In Assassin’s Creed Shadows, the tranquil art of the tea ceremony hides a far-reaching quest: “Tea Bowls for Rikyu.” Tasked by the legendary tea master Sen no Rikyu, you’ll traverse the war-torn provinces of Japan, hunting down seven elusive tea bowls scattered among merchants and powerful enemies. Each bowl you collect brings you closer to unlocking new alliances-and a secret ceremony that could change the fate of your journey.
Our Assassin’s Creed Shadows guide will tell you how to find all tea bowl locations for “Tea Bowls for Rikyu.”
How to start ’Tea Bowls for Rikyu’ in Assassin’s Creed Shadows
To start the “Tea Bowls for Rikyu” side quest in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, you first need to progress through the main story until you complete the mission involving the assassination of The Golden Teppo, a key Shinbakufu target, as part of the “The Tea Ceremony” or “Lightning and Thunder” questlines. Once this is done, the quest will appear in the “People of Yamashiro” section of your objectives board. Head to Kyoto in the Yamashiro region, where you’ll find Tea Master Sen no Rikyu in his home, located in northern Kyoto, west of the Imperial Palace. Speak to Rikyu, and he will ask you to collect seven unique tea bowls scattered across Japan, officially beginning the quest.
The “Tea Bowls for Rikyu” quest is part of the People of Yamashiro Objectives board. You’ll meet Tea Master Sen No Rikyu while preparing for the tea ceremony in “The Tea Ceremony,” but his People of Yamashiro quest won’t unlock until a little later. You’ll have to wait until you complete the quests that unlock Yasuke.
You’ll find Tea Master Sen no Rikyu in northern Kyoto in Yamashiro, a few blocks north of the Imperial Palace.
For the quest, he’ll ask you to find him some tea bowls on your travels for his new tea room. You’ll find them at specific ornament merchants, and they each sell for 125 mon. We’ll break them where you can find all tea bowls by province below.
Settsu tea bowl location
The Settsu tea bowl for the “Tea Bowls for Rikyu” quest in Assassin’s Creed Shadows is located in the town of Sakai, within the Izumi Settsu region. To obtain it, head to the north-central area of Sakai, just east of the Port of Sakai landmark, where you will find an ornament vendor. You can purchase the Intricate Tea Bowl Collection from this vendor for 125 Mon.
You can find the first set of tea bowls in Sakai in southwest Settsu. The vendor is in the north-central part of town, just east of the Port of Sakai (where you can find one of the Kabukimono). You can get the Intricate Tea Bowl Collection there.
Yamashiro tea bowl location
The Rustic Tea Bowl, one of the tea bowls needed for the “Tea Bowls for Rikyu” quest in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, is located in Kyoto within the Yamashiro region. You can purchase it from the ornament vendor situated south of Honnoki Temple and northeast of Toji Temple for 125 Mon. This vendor is near the southern edge of Kyoto, making it relatively easy to find once you are exploring Yamashiro.
The next set of tea bowls is in Kyoto in central Yamashiro. You’ll find the vendor in the southern part of town a couple blocks south of the Honnoji Temple, selling the Rustic Tea Bowl Collection.
Omi tea bowl location (Azuchi)
The Sophisticated Tea Bowl in Assassin’s Creed Shadows is located in the Azuchi area of the Omi region. You can find it at the ornament vendor on the island, which is surrounded by water and connected to the nearby land by several bridges. This vendor is situated just northwest of the Azuchi Kakurega, near the Sokenji Pagoda fast travel point, making it accessible as you explore the region. The tea bowl can be purchased from this vendor for 125 mon as part of the “Tea Bowls for Rikyu” quest.
When you reach Omi in the northeast of the map, you’ll find a tea bowl set in Azuchi along the southeastern shore of Lake Biwa. The ornament vendor who sells the Sophisticated Tea Bowl Collection is in the western part of town.
Omi tea bowl location (Sakamoto)
In Assassin’s Creed Shadows, the Unique Tea Bowl in the Omi region can be found in the town of Sakamoto, located on the western shore of Lake Biwa. To acquire it, head to the ornament vendor situated just north of the Sakamoto kakurega building and the sake brewery. The tea bowl costs 125 mon and is part of the ’Tea Bowls for Rikyu’ quest, where players collect various tea bowls for Sen no Rikyu’s new tea house project.
On the western shore of Lake Biwa in Omi, head for Sakamoto for the next tea bowl set. You’ll find the vendor with the Unique Tea Bowl Collection in the northwest of the town just a few blocks north of the town’s kakurega.
Wakasa tea bowl location
The Wakasa tea bowl in Assassin’s Creed Shadows can be found in the town of Obama, located centrally within the Wakasa region. Players need to visit the Kara Market area in Obama, where an ornament vendor sells the Elegant Tea Bowl Collection for 125 Mon. This vendor is situated among other market stalls near the northeastern bridge of the town, making it a straightforward purchase for those progressing through the “Tea Bowls for Rikyu” side quest.
You’ll find the next set in Obama right in the middle of Wakasa. The ornament merchant who sells the Elegant Tea Bowl Collection is in the middle of town near the Kara Market (where you find one of the Iron Hand Guild merchants).
