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The Imjin War: Japan's Sixteenth-Century Invasion of Korea and Attempt to Conquer China Paperback – August 12, 2014
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“Magnificent!” (South China Morning Post)
“A wonderful read!” (JoongAng Daily News)
“The scope is truly vast!” (Seoul Magazine)
“Like a prelude to Shogun!"(StrategyPage.com)
“A feast!” (Shogun-ki)
In May of 1592, Japanese dictator Toyotomi Hideyoshi sent a 158,800-man army of invasion from Kyushu to Pusan on Korea’s southern tip. His objective: to conquer Korea, then China, and then the whole of Asia. The resulting seven years of fighting, known in Korea as imjin waeran, the “Imjin invasion,” after the year of the water dragon in which it began, dwarfed contemporary conflicts in Europe and was one of the most devastating wars to grip East Asia in the past thousand years.
The Imjin War is the most comprehensive account ever published in English of this cataclysmic event, so little known in the West. It begins with the political and cultural background of Korea, Japan and China, explores the diplomatic impasse that led to the war, describes every major incident and battle from 1592 to 1598 and introduces a fascinating cast of characters along the way. There is Hideyoshi, hosting garden parties as his armies march toward Beijing; Korean admiral Yi Sun-sin, emerging from a prison cell to take on the Japanese navy with just thirteen ships; Chinese commander Zhao Chengxun, suffering defeat after promising to “scatter the Japanese to the four winds”; the courtesan Chu Non-gae, luring a samurai into her arms and then jumping into the Nam River with him locked in her embrace.
One nation fighting to expand, another to survive. Shockwaves extending across China and beyond. The Imjin War is an epic tale of grand perspective and intimate detail of an upheaval that would shape East Asia for centuries to come.
- Print length682 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication dateAugust 12, 2014
- Dimensions6 x 1.54 x 9 inches
- ISBN-100992078628
- ISBN-13978-0992078621
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Product details
- Publisher : Conquistador Press (August 12, 2014)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 682 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0992078628
- ISBN-13 : 978-0992078621
- Item Weight : 2.18 pounds
- Dimensions : 6 x 1.54 x 9 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #313,249 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #53 in Korean History (Books)
- #327 in Japanese History (Books)
- #382 in Chinese History (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the authors
Samuel Hawley is a Canadian writer and filmmaker who now lives in Turkey. He has BA and MA degrees in history from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario and worked in East Asia as a teacher for eighteen years before becoming a full-time writer. His nonfiction books include "The Imjin War," the most comprehensive account in English of Japan's 16th-century invasion of Korea and attempted conquest of China; "Speed Duel," about the quest for the land speed record in the 1960s; "Ultimate Speed," the authorized biography of land speed racing legend Craig Breedlove; and “The Fight That Started the Movies: The World Heavyweight Championship, the Birth of Cinema and the First Feature Film." He has also written two novels: the thriller "Homeowner With a Gun," and the elephant biography "Bad Elephant Far Stream," inspired by the true story of Crooked-Tail Topsy.
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- S. Hawley's approach is generally a very "objective" one (to the extent that one can be when describing events from over 400 years ago) in that he consults various, and at times conflicting, sources from Korea, China and Japan. As Hawley notes throughout the book, the "truth" lies somewhere between the conflicting accounts provided by these parties with different incentives and interests (to the chagrin of certain Chinese and Japanese reviewers here who would only put faith in the historical records in their own country, which obviously is the least "objective" metric).
- There is no doubt about the fact that Japan was the aggressor (and often vilified as a consequence) in the Imjin war saga. However, Hawley does a very good job into digging into the utter mediocrity and incompetence of Korea's leadership during these times, which greatly contributed to the initial success of the Japanese invasion (e.g., Korean leaders that are busier with faction fights and overlooking external threats; cowardly Korean commanders that destroy their own weapons and retreat at the sight of the enemy; and despicable government representatives that criticize and imprison capable men like Yi Sun Shin for political gains).
- The diplomatic farce between Ming and Japan is unbelievably hilarious and at times reads like a Shakespearean comedy of errors.
- No commentary on the Imjin war is complete without a reference to the great Admiral. Yi Sun Shin's legendary achievements are generally known throughout Asia and Hawley's book doesn't add anything further to what is generally known (although Hawley helpfully clears away certain misconceptions about Yi, such as the prevalent misconception in Korea that some of Yi's ships were covered in iron). Hawley however emphasizes certain characteristics about Yi that are not as well known albeit still significant: e.g., Yi's absolute focus on being fully prepared before entering into any conflict (even after the Japanese landed on Korean soil and help was requested from Yi, Yi took a full 2.5 weeks to gather information before sailing to confront the Japanese) and Yi's obsession with reporting objective facts to the Korean court and his superiors, even when there was a good chance that doing so would impede his career and even result in punishment. Query whether Yi would've been a more effective defender of his country if he had learned to be more "diplomatic" and political (like Konishi on the Japanese side) - although the Yi Sun Shin that we know of today would not have existed if he was anything other than what he was - a soldier who never compromised what he believed to be the truth.
From reading this book , one can see how the animosity simmering between those three countries till today. Here are the results of war mongers could do to a world , if war was being justified to solve all the problems a nation face , it will lead to destruction not just properties but simmering hatred that will last for generations.
Japan is no push over, that is true for sure but its legacy of war mongering already went further back before its unjust annexation of Korea in 1910 and subsequent invasion of Asian continent. Worse , Japan unlike Germany never truly face its historical facts how Japan already did brought suffering to millions of people , but yet they claimed they did this for peace , for greater cooperation and other "sounds too good to be true " reasons. The today government of Japan is by no means the same as Hideyoshi , but unfortunately some if not more, within Japan still does harbour the era of miltarism. If such go uncheck, the ugly head militarism might rise again in the future.
China for most its part of today, wanted to erase the past humiliation and the pillage done by the foreign power such as Japan.
Through massive revamp and investment in technology, one can see how the modern PLA of China, wants to make sure that such dark chapters in China history will never repeat itself. China now wants to be assertive , confident and be bold in guarding the space they lived in.
S korea being one of the Asian tiger economy also no longer be the meek joseon Korea in the past , that lives in China centered world. Despite the existence of N korea being a pariah nation,S korea learned all the mistakes in the past, and ensured now in their national development , that never again foreign powers wielded so much destruction to cross path again in their land.
There is also another fact gleaned from this book, that Korea did indeed possessed certain forms of Martial arts tradition prior to Imjin Waeran. However due to socio political situation and the pervasive Chu Xi Neo Confucianism teachings , Military arts took further back seat in government priorities. The military got comfortable in their comfort zones, both native and imported martial arts knowledge that were passed down from the Silla , Koguyyeo and Baekje period , already watered down and perhaps lost during the Imjin War, and never recovered again. Except for a handful of men such as Admiral Yi Sun Shin, the armed forces faced a rude shocking defeat in the hands of the battle seasoned Japanese Ashigarus and their Samurai leaders.
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Reviewed in Germany on September 21, 2019