Introduction
Gintama is set in a period of relative peace after Edo was invaded by the Amanto and the inhabitants had no choice but to accept these new outlanders as their new neighbours. It depicts Edo after it had been conquered by the aliens, and how it looks after they brought modern-day technology into a samurai country of ages past. Most of the story in Gintama is set in Edo itself, or in the sky above it, but the reader is also taken a few other places for various reasons.
Edo
Edo is the fictional city in which the protagonists of Gintama live and work. In real-life, Edo was the name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, before it was renamed in 1868, when the shogunate came to an end.
Kabuki District かぶき町
Main article: Kabuki District
Buildings within Kabuki District
Yorozuya Gin-chan 万事屋銀ちゃん
- Main article: Yorozuya Gin Chan 万事屋銀ちゃん
The second storey above Snack Otose houses the Yorozuya Gin-chan main office from which the Yorozuya 万事屋 trio operate. Landlady is Otose herself, who frequently sends Catherine, and in later episodes Tama, to go after Sakata Gintoki for late rental payments. While Gintoki, Kagura and Sadaharu also live and sleep here, Shimura Shinpachi goes back home to his own family dojo every night.
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| Exterior view of Yorozuya Gin-chan and Otose Snack. | Interior of Yorozuya Gin-chan. | Kagura's room |
Yorozuya Kin Gon Chan 万事屋金良ちゃん
The spanking new tall office building of the very successful Yorozuya Kin Gon Chan 万事屋金良ちゃん, comprising old Yorozuya members Kanemaru 金丸, Ikesawa 池沢, Furuhashi 古橋 and now led by a new leader called Stainless Boy ステンレスボーイ.
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| Exterior view of Yorozuya Kin Gon Chan. | Interior of Yorozuya Kin Gon Chan 2nd floor. |
Snack Otose
- Main article: Snack Otose スナックお登勢
Snack Otose スナックお登勢, or 'Otose's Snack House' is a bar run by Otose, one of the 4 Devas of Kabuki District. It is a relatively small place frequented by Mu-san amongst others. It's regular employees are Catherine and Tama with occasional help from the Odd Jobs crew when they're late with the rent.
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| The sign outside Otose Snack. | Interior of Otose Snack. |
Snack Smile スナックスマイル
'Snack Smile' is a hostess pub/bar that caters to male customers primarily. Shimura Tae 志村 妙 works here as a hostess (or bouncer, depending on circumstances) together with Oryou おりょう, Ane 阿音 and Hanako 花子. Matsudaira Katakuriko 松平 片栗虎 is a frequent VIP customer here, and even brought the Shogun here once.
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| Exterior view of Snack Smile. | Interior view of Snack Smile. | Lounge view of Snack Smile. |
Takamagahara 高天原
Takamagahara is a male host club. It is run by Honjou Kyoushirou 本城 狂死郎.
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| Exterior view of Takamagahara. | Interior view of Takamagahara. |
Drag Queen Clubhouse
A clubhouse of okama aka drag queens. It is run by Saigou Tokumori 西郷 特盛. Gintoki and Katsura Kotarou 桂 小太郎 were once forced to dress up and become drag queens after insulting Saigou.
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| Entrance sign of the Drag Queen Clubhouse |
Kujaku Hime Kada's Casino
Kujaku Hime Kada's Casino, or gambling den, was one of many owned by her in Kabuki District. After the truth came out about her, and she was imprisoned aboard a Harusame Spaceship, it remains uncertain who took over her gambling dens.
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| Frontal view of Kujaku Hime Kada's Casino |
Hashida Corporation
The Hashida Corporation is one of the biggest corporations in Edo. It is a family business currently run by Hashida Kahei 橋田 賀兵衛.
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| The Hashida Corporation is located in a large skyscraper |
Murata Family Swordsmith
A swordsmith shop where the Murata Family 村田家族 once resided. It is now the home of the last known living relative, Murata Tetsuko 村田 鉄子.
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| Entrance to the Murata family swordsmith |
Firefighter Headquarters
Headquarters of the firefighters. Notable members of the team are the Chief Fireman め組の頭 and Tatsumi 辰巳.
