Murder Case Puzzle Guide in Kowakujo (Black Ops 7 Zombies)

The Kowakujo main quest requires you to gather evidence surrounding the death of Takeo's father, the Shogun. Once you have managed to gather all the evidence, you can return to the Meditations Room to find all your evidence and 5 paintings, where, from left to right, it's time to place the evidence. Below, we'll show you how to get the correct evidence and how to solve the Zodiac Dial puzzle, and how to confirm you've done it right to engage with the next step!

Make sure you check out the guide above so you actually have all the evidence you need to solve the murder mystery!

How to Solve the First Painting Evidence in Kowakujo

The first painting is always Mitsuhime's Comb item, which you picked up by shooting the Fox Mask in the Onsen Baths during the Kitsune Mask evidence step. Simply pick up Mitsuhime's Comb from the wall and place it on the mat in front of the painting of the man in a Kitsune Mask shrouded in smoke (left).

How to Solve the Second Painting Evidence in Kowakujo

The second painting requires you to question a Ghostly Rifleman. You need to head to each area where the Ghostly Riflemen Trap can be activated (Flower Gardens, Central Courtyard, Outer Ward). You need to activate the Ghostly Riflemen, and once they get around 20 kills, quickly search behind them, where one of them will be fully formed and interactable.

Interact with the Ghostly Rifleman, and he will talk about the night the Shogun died. If he says nothing, then you can cross off that Ghostly Riflemen Trap and search for the next one. You're looking for the Ghostly Riflemen that tells you about either the Gardener, Merchant, or Noble/Courier:

• If the Ghostly Rifleman says the Merchant, then your 2nd evidence is the Abacus.
• If the Ghostly Rifleman says the Gardener, then your 2nd evidence is the Gardener's Shears.
• If the Ghostly Rifleman says the Noble/Courier, then your 2nd evidence is the Noble's Hat.

Place your corresponding evidence on the second painting, which is the one of the man in the hat speaking with the man in the Kitsune Mask.

How to Solve the Third Painting Evidence in Kowakujo

The third poster is the cause of death, and to solve this, you're going to need both the "Court Doctor's Record" and the "Known Toxins". You likely already have the Court Doctor's Records, as it's the Death Records note you picked up during the 3x3 Scrolls puzzle in the Storage Rooms.

For the Poison Compendium, head to the War Room and look in the north-east corner before the stairs to Pack-a-Punch. There's a dark shelf here, and on the bottom, you can find the Poison Compendium you seek.

Read the Court Doctor's Record and look for the "Cause of Death". This will say either Paralysis, Emesis, or Cardiac Failure, and you can find the corresponding evidence through the Known Toxins note, but here's what you're looking for:

• Emesis + Noble = Pufferfish
• Emesis + Gardener = Plum Pits
• Paralysis + Merchant = Pufferfish
• Paralysis + Gardener = Flower
• Noxious Plant + Noble = Flower
• Noxious Plant + Merchant = Plum Pits.

Place your corresponding evidence on the painting of the Kitsune Mask, sitting down with a Sake Cup and a deathly skull coming from the cup.

How to Solve the Zodiac Dial Puzzle in Kowakujo

Before activating the fourth and fifth paintings, let's detour to the Zodiac Puzzle, as it's directly related to the third painting's evidence. To the left of the paintings, you will find a dial that has 12 animal symbols (numbered like a clock).

On the Doctor's Record, you will find the "Time of Death", which will have "Hour of the [ANIMAL]." Then read the Known Toxins note to find the "Symptoms usually take effect within [NUMBER] hours."

Your goal is to find your animal, then the number of hours. This means that the dial must be set to the number of hours BEFORE your animal. For instance, if you have "Hour of the Tiger" and "Symptoms usually take effect within 2 hours", then you need to set the dial 2 hours before the Tiger, which would be Rat:

How to Solve the Fourth Painting Evidence in Kowakujo

The fourth painting's evidence relates to the items you picked up during your defense of the Sake Cup. To the right of the Shogun, drinking his sake, is a painting of either a Fish, Mountain, or Bird. Depending on the painting, depends on the evidence:

• If the painting is a Fish, your 4th evidence is the Tea Whisk.
• If the painting is a Mountain, your 4th evidence is the Horse Statuette.
• If the painting is a Bird, your 4th evidence is the Calligraphy Brush.

Place the evidence on the fourth painting, where you can now place your fifth and final piece of evidence, which is the easiest one yet!

How to Solve the Fifth Painting Evidence in Kowakujo

The fifth painting's evidence is always the Crest Medallion. This is the item you obtained from the clock puzzle, where you used the flags and the symbols. This will always be the evidence required in the last painting of the Shogun with the sword in his chest.

Now that you have all your evidence placed, interact with the incense on the left and right of the paintings. If you've done the step correctly, smoke will form, and an orb can be interacted with and followed to Pack-a-Punch. If you've done the step incorrectly, an Oni will spawn, so read the steps above carefully.