Fox Burrows

Okay so time period with information given in the later volumes we can narrow down a broad time period. Utsuho owns a photograph of his parents, first cameras were invented in 1816 and Gin’s mentioning of the Shogun and the presense of Onkado meaning it is in the area of both ruling parties so before 1868, however there is little evidence of the Boshin war or the Bakumatsu when we see Kyoto in the manga. So that makes it before 1853.

The first opium war happened in 1839, which is what most likely lead to it being widely used in Japan as well, so we can assume the events of the series happen after 1839. 

In this time period there was no real full fledged wars though, at least not from what I can tell, but in 1837 Ōshio Heihachirō rebelled against the Tokugawa shogunate. Even here he is depicted with a weapon very similar to the hunters.

So if I had to make a stab in the dark about the time period of Itsuwaribito I would say early 1840s, which will be fun considering the ten year timeskip at the end of the manga will but our gang of precious characters right into the beginning of the bakumatsu, so by thier 30s - 40s they will live to see the Meiji restoration. 

None of this may not apply, as Ilnuma has a tendency to add alternate and fantasy elements to her stories (Shinsei takes place in a fake country but very much mirrors the struggles of the Meiji restoration for example).

STOP IM GONNA CRY

*looks ahead to volume 23*

everybody: [remains seated and eyes each other suspiciously]