幕末

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 幕末 is read as ばくまつ and is a noun for the final years of the Edo shogunate, also called the late Edo period.
• Basic usage: A historical setting appears in 幕末を舞台にする, while a period townscape appears in 幕末の町並み.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Historical scope
  • Rather than meaning the end of any shogunate in general, it normally identifies the closing period of the Edo shogunate.
• Period modifier
  • 幕末の人物 illustrates how の links the period to people, places, or events.