When Does ‘Demon Slayer’ Take Place & Where Is It Set? Timeline Explained!
The world of Gotoge’s Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is a wonderfully crafted fictional world that combines actual history with fantasy. This is why fans love it so much; sure, it’s the story and the characters, but the wonderful combination that the lore created kept the fans, who managed to perceive the threat of the demons as realistic. Now, seeing how the story combines fiction with actual history, you might want to know when and where the series takes place, and this is going to be the principal topic of our article, as we will provide you with the answers to said questions.
When does Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba take place?
As we have said, the story of Demon Slayer is based on actual history and the setting. The framework of the main story is actual Japanese history. The story, although filled with fantasy, reflects the society and culture of Japan at the time, and the period we are dealing with is the Taisho Period, which refers to the period between 1912 and 1926 when Emperor Yoshihito (also known as Taisho) ruled over Japan. Let us see what happened there.
The beginning of the Taisho period was marked by a political crisis that interrupted the previous compromise policy. When Saionji Kimmochi attempted to cut the military budget, the army minister resigned, overthrowing the seiyūkai-formed cabinet. Both Yamagata and Saionji refused to continue in office, and the Genrōs could not find a solution. Public dismay over military interference in politics and the installation of Katsura Tarō for a third term increased calls to end Genro politics.
Against resistance from the old guard, conservative forces founded their own party in 1913, the Rikken Dōshikai, a party that won a majority against the Seiyokai in the elections the following year. On February 12, 1913, Yamamoto Gonnohyōe (1852–1933) succeeded Katsura as prime minister. He resigned after a bribery scandal known as the Siemens scandal.
In April 1914, Ōkuma Shigenobu replaced Yamamoto. Later that year, the Okuma government declared war on the German Empire and thus entered the First World War on the side of the Entente. In 1915, Ōkuma and Katō Takaaki drafted the Twenty-One Demands on China to ensure Japan’s dominance over the country.
At the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, the German colonies in Shandong were ceded to Japan. Japan’s attempt to gain a foothold in Siberia ultimately failed in 1922. Due to his father’s illness, Crown Prince Hirohito had held the regency since 1921. With his death on December 25, 1926, Hirohito became the 124th emperor. The new era of Shōwa (Enlightened Peace) was proclaimed. On November 10, 1928, he was crowned in the Kyoto Imperial Palace.
In the Taisho period, power shifted from the Tennō and his confidants, the Genrō, to the parliament and the newly founded parties. The era name also served as an eponym for events during this time. Taishō democracy is usually used to describe the period (1905–31) in which Japanese cabinets had members from political parties.
As you can see, the Taisho period was a period of change in Japan. While the anime doesn’t reflect all of these political and social changes, it served as a brilliant framework for Gotoge to place his story and characters. We can move on to the location after we have explained this.
Where does Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba take place?
As for the location, there is nothing much to tell here, and the answer to this question is quite simple – Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is set in Japan. It is a fictional version of Japan based on the real-life framework from the Taisho period, as we have explained above, and the locations are real, as well as the geography.
Of course, a lot of the locations are completely fictional (Swordsmith Village, Butterfly Mansion, etc.), but those that are based on actual ones (like the Entertainment District) are actually modeled after the architecture of Taisho Japan.
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