, low-risk method:

If Jin is discovered, the best recovery is usually to retreat behind the market’s outer structures rather than remain in the open. Smoke bombs, kunai and a quick move towards the Hwacha can turn a failed stealth attempt into a controlled assault.

Suggested stealth plan

  1. 01
    Begin outside the north-western edge. Avoid entering through the most open approach.
  2. 02
    Use Concentration or the longbow on tower archers. Distant archers are easier to remove before they can raise an alarm.
  3. 03
    Circle the outside. Do not immediately descend into the market’s central area.
  4. 04
    Deal with the Hwacha crew. Removing the operators prevents the weapon from becoming a problem during the rest of the assault.
  5. 05
    Kill the eagle. The south-western perimeter contains an eagle that can reveal Jin’s position if ignored.
  6. 06
    Clear remaining elevated guards. Check towers and platforms before moving through the stalls.
  7. 07
    Enter the market. The final group is easier to fight once the perimeter has been silenced.
  8. 08
    Search the towers after the battle. This is important for the Sakai Banner.

Collectibles and rewards

Sakai Banner

A Sakai Banner is placed on a watchtower inside Katayama Market. A guide places it on the tower to the right of the merchant’s position when viewed in the restored settlement.

The banner may be collected after the territory has been liberated, when the location is safe to explore. Search the market’s watchtowers rather than restricting the search to the stalls.

The banner is part of Iki’s wider Sakai Banner collection and is separate from the market’s liberation reward.

Liberation reward

The reward is described as a minor increase in supplies.

Documents

An interactive Iki map lists a document titled To the Captives of Katayama Market, found on a small wooden table beneath one of the canopies. The available evidence confirms the document’s name and general placement, but does not provide enough text to reproduce or interpret its contents safely.

Because document placement can be easier to miss before the market is fully restored, search the canopied stalls after liberation and again after advancing the Iki story if the table is not present.

Liberation reward: Liberating Katayama Market grants

RewardAmount
Steel+6

Pillar of Honor south of the market

A Pillar of Honor stands south of Katayama Market, along the river in a wooded area. It is a nearby collectible and should not be counted as a structure inside the Mongol Territory. Interacting with it awards the sword kit The Stonecutter.

Suggested route

  1. 01
    Start at the liberated Katayama Market.
  2. 02
    Leave by the southern side.
  3. 03
    Follow the river through the wooded ground.
  4. 04
    Look for the Pillar of Honor away from the market structures.
  5. 05
    Interact with it to claim The Stonecutter.

Residents, visitors and services

Katayama Market has no prominently named permanent resident associated with the location in the available evidence. Its important NPCs are service providers rather than story characters.

Confirmed or reported services

These services are not necessarily all available immediately after liberation. Player reports indicate that the armourer may appear before the merchant and trapper, while other reports associate the fuller restoration and vendor presence with later Iki progression, including the liberation of Fort Sakai. These reports are useful practical evidence but are not a substitute for an official progression table.

The market’s merchant belongs to the wider Iki merchant network. Sources identify Katayama Market as one of the Iki locations where a merchant can sell vanity items in exchange for flowers. The precise inventory can vary by progression and merchant unlock state, so players should inspect the actual shop menu rather than infer stock from the location name.

Service directory

Important status distinction: these are settlement services, not services available while the Mongol Territory remains occupied. Their appearance is also progression-sensitive.

Progression changes and restoration

Katayama Market changes state over the course of the Iki expansion.

Later restored state

As the Iki story progresses, more civilian activity and service infrastructure can appear. Player reports specifically mention additional vendors, repaired buildings and ambient people appearing after later progression. Fort Sakai is repeatedly cited by players as a relevant trigger for a fuller market state, but the exact sequence is not sufficiently documented to state that every vendor always follows one fixed condition.

This is especially useful for players attempting full Iki completion rather than simply clearing the territory.

Enemies and combat hazards

Katayama Market’s danger comes from overlapping fields of view rather than a unique boss.

Confirmed enemy features

No named boss is associated with the normal Katayama Market liberation encounter in the available evidence. The site should therefore not be confused with a duel arena or a story fortress with a named commander.

Practical combat advice

Some player reports describe bugs in which the liberation objective remains active even after the visible defenders have been killed. These reports are not evidence of a normal hidden enemy layout, so if the objective remains stuck, search the perimeter and reload or revisit the area rather than assuming a canonical extra objective exists.

Efficient route: For a first visit, use this order

  1. 01
    Approach from the north-west.
  2. 02
    Mark or identify the outer watchtowers.
  3. 03
    Eliminate exposed archers.
  4. 04
    Circle the western and southern perimeter.
  5. 05
    Remove the eagle and Hwacha operators.
  6. 06
    Enter and clear the market interior.
  7. 07
    Claim the Sakai Banner from the watchtower.
  8. 08
    Search the canopied stalls for To the Captives of Katayama Market.
  9. 09
    Leave south and follow the river to the Pillar of Honor.
  10. 10
    Return later after major Iki story progress to check restored services.

Sources