Toyotomi Hideyoshi achieved what no one before him had been able to do. He united Japan. Originally he had been a servant to his master, Oda Nobunaga. Nobunaga had spotted his abilities at an early age and steadily promoted him until he became one of his greatest Generals. When his master was assassinated in 1582, Hideyoshi killed those responsible and quickly crushed any other potential successors to Nobunaga (including Nobunaga's own son).
Uniting Japan through alliances and conquest, by 1587 he sought an even richer prize. He sent ambassadors to Korea to request cooperation in the invasion of China. Korea stalled, not wanting to offend China, but at the same time unsure of Hideyoshi's ability to attack them if they refused. In 1592, Hideyoshi had had enough of Korea's vacillation. An invasion force of between 150,000 and 200,000 Japanese troops was readied.
The Invasion
The vanguard of this force was made up of three divisions. The first, of 18,000, was lead by General Konishi Yukinaga, a Christian. The other two, of 22,000 and 11,000 men, were led by Generals Kato Kiyomasa and Kuroda Nagamasa. There were also 700 ships manned by some 9,000 seamen. This force was armed with matchlock guns, something the Koreans had not seen before.
Konishi's force arrived on Korean soil 5 days before the other Generals, who had been delayed. Pusan, the prosperous port in the south of the country, had been chosen as the first target. Despite fighting bravely, the Korean defenders were quickly overwhelmed.
When news of the invading force reached them, the Korean court in Seoul (or Hanyang) was stunned. All available troops were rushed to try to block the Japanese advance northwards.
Konishi meanwhile had moved quickly through the towns of Miryang and Taegu. At Sangju he defeated another Korean force which then withdrew behind Crow Pass (Oryong), one of the vital mountain passes. Crossing over the mountains, he waited for Kato's forces to join him. Kato had followed a different route up the coast. Meanwhile, the Korean general Shin Lip fortified his position at Tankeum Castle in Choongjoo. Whoever controlled this castle, controlled the access routes to Seoul, the capital.
Konishi and Kato's forces descended on Choongjoo in the Spring of 1592. After an intense battle, the Japanese were victors once again. They now marched on Seoul. General Kuroda, the third general of the Japanese vanguard, had meanwhile moved westward, easily crossing another mountain pass heading up towards Seoul. The Japanese generals were now heading by different routes towards the capital in a three pronged attack.
Seoul Falls
The Korean king, Sonjo, and his court now fled the city northwards to Pyongyang. The city was in flames when Konishi's men first entered via the South Gate. They met little resistance. Kato's troops arrived the next day. Seoul had fallen in less than three weeks since the first Japanese invaders had landed.
Konishi pursued the court northwards. After a fierce three day battle, he broke through Korean defenses on the Imjin river. Konishi went on to take Pyongyang. The court fled ever further north to the border with China. They sent emissaries to the Ming court in Peking begging for Chinese help.
The Chinese, underestimating the threat, sent 5,000 troops into the field against Konishi. They were easily defeated. A new Chinese general, Li Ju-sung at 44 years of age, was then appointed to head a much stronger Chinese force. Taking back Pyongyang in 1593, the Chinese headed southwards, but were beaten back by Konishi's forces who had regrouped. The Chinese withdrew back to Pyongyang, while the Japanese returned to Seoul.
Korean Victories
While the Koreans had suffered defeat in pitched battles, they soon came into their own in two other forms of warfare against the Japanese. The first was at sea.
Admiral Yi had been appointed as a Naval Commander of a southern Korean province a year before the Japanese invaded. He had set about modernizing his fleet. In particular, he built a new revolutionary design -the turtle ship (kobukson). This battleship had an armored coating consisting of metal plates that together formed a protective shell like a turtle's. The ship also had many spikes around it's edges to prevent boarding. Cannons were placed along the entire circumference of the ship. This allowed their commanders to fire in any direction without having to turn. It is these turtle ships that are the battleships in "War Diary".
In a series of four different battles, the Japanese suffered heavy defeats at the hands of Yi. In one, he used fireboats (boats set alight), to destroy over 100 Japanese ships anchored at Pusan harbor. Another famous victory was also achieved near Hansan Island. Yi's success at sea not only cut off Japanese supply routes, but also prevented them from landing troops further up along the coastline. His successful defense also contributed to keeping the province of Cholla ("the granary of Korea") in Korean hands.
The Koreans also developed a highly successful form of guerrilla warfare. Ordinary Koreans, such as slaves and peasant farmers, formed local groups that harassed Japanese troops at every occasion.
The Tide Turns
With their supply routes disrupted and with constant guerrilla attacks, the Japanese began to feel the tide turn against them. While the Chinese could easily call up fresh troops into the field, Konishi and the other two generals that made up the vanguard, had already lost about a third of their men. When the Chinese suggested a peace agreement, the Japanese consented. Most of the Japanese troops were withdrawn to Japan. A few were left in the south east of the country while the negotiations continued.
However, these negotiations eventually broke down and Hideyoshi ordered a second attack on Korea in 1597. This force, of about 100,000 men was now outnumbered by Chinese and Korean forces. The Japanese were largely confined to the south eastern province of Kyongsang. Although the Japanese inflicted some serious defeats on the Chinese, they remained bottled up in Kyongsang. Allegedly, the pickled ears of 38,000 Korean and Chinese soldiers were sent back to Hideyoshi's court as proof of the fighting prowess of his men.
Admiral Yi was again active against the Japanese. Reduced, at one stage, to just 12 ships he attacked a fleet of 133 Japanese vessels. Using his superior knowledge of local currents and tides, he managed to sink 31 enemy ships and forced the rest to turn back. Yi himself was killed in what was his last and probably of one his finest battles.
In September 1598, Hideyoshi died. The Japanese forces were called back to Japan. A long, savage conflict had come to an end. The war had a significant impact on all the countries that took part. Korea had been devastated. Famine and disease were now rife. Many cultural treasures had been destroyed. In China, the Ming dynasty, when faced with a new threat, this time from the Jurchen tribes, collapsed. In Japan, the importation of Korean books, ceramics and philosophy lead to great cultural change. The effects of this seven year struggle are still being felt today.
Further reading:
"A History of Korea" by William E. Henthorn. The Free Press, New York (1971)
"A New History of Korea" by Ki-baik Lee. Ilchokak Publishers, Seoul, Korea (1984)
This text has been published by The Game Factory as supplemental information for the game "War Diary". Come visit us on the World Wide Web at:
Copyright © The Game Factory 1996. All rights reserved.