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An Overview of the Imjin War

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  1. The background to Toyotomi Hideyoshi's invasion of Korea (1592)

    Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who had unified Japan's Warring States period, harbored ambitions of continental expansion and demanded that Joseon grant Japan passage to invade Ming China under the pretext of "conquering Ming" (Jeongmyeong Gado). When Joseon refused, Japanese forces landed at Busanpo in April 1592, launching the Imjin War.

  2. Admiral Yi Sun-sin and key naval battles

    Yi Sun-sin, the naval commander of the Left Jeolla Province, won a series of victories starting with the Battle of Okpo, followed by battles at Sacheon and Dangpo, cutting off the Japanese navy's advance into the Yellow Sea. In particular, at the 1592 Battle of Hansan Island, he inflicted heavy damage on the Japanese navy using the "crane wing formation" tactic, making a major contribution to turning the tide of the war.

  3. The activity of the righteous armies

    With government forces initially at a disadvantage, "righteous armies" (civilian militias) led by figures such as Gwak Jae-u, Jo Heon, and Go Gyeong-myeong rose up in various regions, disrupting the Japanese forces' rear areas and threatening their supply lines. The righteous armies' activity also played an important role in rallying the populace's will to resist.

  4. Ming China's intervention

    At Joseon's request, Ming China entered the war, and the combined Joseon-Ming forces turned the tide, recapturing Pyongyang in 1593, among other victories. However, while Ming's intervention provided military assistance to Joseon, it also imposed another burden on the populace through the requisitioning of supplies and other means.

  5. The Jeongyu War (the second invasion, 1597)

    When peace negotiations with Ming broke down, Japan invaded Joseon again in 1597, launching the Jeongyu War. Yi Sun-sin decisively defeated the Japanese navy at the Battle of Myeongnyang with just 12 ships, and effectively brought the war to a close when he was killed in action at the Battle of Noryang in 1598.

  6. The outcome and damage of the war

    The seven-year war left Joseon's territory heavily devastated; population decline and the loss of farmland dealt a major blow to state finances, and many cultural assets, including Gyeongbokgung Palace, were destroyed. Japanese forces withdrew after Toyotomi Hideyoshi's death in 1598, and Tokugawa Ieyasu's Edo shogunate was subsequently established in Japan.

A seven-year international war in East Asia

The Imjin War was more than a war between just Joseon and Japan β€” it was an international East Asian war that drew in Ming China as well. Lasting from 1592 to 1598, this war not only left Joseon's territory heavily devastated but also became an occasion that significantly reshaped the political landscape of the three East Asian nations.

After the war, the international situation that led to the Byeongja War

As Joseon and Ming China exhausted much of their national strength in the Imjin War, the Later Jin (later the Qing dynasty) grew rapidly in Manchuria. Conflict with this new great power ultimately led to another war β€” you can find the details in our overview of the Byeongja War.

Frequently Asked Questions

Were turtle ships first created during the Imjin War?

The prototype of the turtle ship appears in records from early Joseon as well, but the turtle ship that Yi Sun-sin improved and deployed in actual battle is famous for demonstrating tremendous power in the naval battles of the Imjin War.

Is the Jeongyu War a different war from the Imjin War?

The Jeongyu War refers to Japan's second invasion in 1597, and in a broad sense, it corresponds to the latter half of the Imjin War (1592–1598). Scholars often treat both invasions together as a single seven-year war.