The internet has a funny way of turning a video game's marketing cycle into a full-blown historical investigation. Honestly, if you've been following the rollout of Ubisoft’s latest foray into feudal Japan, you know exactly what I’m talking about. People are obsessed. They're digging through old scrolls, architectural records, and museum catalogs like digital archeologists. One specific topic that keeps bubbling up in Reddit threads and Twitter arguments is the AC Shadows Makinoodera Temple lost pages. It sounds like something straight out of a Dan Brown novel, doesn't it? A set of missing documents that supposedly hold the key to the game’s historical authenticity or perhaps some hidden lore.
But let’s get real for a second.
When we talk about the Makinoodera Temple—or more accurately, the Makinoodera (Choushou-ji) temple complex in the context of Assassin's Creed Shadows—we are looking at a collision between real-world Japanese history and the creative liberties of a AAA game studio. The "lost pages" narrative usually stems from two places: genuine historical gaps in the Sengoku period records and the community's frantic search for the "truth" behind the protagonist Yasuke. It’s a mess of valid curiosity and occasional misinformation.
What is the Makinoodera Temple anyway?
If you look for "Makinoodera" on a modern map of Japan, you might struggle. That’s because the name is often an archaic or localized reference to temples associated with the Makino clan or specific mountain sects. In the world of Assassin's Creed Shadows, the temple serves as a focal point for the Iga Province rebellion. Historically, this region was a hotbed for the Shinobi-no-mono. We're talking about the real-deal Iga ninjas who fought against the unification efforts of Oda Nobunaga.
👉 See also: Why The Last of Us Game Series Still Hits So Hard Ten Years Later
The temple isn't just a backdrop. It’s a symbol. During the Tenshō Iga War (1579–1581), Nobunaga’s forces absolutely decimated the region. They burned temples to the ground. They slaughtered thousands. When a wooden temple burns in 1581, the "pages" inside—the temple records, the lineages, the sutras—don't just get lost. They turn to ash. This historical reality provides the perfect "blank space" for Ubisoft to insert their narrative about the AC Shadows Makinoodera Temple lost pages.
The Yasuke Connection
The frenzy around these lost pages often links back to Yasuke, the African man who served under Oda Nobunaga. Since the historical record on Yasuke is relatively slim—amounting to a handful of mentions in the Shinchō Kōki (The Chronicles of Lord Nobunaga) and some Jesuit letters—fans have speculated that the "lost pages" of temple records might contain more details about his life or his role in the Iga invasion.
It’s a tempting thought.
Imagine a monk at Makinoodera, hiding a diary as the flames licked the gates, detailing a tall, dark-skinned warrior fighting alongside the Iga resistance or the Oda vanguard. It’s great for a game script. Is it historically verified? No. Does it matter for the game's "hidden history" vibe? Absolutely.
Why the internet is obsessed with these missing documents
Gamers are cynical these days. Can you blame them? Whenever a developer claims "historical accuracy," a thousand amateur historians grab their magnifying glasses. The search for the AC Shadows Makinoodera Temple lost pages became a sort of rallying cry for people trying to prove or disprove Ubisoft’s portrayal of 16th-century Japan.
The "lost pages" concept basically acts as a MacGuffin. In gaming, a MacGuffin is an object that everyone wants but its specific nature doesn't matter as much as the conflict it creates. For AC Shadows, these documents represent the "untold" history.
I've seen threads claiming that these pages were rediscovered in a private collection in Kyoto. I've seen others saying they were forged by 19th-century nationalists to create a specific image of the Iga ninjas. Most of this is just noise. The truth is much more boring but also more interesting: history is naturally full of holes, and the "lost pages" are the gaps where our imagination lives.
💡 You might also like: Finding That 5 Letter Word Start With TA: Beyond Just Wordle Strategy
Architectural Accuracy and the "Lost" Details
One thing that actually has some weight is the architectural debate. Some eagle-eyed fans pointed out that certain assets in the game's version of the Makinoodera complex seemed to pull from later periods or different regions.
Ubisoft has admitted to some slip-ups.
Remember the controversy over the square tatami mats or the specific family crests used in the wrong seasons? This is where the AC Shadows Makinoodera Temple lost pages becomes a metaphor for the missing research or the creative shortcuts taken during development. When a gate looks like it belongs in the Edo period rather than the Sengoku, critics say the "real pages" of history were ignored.
However, we have to remember that Assassin's Creed has always been "historical fiction," not a textbook. They used the "lost pages" idea to justify Naoe and Yasuke’s involvement in events where their presence is historically undocumented. It’s a clever narrative trick. By claiming the records were lost—specifically in a fire or a raid on a place like Makinoodera—the writers get a "get out of jail free" card for any historical discrepancies.
