The Way of the Blacksmith is one of the first quests you're likely to do in Assassin's Creed Shadows since it becomes accessible right after you unlock your hideout. The allure of building the forge to upgrade weapons and armour is hard to resist, after all. You'll need to find Heiji's location to complete this quest.
Locating Heiji is easier said than done with Shadows' revamped quest clues system, which requires you to use scouts to narrow down objectives. Not only that, there's a good chance you won't actually have any scouts left if you've done some exploring before taking on this quest. If you're following the clues, all you'll know is that Heiji is east of the port of Sakai, a town in southwestern Izumi Settsu. That's…quite a big area to search, and it's not even like Heiji is the only blacksmith in town.
Assassin's Creed Shadows Heiji location
Heiji is in a small alley behind a building on the main road cutting through Sakai being harassed by guards when you find him. It's directly east of the map marker for the Port of Sakai, near the merchants.
You can reach this either by heading through the sliding doors or by climbing over the rooftops. I approached from above to assassinate one of the guards before starting the fight. It's a small, enclosed area and many of the enemies have spears, so it's best to take a stealthy approach.
There's also a Kakurega nearby in the Sakai Firearm District to the south. You'll have to pay 800 Mon to set it up, but it's a great place to restock on supplies. It's also one of the few ways to recover your scouts, which you'll want to do after finding Heiji and completing the Way of the Blacksmith quest.
