My research seeks to unravel and explain the literary landscape during the bakumatsu and early Meiji periods. In a time of extreme political and cultural turmoil, those authors who made a living through popular comic fiction adapted to change in a variety of ways. Some authors followed the flow of popular trends, while others challenged them. My goal is to shed light on less canonical works of literature and the state of the publishing industry during this tumultuous period which better demonstrate the sheer richness of discourse within the public sphere.