Hello everyone! I would want to write a novel about this particular period, however I do not know very much about it (other than the very basics). Would you please mind recommending some sources where I can find out more about the late Edo Period (say, from 1800 to the start of the war) and the Boshin war? I'm specifically interested in the everyday life (especially the childhood and adolescence) of Samurai during this timeframe. Also, I'd greatly appreciate sources that let me contrast the life of commoners before the opening of the country to foreigners VS immediately after the war. Thanks a lot!
"Remembering Aizu: The Testament of Shiba Goro" by Shiba Goro May be of interest. Shiba was 10 years old at the start of the Boshin War. It was his misfortune that his high ranking Samurai family was aligned with the losing side of this conflict. His recollections of what happened to his family, and the course of his life following exile from their home province, is both tragic and touching.
Shiba Goro had an interesting life, and lived in interesting times. His life span (1860 to 1945) basically covers the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate and the entire Imperial period of Japanese History. He was at the siege of Peking during the Boxer Rebellion, played a role in the Russo-Japanese War. He received many decorations from Japan as well as from other countries for his service. Following the surrender of Japan in August of 1945 which ended World War II, Shiba attempted suicide and died a few months later, in December 1945, from his wounds.
'Remembering Aizu' focuses on the early years of his life, and the tumult of the Boshin War and it's effects on his family. An enjoyable read too.