Inu-Yasha is a great book.  Unlike Rumiko's other stories, it 
starts out slow.  You don't have a "Bam", eyecather like her other 
series, for example: Bam!  A guy who turns into a girl, Bam!  a hot alien 
chick in a bikini, Bam!  An immortal guy getting captured by amazons in a 
forest, etc...  

Actually, my favorite story of hers is Maison Ikkoku, and doesn't have
much of a Bam! either.  And (although this is a nitpick) UY wasn't originally 
going to center around Lum, rather on Ataru.  

Second, the story takes a realistic yet 
fantastic look at Japan's past.  Many realistic-yet-fantastic books have 
been created about the present, like "Code of Honor" or "Marvels" both by 
Marvel, but realistics-yet-fanciful stories of the past are rare.  

Not all that rare.  I can think of a ton of anime that fall into this category 
(Hakkenden, Dagger of Kamui, etc).  What I tend to like, though, are humorous 
looks at this stuff, which I haven't seen much of.  There's a bit in UY 
(something like 5 stories in the 34 volumes) which is exactly the sort of thing 
that I like, but not much else that I've seen.  Can anyone out there recommend 
anything for me to look for, next time I'm near Kinokuniya?

Also, it'd be kind of neat to stick something in the Meiji period.  I've seen 
two movies dealing with that time (both live-action), and it seems like there's 
some room for interesting stories, what with all the social upheaval.  Has 
anoyone seen any manga like that?

 A work of hers 
must get overwhelming fame before they even think of bringing it to other 
countries (at least in the past it did).  

At this point, I doubt it.  Heck, inu-yasha hasn't had time to get overwhelming 
support.  Is the first tankobon even out yet?  Also, they seem to be publishing 
everything of hers in translation, including a lot of her less polished 
material.  Her name is enough, these days.

Gavin