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| Firefighter Headquarters front |
Shinsengumi Headquarters 真選組屯所
- Main article: Shinsengumi Headquarters 真選組屯所
Shinsengumi 真選組 being the largest organisation unit in the Gintama world as far as main characters go, have their own separate head quarters within Edo. This is different from the regular police stations which deploy 同心 doushin, who are dressed in the traditional Japanese clothes vs. Shinsengumi's more military-like uniform. Regular policeman would be characters such as Kozenigata Heiji 小銭形 平次, and the one seen in Episode 93 booking Space Woman for flying while drunk.
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| Main Entrance to the Shinsengumi HQ. | Shinsengumi's Main Hall. | Shinsengumi's Meeting Room |
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| Shinsengumi's Debrief Room | Shinsengumi's training dojo | Shinsengumi's dojo store |
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| Sougo's room. |
Yoshiwara Paradise 吉原桃源郷
Yoshiwara Paradise 吉原桃源郷 is the underground red-light district that forms the backdrop for 'The Blaze of Yoshiwara First Chapter 吉原炎上篇'. Kamui 神威 is the current overlord in charge of this place under the jurisdiction of the Harusame 春雨 group, after its predecessor Housen 鳳仙 was killed in Episode 146. Previously perpetually covered by roof due to the overlord being of Yato tribe (and so having an aversion to sunlight), it is now open to the sky though the new overlord is of Yato blood too. In Episode 146 the new overlord was said to be totally indifferent to being the new overlord, and did not even station his men there, much less administer the district.
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| Yoshiwara as seen before its liberation. | Main Entrance to the Yoshirawa. | Bird's-eye view of Yoshirawa. |
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| Yoshiwara and current overlord Kamui in the foreground. | View of Yoshiwara and overlord's mansion in the background. | The elevators used for gaining access into Yoshiwara. |
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| Yoshiwara's Meeting Room. | Hinowa and Seita's store. | Seita manages to open the hatch and shine light over the Yoshirawa. |
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| Yoshirawa has the sky. |
Dragon Palace City 竜宮城
According to Police Superintendent Matsudaira Katakuriko, Ryuuguujou or Dragon Palace City is a floating mobile city that operates as a high-class resort club for the elite class. It does not belong to any nation, and it operates outside any legislative confines, yet it receives tremendous support from the political world, to the extent that it has become very powerful. Since the Urashima incident (refer to Dragon Palace Chapter 竜宮城篇 for more details), it has descended into the depths of the sea and has remained there ever since.
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| Ryuuguujou aka Dragon Palace City. | Ryuuguujou's throne room. | VIP night club within the Ryuuguujou. |
Senboukyou 仙望郷
Senboukyou 仙望郷 is a hot springs bathhouse high up in the mountains. It is maintained by Oiwa お岩 and Rei レイ, and is a place where wandering spirits can find a place to rest.
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| Exterior view of Senboukyou. | Bird's-eye view of Senboukyou. |
Gokumontou 獄門島
Maximum-security penitentiary that resembles Alcatraz, but name is derived from 横溝 正史 Yokomizou Seishi's detective story with the same title, starring fictitious detective 金田一 耕助 Kindaichi Kousuke. Katsura Kotarou was brought to this place.[1] Many of its prisoners attempted to escape at roughly the same time, resulting in the cliffs beneath the prison being dotted with holes. Despite it taking only a matter of days if even for Elizabeth to tunnel into Katsura's cell, prisoner's tunneling out have taken years, roughly fifteen in the case of the cell opposite Katsura's own.
