Imjin War-Related
Sites & Fortifications
Photos and commentary on historic sites related to Hideyoshi’s invasions of Joseon Korea, 1592-98…
(click on the pictures below to visit the associated gallery)
Gyeongsang province
jaseongdae fortress
Of the two harbor fortresses guarding the shores of Busan when the Japanese invasion force landed on May 24th, 1592, only one remains today, Jaseongdae. This diminutive bastion encompasses a low hill that now hosts a children’s park, set just west of the main port fortifications at the time. After seizing Jaseongdae in 1592, the Japanese rebuilt the upper levels in their own fashion, leaving it in its current state with Korean-style walls and gates at ground level and Japanese-style walls on top.
Dongnae Fortress
Following the successful seizure of the harbor forts in Busan, Konishi Yukinaga, commander of the First Division to enter Korea in 1592, pushed on to attack Dongnae Fortress just north of the old port city. As he was supposed to wait for the arrival of the Second Division led by familial rival Kato Kiyomasa, his seizure of the bastion on May 25th led to further rancor between the two. The battle of Dongnae was fiercely fought, and Korean legend tells of the commander there, Song Sanghyeon, refusing to bow to the Japanese following his capture, even as he was being hacked to death.
Sangju Battlefield
The first real field battle of the Imjin War pitted an experienced force of several thousand Japanese samurai and ashigaru, armed with firearms, against 60 professional Joseon Cavalrymen and 940 peasant conscripts who’d spent less than a day in the army. The battle went the way one might expect, but would nonetheless have dire consequences for the entire Joseon ground campaign.
Saejae (Joryeong) Pass
One of two great Imjin War battles that never happened. Saejae pass features a series of three walls and fortified gates blocking passage through an extended, narrow mountain pass separating Gyeongsang and Chungcheong Provinces. The route of General Yi Il’s flight from the disaster at Sangju, his failure to delay the Japanese invaders meant the pass went undefended, and the enemy proceeded unmolested. The catastrophic destruction of the Joseon army at Chungju (Tangeumdae) followed as a direct result.
Uiryeong Battlefield
Scene of the first real ground victory by Joseon during the Imjin War in 1592, Uiryeong is interesting in that it wasn’t the national army that achieved the feat. This first Korean victory was achieved by a rag-tag band of guerrillas led by the charismatic, if not legendary, Gwak Jae-u, a Yangban scholar sickened by government corruption who rose to preeminence and glory thanks to the Japanese invasion. That Gwak essentially disappeared after the war—returning to anonymity—makes both him and his achievements all the more remarkable.
Jinju City walls
In October 1592, with the vanguard Japanese divisions ensconced in Pyongyang and Hamgyong-do, a force of 30,000 Japanese commenced the invasion of Cheolla-do, thus far virtually untouched by the war. 3,800 Korean soldiers fought a spirited defense that kept the invaders in check long enough for a relief force of Guerrillas under legendary leader Gwak Jae-u to force the Japanese to retreat. Stung by the loss, and incensed by the winter retreat back toward Busan, the Japanese lashed out at Jinju again in July 1593. This time the Japanese succeeded and captured the walled city. The legend of Nongae’s sacrifice rose from the aftermath of this battle and a shrine in her honor remains today.
noryang battle site
On 16 December 1598, Admiral Yi fought the final battle of the Imjin War at Noryang. With the death of Hideyoshi back in Japan, all invading daimyo wanted to get home as quickly as possible. Yi decided not to let anyone escape without a fight. Placing his fleet between Suncheon and Sacheon Castles, he was well-positioned to attack either garrison—or maybe even both—as they sought to escape. In the end, Shimazu Yoshihiro, commander at Sacheon, moved west to aid Konishi Yukinaga, trapped at Suncheon, and Admiral Yi pounced. This final episode in the long war was as tragic as the conflict itself, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of Japanese as well as that of Yi Sun-sin himself.
Chungcheong PROVINCE
Chungju (Tangeumdae) Battlefield
Having failed to stop or at least delay the Japanese invaders at Saejae Pass, General Sin Rip was forced to defend in place at Chungju. His 8,000 strong army contained what professional cavalrymen could be assembled and dispatched south on short notice. Deliberately eschewing defense of the nearby castle, Sin Rip chose to make his stand on Tangeumdae Hill, wedged into the corner of two converging rivers. That decision cost him his life…and forced his King to abandon Seoul.
