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 year when the war began - "Imjin" in Korean, in context of the sexagenary cycle. The first invasion (1592–1593) is literally called the "Japanese (= 倭 |wae|) War (= 亂 |ran|) of Imjin" (1592 being an imjin [= water — dragon] year in the sexagenary cycle) in Korean and Bunroku no eki in Japanese (Bunroku referring to the Japanese era under the Emperor Go-Yōzei, spanning the period from 1592 to 1596). The second invasion (1597–1598) is called the "Second War of Jeong-yu" and "Keichō no eki", respectively. In Chinese, the wars are referred to as the "Renchen (the information about the Imjin year also applies here) War to Defend the Nation" or the "Wanli Korean Campaign", after then reigning Chinese emperor.