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| Gokumontou's exterior | Gokumontou's interior | Gokumontou's cell organisation |
Specific Buildings
O-Edo Central Terminal
The O-Edo 大江戸 (meaning 'Great Edo') Central Terminal is a large facility located in central Edo. It is where most of the spaceships in and out of Edo arrive and depart. It has been given an 'Architectural Landmark' status by the Bakufu. [2]
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| The Terminal is a large facility in the middle of Edo |
Inuisei Embassy 戌威星大使館
The embassy of the Amanto species from the Planet Inui-sei 戌威星, which was the first Amanto race to descend upon Earth using military force, located on Earth. Featured as one of Katsura Kotarou's bombing targets.[3]
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| Embassy of Inuisei |
O-Edo General Hospital
The O-Edo General Hospital is a building featured in various episodes of Gintama. Whether it's the Yorozuya themselves who get ill or hurt, or they're visiting someone else who are, it's usually at the O-Edo General Hospital they end up. Notable employees there are the Staff Nurse 婦長 and Uchino 内野.
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| Frontal view of the O-Edo General Hospital |
O-Edo Art Museum
The O-Edo Art Museum was the setting for the "Kyuubi" gang's daring heist attempt on the Golden Tofu Sculpture in Episode 85. It is filled with various booby traps and security measures.
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| O-Edo Museum |
Yagyuu Family Estate 柳生一門
The immense influence and wealth of the Yagyuu Family, designated sword instructor to the Shogunate, is reflected in the vast sprawling grounds of the family estate. Many of the wings are made up of 2-storey buildings interconnected by sheltered corridors.
The external grounds and the building compound, including interiors and a male toilet block, were the venues for the showdown with the Yagyuu family grand patriarch, the young heir and Yagyuu dojo's 4 Devas on one hand, and Shimura Shinpachi's Koudoukan 恒道館 on the other, whose newly joined members include Sakata Gintoki, Kagura, Kondou Isao, Hijikata Toushirou and Okita Sougo.
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Koudoukan 恒道館
Also acting as the Shimura family home, this dojo specialises in 天堂無心流 tendou mushin ryuu, aka Tendou Mushin sword-fighting style. Ever since Otae became the target of the gorilla-stalker, aka Shinsengumi's Commander Kondou Isao, the house compound has been fortified to become a fortress of steel. Examples of defense devices include steel-spiked wall enclosure, trip-wire with Justaway bombs, hidden ground pits with bamboo-spikes, gateways with massive timber cage-doors, toilet seats with thumb-tacks and also the ability to summon a satellite weapon called SOL 740 to fire a laser beam at selected spots. Refer to Episode 62 for an overview of the defense mechanisms at work.
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| Bird's eye view of Koudoukan | Example of Koudoukan's fortress-like defenses-steel spiked enclosure. | Main Entrance of Koudoukan |
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| Shinpachi's room |
Shibuya Regret Hall 渋谷後悔堂
Shibuya Regret Hall 渋谷後悔堂 Shibuya Koukai Dou is a spoof of the real-life theatre 渋谷公会堂 Shibuya Koukai Dou, Shibuya Public Hall. Now called Shibuya C.C. Lemon Hall due to sponsorship deals with Dentsu and Suntory, the Gintama version sports a gigantic lemon logo behind the building sign. Featured in Episode 124 as the venue for Otsuu's live concerts.
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| View of the main entrance of the Shibuya Regret Hall | View of the interior stage area |
Others
Takasugi's ship
Takasugi Shinsuke's flight-capable ship was the setting for the main fighting scenes in Episode 59, Episode 60 and Episode 61. This ship was used to mass-produce the bio-mechanical katana called Benizakura devised by Murata Tetsuya 村田 鉄矢, for use by his extremist Jouishishi members. Sakata Gintoki and Okada Nizou's climactic confrontation for the Benizakura Chapter took place here, on the rooftop.
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| Takasugi Shinsuke's ship. | Rear view of Takasugi's ship. | Top view of Takasugi's ship. |
Kaientai
- Main article: Kaientai 快援隊
Kaientai 快援隊 comprises the fleet of spaceships belonging to Sakamoto Tatsuma 坂本 辰馬 that serves as his mercantile company traversing the galaxy, as well as the staff on it. Although Sakamoto is the leader, the company is mostly helmed by his second-in-command, Mutsu 陸奥, due to the leader's penchant for going missing-in-action.
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| The Kaientai fleet landing on an unknown planet | Frontal view of the Kaientai fleet |
