Youkai Yashiki/Stage 1

The first stage is laid out to represent the kanji 首 which represents the word "head". You will begin in the upper left corner. Shoot the fire spirits to raise your battery level (and consequently, your health and firing range). Wander back and forth between the start screen and the screen to the right until you have three full batteries. From the start screen, there is a secret invisible ladder the rises up from the ground from between the to center trees to the screen above you. Locate the ladder and climb it to arrive in a room with a Onigiri stored on the top platform. In order to reach it, you'll need to hold while you jump, or you'll hit the ceiling and be forced down. After you collect it, proceed to gather the talismans.


 * Talisman 1: From the start, walk to the right, and enter the house. Climb up the first ladder and watch out for the demon window.  When the path is clear, jump up to the platform in the upper right corner and walk right.  Continue to walk along the platform through the next screen until you drop down.  Defeat the three enemies here and climb up the far right ladder.  Watch out for the demon window tongues as you proceed.  You will encounter two guys cowering on the floor.  If you squat down in front of them, they will show their face.  If the face is dark, you lose half of battery, but if the face is light, you gain a half.  Climb up to the top to collect the talisman.
 * Talisman 2: From the first talisman, climb back down, and return two screens to the left to where you first entered the house. Climb down the ladder.  Take out the nearby enemy and continue climbing down the ladder to collect the next talisman.
 * Talisman 3: From the second talisman, climb down the center ladder to the screen below. Remove the enemies in your way and climb down the ladder in the lower right corner. Climb all the way down to the next ladder, engaging the enemies if you wish.  The next room below contains four green bats that fly around.  It's fastest if you drop down to the floor below and run to the ladder.  You will see the fourth talisman below the platform you arrive on.  Drop down the left side and fall through the left side of the screen.  You should land on the platform containing the third talisman.
 * Talisman 4: Now you need to use the ropes in the center of the screen to climb back up to collect the talisman you just saw. Drop down to the floor and approach the right side of the screen.  Try to jump up on the low platform on the right, and then jump up to the platform on the left and climb up the ladder and the rope.  Keep climbing the ropes until you reach the talisman.
 * Talisman 5: From the fourth talisman, drop back down to the room below, and then exit to the screen on the right. Watch out for the green bats there.  If the lowest one is approaching you when you arrive, immediately and leave and reenter until the lowest bat is flying away from you.  From here, climb down the ladder in the middle, and you will actually warp to a place three rooms below the first talisman.  You should continuously visit the room to the left, shoot out the lamp until you earn a fourth battery, and collect enough candles until you have four full batteries.  Then return to the previous room, and climb down the ladder to the room below, watch out for the green bats, drop down to the floor below, and climb the ladder down to the next room.  When you arrive, you will find a lantern to the right.  Destroy it and collect its contents, then walk to the room to the left.  Drop down to the ledge below, destroy the lamp, and continue left to the floor.  Then walk to the right back to the previous room, and drop down through the left gap in the floor and drop down to the lowest platform and collect the last talisman.
 * Boss lair: From the fifth talisman, drop down to the room below, shoot the lamp, and then drop down the left well. You will end up in the same room that you got the second talisman from.  Climb up to the room above, and jump down the purple well.  You will arrive in the room above the fifth talisman.  If you drop down the right gap, you will be able to collect a second Onigiri, but to reach the boss lair, you should drop down the middle gap and fall all the way to the bottom of the shaft and drop down the purple well in the middle.  You will arrive in the highest room along the middle column.  Walk along the floor to the right corner of the room.

Boss
The boss of this stage is a large undead head. It attacks by sending strands of hair downward towards the floor. It's only weak point is its mouth, and you can only hurt it by shooting at it when its mouth is open. You only have a chance to defeat the boss without getting hurt if you have four full batteries. That is the only way you can shoot your flashlight far enough. Wait until the left most strand of hair rises off the floor, and approach the head just close enough to avoid getting hit by the next strand, hop a short distance into the air, and fire off a puff of light so that you hit the head when the mouth is open. Hit it four times and you will defeat it. If you do not have four full batteries when you arrive, you will likely have to move in very close and intentionally get hit by the hair in an effort to blast the mouth with four shots as fast as possible, two on the first jump, and two on the second. Remember that the light puffs travel shorter and shorter distances as your battery power drops, so move in close enough to hit the mouth.