Korea and Japan

Japanese invasions of Korea (1592-1598)

The Japanese invasions of Korea were a major conflict between Japan and the alliance of the China and Korea during the years of 1592 and 1598. The land and naval battles took place almost entirely on the Korean peninsula and its nearby waters, although the Japanese leader Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s main objective in the war was to conquer China. The war consisted of two main invasions from Japan – the first from the years of 1592 and 1593, and the second from 1597 to 1598. The war finally ended during the last months of the year 1598 with the Japanese withdrawal and the naval battle at the straits of Noryang.

The war is known by several other English titles, including the Hideyoshi's invasions of Korea, in context of Hideyoshi’s biography; the Seven Year War, in reference to the war’s duration; and the Imjin War, in reference to the first year of the war in Korean (See Sexagenery Cycle).

Background

East Asia and the Chinese Tributary System

In 1392, the Korean General Yi Seong-gye led a successful coup against King U of the Goryeo Dynasty, and founded Joseon. In search of a justification for its rule given the lack of a royal bloodline, the new regime received recognition from China and integration into its tributary system within the context of the Mandate of Heaven. Under Ashikaga Yoshimitsu's reign during the late 15th century, Japan, too, gained a seat in the tributary system (lost by 1547, see hai jin). Within this tributary system, China assumed the role of a big brother, Korea the middle brother, and Japan the younger brother.

Unlike the situation over a thousand years earlier where Chinese dynasties had an antagonistic relations with the largest of the Korean polities (see ‎List of Chinese invasions of Goguryeo), the Joseon Dynasty had a close trading and diplomatic relations with Ming China, and also a continuous trade relations with Japan. The two dynasties, Ming and Joseon, shared much in common: both emerged during the fourteenth century at the fall of the Mongolian rule, embraced the Confucian ideals in society, and faced similar external threats (the Jurchen raiders and the Japanese Wakō pirates). As for the internal, both China and Korea were troubled with fights among the competing political factions, which would significantly influence the decisions made by the Koreans prior to the war, and those made during the war by the Chinese. Dependence on each other for trade and also having common enemies resulted in Korea and Ming China having a friendly relationship.