Mr Hillsborough,
I certainly support your observation that Sakamoto Ryoma is popular with the Japanese media. The latest documentary of which I am aware (I do not watch much Japanese television) appeared a few months ago and featured discussions with surviving descendants and Japanese scholars. Sakamoto's entire literary output (I believe) is available on CD-ROM, with a very good search function. One of my students here is writing his doctoral thesis on Sakamoto and has access to a wide range of sources.
However, you mention Shiba's "Ryoma go Yuku" as a biographical novel, combining fact and fiction, but you yourself have written a biographical novel and not, for example, a work which expands and updates Jansen's book, or balances the work of, e.g., Conrad Totman. I am curious as to why you chose to do this.
Best regards,
Peter Goldsbury,
Forum Administrator,
Hiroshima, Japan