Tamba tea bowl location
The Tamba tea bowl in Assassin’s Creed Shadows can be found in the town of Kameyama, located in the southeastern part of the Tamba region. Players can purchase the Simple Tea Bowl Collection from an ornament vendor situated near the southern side of the town, close to the kakurega building and south of the main castle. This vendor sells the tea bowl for 125 mon, making it one of the six collectible tea bowls available from merchants across Japan for the “Tea Bowls for Rikyu” quest.
The Simple Tea Bowl Collection can be purchased from the ornament merchant in Kameyama in southeastern Tamba. You’ll find the vendor on the south side of town.
Final tea bowl set location
The final tea bowl set location for the “Tea Bowls for Rikyu” quest in Assassin’s Creed Shadows is obtained as a story-related reward after defeating “The Wise,” a member of the Shinbakufu group. Unlike the other six tea bowls, which are purchased from ornament vendors across various towns in Japan for 125 mon each, this seventh and last tea bowl, known as the Classic Tea Bowl Collection, is automatically unlocked upon completing the related story mission “Darkness Falls.” This completes the full set of seven tea bowls required by Sen no Rikyu for his tea ceremony collection.
The final tea bowl set is a reward for killing The Wise – one of the Shinbakufu – as part of the main story. (This is also a spoiler-adjacent hint to The Wise’s identity.) Once you complete the sub-quests and kill The Wise, you’ll get the Classic Tea Bowl Collection automatically.
’Tea Bowls for Rikyu’ rewards
Returning all seven tea bowls to Sen no Rikyu in Assassin’s Creed Shadows completes the “Tea Bowls for Rikyu” side quest and earns you several rewards. Upon handing in the full collection, you receive 1,000 experience points (XP), which helps with character progression. Completing this quest also unlocks the “Collector” trophy or achievement for finishing a collection questline. Additionally, finishing “Tea Bowls for Rikyu” opens up a new quest called “Dark Tea Ceremony,” allowing you to continue exploring Rikyu’s storyline and further content within the game.
The first set of bowls you bring to Sen no Rikyu will unlock the Tea Room for your Hideout. You’ll get bits of dialogue for the others, but no reward.
When you turn them all in, you’ll receive 1,100 XP.
Should you invite enemies or friends?
At the conclusion of the “Tea Bowls for Rikyu” quest in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, players face a choice to invite either friends or enemies to the tea ceremony. Inviting friends results in a peaceful gathering with characters like Yasuke and Junjiro, offering a positive, story-rich cutscene and granting a +1 Scout bonus, which provides long-term utility. On the other hand, inviting enemies triggers a mini-quest called “Fish in a Barrel,” where high-value assassination targets appear for elimination, but this choice leads to Sen no Rikyu reprimanding you for the violence. Generally, inviting friends is considered the better option for its benefits and narrative tone.
You’ll also get invited to Sen no Rikyu’s first tea ceremony in his new tea house. You’ll get the choice to invite enemies or invite friends. If you invite your enemies, you’ll get a new quest named, “Fish in a Barrel” where several of your assassination targets – like The Iron Hand or other, non-Shinbakufu leaders – show up at Rikyu’s. Your task is just to sneak around the tea house’s courtyard and assassinate them. This, however, goes against everything the tea ceremony is about and will upset Sen no Rikyu.
Where are the hidden locations of Rikyu’s tea bowls in Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Hidden Locations of Rikyu’s Tea Bowls in Assassin’s Creed Shadows
There are seven tea bowls to collect for the “Tea Bowls for Rikyu” quest in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Six are purchased from ornament vendors across different regions, while the seventh is obtained as a story reward. Here’s where you’ll find each:
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Rustic Tea Bowl Collection: Buy from the ornament vendor in southern Kyoto, Yamashiro province.
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Intricate Tea Bowl Collection: Purchase from the ornament vendor in Sakai, Izumi Settsu province.
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Sophisticated Tea Bowl Collection: Found at the ornament vendor in Azuchi, Omi province, on the eastern side of the town.
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Unique Tea Bowl Collection: Available from the ornament vendor in Sakamoto, Omi province, north of the Sakamoto Kakura.
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Elegant Tea Bowl Collection: Sold by the ornament vendor in Obama, Wakasa province.
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Simple Tea Bowl Collection: Buy from the ornament vendor in Kameyama, Tamba province.
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Classic Tea Bowl Collection: This is a story-related reward, automatically obtained after defeating “The Wise” (an Onryo/Shinbakufu member) during the quest “Darkness Falls”.
All purchased tea bowls cost 125 Mon each. Once you have all seven, return to Sen no Rikyu in Kyoto to complete the quest.
Are the tea bowl locations in Kyoto hidden or easy to spot
The tea bowl locations in Kyoto for the “Tea Bowls for Rikyu” quest are generally easy to spot once you know where to look. The Rustic Tea Bowl Collection is sold by an ornament vendor located south of Honnoki Temple and northeast of Toji Temple in Kyoto’s Yamashiro region. This vendor is on a main road connecting the temple to the city, making the spot straightforward to find.
While the game doesn’t provide explicit markers for all tea bowl locations, the Kyoto vendor is not hidden or obscure-just head to the area described, and you’ll find the vendor without much difficulty.