Sangdangsanseong
This early Baekje Fortification near the city of Cheongju remained in use through the 18th Century. The castle and its walls received a first major renovation at the height of the Imjin War. Sangdangsanseong features a solid hike, phenomenal scenery, and some interesting features. Well worth a visit!
Gangwon Province
Yeongwonsanseong
A beautiful, if nearly inaccessible, fortress from the Unified Silla Period. Scene of at least two battles, one with invading Japanese during the Imjin War (1592-98) and an earlier—if little known—rebel Mongol incursion in 1291 at the tail end of Nayan’s rebellion against Kublai Khan. In both cases, the forbidding terrain and stout walls of Yeongwonsanseong won the day, saving the people of nearby Wonju.
Gyeonggi province
seoul (hanseong) city wall ruins
The old city walls of Seoul once encompassed the entire city—bearing in mind that Hanseong’s southern boundary rested on Namsan Mountain and so lay entirely north of the Han River. Still, the walls, gates, and towers made for an imposing military obstacle … when manned. Yet because of the total loss of the Korean army outside Chungju five days previously, the Korean King Seonjo, his guards, and bureaucracy evacuated across the Imjin River to the north, leaving Konishi Yukinaga and his men to enter Hanseong without a fight.
Gyeongbok Palace
In 1592, as the Japanese approached Seoul, King Seonjo and his court were forced to evacuate the capital, heading north to first Kaeseong, then Pyeongyang, and finally Uiju on the border with Ming China. During or immediately after the royal departure, riots took place and fires started in multiple government facilities, including Gyeongbok Palace. The immense complex was largely burned to the ground. When Seoul was liberated and the king returned in 1593, he was forced to live at the much smaller Deoksu Palace. Gyeongbokgung wouldn’t be rebuilt until 1867.
Doksanseong (Tokseong)
In 1592, with Japanese forces surging north to Seoul and beyond, General Kwon Yul seized control of Doksanseong and from its protected heights, began interdicting his enemy’s primary line of supply. This, of course, brought a response from the large Japanese force holding Seoul, but the detachment failed to take Doksanseong and returned to garrison, thanks to the incredibly imposing location of this fortress and a bit of trickery by the wily Kwon Yul.
Haengju Mountain Fortress and Battlefield
Following the Japanese victory over Chinese General Li Rusong’s vanguard units at Byeokjegwan on February 27th, 1593, the Japanese forces gathered in Seoul felt the tide of the war had turned back in their favor. Subsequently some 30,000 troops marched west of Seoul to attack an ancient hillfort garrisoned by a hodge-podge collection of refugee soldiers and guerrillas numbering some 2,300. The old armory atop Haengju Mountain Fortress contained many hwacha rocket-arrow artillery pieces and these were positioned and used with great effect in the desperate defense. The Japanese stubbornly assaulted the steep slopes repeatedly, but failed to gain the battlements, retreating with the loss of some 10,000 casualties.
jeolla Province
yeosu
The ancient port city of Yeosu once hosted the headquarters of Admiral Yi Sun-sin, perhaps the most successful naval commander the world has ever known. From this small harbor Yi’s fleet constantly harassed Japanese warships and troop transports alike, sinking many ships and causing no small amount of chaos. Naval victories at Hansando, Angolpo, and Danghangpo were all achieved while home-ported at Yeosu, and Admiral Yi’s September 1st, 1592 raid on Busan itself was launched from this base.
myeongnyang Battle site
On 26 October 1597, Admiral Yi led 13 ships and their demoralized crews to one of the most incredible underdog victories in the history of naval warfare. Defeating a Japanese armada of 330 vessels—including 130 warships—he used the natural phenomenon of Myeongnyang Strait to his advantage, sinking 31 enemy ships to no losses of his own. With that victory he reasserted Joseon control over Korea’s littoral. Admiral Yi’s dominance of the sea would remain until the fateful Battle of Noryang at the end of the Imjin War.
japanese sites
Japanese Castle Ruins in Korea
These are all that physically remain of Hideyoshi’s 1592-98 invasions of Korea. To visit them is to be instantly reminded in the design, the method of construction, and clear intent, that they were built by a foreign army. These sites are certainly worth visiting as they reveal an important chapter in the long, difficult story of the Korean people.
