The Imjin War

In the twentieth year of the Wanli reign (1592), Toyotomi Hideyoshi had largely unified Japan and mobilized the entire nation to launch an invasion of Korea, hoping to use it as a stepping stone to attack the Ming dynasty.

Within a month, Korea had lost all three of its capitals: Hanseong, Kaesong, and Pyongyang. The flames of war reached the border between Korea and the Ming dynasty, and the Wanli Emperor sent General Li Rusong to Korea's aid.

After seven years of large-scale warfare in East Asia, a series of open battles and covert contests ended with Japan's complete withdrawal from Korea.

This three-way war between the Ming dynasty, Korea's Joseon dynasty, and Toyotomi Japan in the late sixteenth century had a profound impact on the histories of China, Japan, and Korea, as well as on international relations in East Asia. It reshaped the military and political balance among the countries of the region and influenced the course of peace in East Asia for the next three hundred years.

Drawing on historical sources from China, Japan, and Korea, this book recounts the battles, standoffs, and negotiations that took place during the war, as well as the calculations of each side.

Richly illustrated with nearly 200 archival images, portraits, battle maps, and reconstructions of military equipment, the book offers a detailed analysis of the political, diplomatic, economic, military, technological, and environmental factors that shaped the outcome, bringing the full course of this great war to life.