Damon wrote:

I'm finally working on that BGC fic/alternate reality where everything
takes place about three to five hundred years earlier.  :)

Does anyone know where I might read up on the history of Japan during the
last five hundred years or so?  I want to use it as a guide, since I won't
exactly be following any historical path in the story.  After all, you can
do that in an alternate reality.  ;)

Check out the library or bookstore for "Japan, It's History And Culture" by
W. Scott Morton (ISBN 0-07-043422-0). It briefly covers the earliest
Japanese cultures, and  more extensively covers the period of time from 552
A.D. to just after WWII. It is an excellent book IMHO, and especially
informative if you are looking for historical info about the various
Shogunates (i.e. Tokugawa etc.).

Panda

"BG Cross"
http://execulink.com/~askuse/bgcross/
Raven's Garage
http://execulink.com/~askuse/ravengar.html