The Iga Rebellion: The Real History Behind the Game
To understand why a temple in Iga matters, you have to understand the Tenshō Iga War. This wasn't a normal war. It was a "total war" scenario.
- The First Invasion (1579): Oda Nobunaga’s son, Nobukatsu, tried to invade Iga and got his butt kicked. The Iga ninjas used the terrain—and temples like the ones we see in the game—to ambush the samurai.
- The Second Invasion (1581): Nobunaga didn't take failure well. He returned with 60,000 men. He practiced a scorched-earth policy.
- The Destruction: This is when the records were truly lost. If there were "Makinoodera pages," they were likely destroyed during this brutal campaign.
When you're sneaking through the game as Naoe, the daughter of the legendary leader Fujibayashi Nagato, you're walking through a graveyard of history. The "lost pages" are the voices of the people who didn't survive Nobunaga’s ambition.
Sorting Fact from Reddit Theory
Let’s clear the air on a few things I’ve seen circulating lately regarding the AC Shadows Makinoodera Temple lost pages.
👉 See also: Oculus Quest 2: Why This All-In-One VR Headset Still Refuses to Die
First, there is no "secret DLC" that unlocks a 50-page PDF of translated 16th-century documents. I know, disappointing. Some people genuinely believed Ubisoft had found a "lost" chronicle that justified their story. While the dev team did consult with historians, they didn't discover a new primary source. They interpreted existing ones.
Second, the "lost pages" isn't a physical item you find in-game like a collectible feather—at least, not in the way the internet rumors suggest. While the game features many "codex entries" and "intel documents," the idea that there is a specific set of pages that "solves" the controversy is a myth.
Third, the term "Makinoodera" itself is a bit of a linguistic puzzle. In many regional dialects of the time, "dera" or "tera" just means temple. "Makino" could refer to a specific family or a geographical feature. The ambiguity is baked into the language of the era.
How to actually engage with the history
If you're genuinely interested in what was "lost" during this era, don't look at leaked game assets. Look at the real survivors of that period.
- The Shinchō Kōki: This is the most reliable (though biased) account of Nobunaga's life. It mentions the destruction of Iga.
- The Bansenshūkai: This is a famous ninja manual written much later (1676). It tries to preserve the "lost" knowledge of the Iga and Koga clans. It’s basically the "lost pages" that someone actually wrote down before they were forgotten.
- Archaeological digs in Mie Prefecture: Modern excavations of temple sites in the former Iga Province have turned up charred remains that match the accounts of the 1581 invasion.
The "lost pages" aren't a singular thing. They are the collective silence left behind by a civil war that reshaped Japan. Ubisoft is just filling that silence with a story about a shinobi and a samurai.
What this means for your playthrough
When you finally get your hands on Assassin's Creed Shadows, don't play it looking for a history lesson. Play it looking for the vibe of the history. The AC Shadows Makinoodera Temple lost pages might be a fabrication or a community obsession, but the emotion behind them is real.
The Iga people really did see their world burn. The temples really were the last strongholds.
If you want to maximize your experience, I suggest doing a bit of light reading on the Tenshō Iga War before you jump into the Makinoodera mission. Knowing that the ground you're standing on (virtually) represents one of the most brutal suppressions in Japanese history makes the stealth and combat feel a lot more meaningful.
Actionable Steps for the Curious Player
- Verify the Source: If you see a "leaked document" about the temple, check if it's a primary source (written in the 1500s) or a secondary interpretation. Most "leaks" are just fan theories.
- Explore the Iga-Ueno Ninja Museum: If you're ever in Japan, go here. They have actual artifacts and reconstructed buildings that give you a better sense of the "lost" reality than any video game ever could.
- Read 'The Chronicle of Lord Nobunaga': It’s available in English (translated by J.P. Lamers). It’s the closest thing we have to the "pages" that survived the fires of that era.
- Don't feed the trolls: There’s a lot of toxic debate around the "authenticity" of this game. Remember that "lost pages" are often used as a weapon in culture wars. Stick to the documented history and the artistic intent of the game.
The mystery of the AC Shadows Makinoodera Temple lost pages isn't going away. As long as we have gaps in our history, we’ll have stories to fill them. Whether those stories involve a secret Assassin brotherhood or just a very stressed-out monk trying to save his library, the fascination remains the same. We want to know what was lost because we want to know who we were. In the case of Assassin's Creed Shadows, the "lost" part is exactly where the fun begins.