Hansando and Busan 1592: Admiral Yi Sun-Sin’s First Victories Against Japan
96 pages
Dr James Bosbotinis
The Imjin War, fought between 1592 and 1598 saw an attempted Japanese invasion of the Korean Peninsula, with the Joseon Kingdom initially losing much ground to Hideyoshi Toyotomi’s army. However, as Ian Bowers explains, and this book explores, “When Admiral Yi Sun-shin took control of the Korean fleet, he changed the course of the invasion. He married advanced naval technology to innovative naval tactics and managed to defeat the numerically superior Japanese forces in a succession of naval battles. This allowed the Korean navy to cut Japanese supply lines and thereby assist ground forces in containing the Japanese advance.”[1] Admiral Yi has become a totemic figure, towering “above other Korean historical figures and is a prominent element in South Korea’s broader historical identity”, with “his legacy…used in numerous ways, from the promotion of nationalist ideals to the embodiment of the perfect Korean character.”[2]
This reviewer is not an expert on the Imjin War or Joseon history but has researched and written on aspects of contemporary South Korean naval development, and for this reason, Hansando and Busan 1592 was of interest. In this book, the author, Yuhan Kim, a freelance author specialising in Joseon history and the Napoleonic Wars, sets out to provide an account of the key naval battles in the first year or so of the Imjin War, that is, from May 1592 through to the summer of 1593. Following the established Osprey campaign study format, the author provides a valuable introduction – ‘The Origins of the Campaign’ and chronology, before discussing the opposing commanders and forces. There is much of interest in these chapters, including biographies of Admiral Yi and other Joseon naval figures, several of which have now given their names to Republic of Korea Navy submarines, Joseon artillery, and brief overviews of Korean and Japanese ships. This includes on pages 29-31, discussion of the ‘geobukseon’, or ‘turtle ship’.
The majority of the book, 46 of 96 pages, is dedicated to an account of the five campaigns undertaken by Yi in the period, covering the battles of Okpo, Dangpo, Hansando, Angolpo, Busan and Ungpo. The author ably balances narrative of the battles with discussion of the respective tactics employed and the wider strategic significance. For example, with regard to the battle of Hansando, the author observes that, “Through excellent use of terrain to conceal his flanking units and luring the Japanese fleet into a ground of his choosing, Yi turned victory into annihilation. The destruction of the Japanese task force at Hansando and Angolpo meant that Yi had supremacy over the waters of Korea for the moment.” The book concludes with a brief overview of the progression of the war through 1593 and 1594, ‘Analysis and Impact’, and ‘The Battlefields Today’. A bibliography covering books, articles and websites is also included.
Hansando and Busan 1592 provides a fascinating, highly engaging and readable account of the naval aspects of the first year of the Imjin War. The author provides much detail, supported by an excellent selection of photos of museum artefacts and illustrations by Darren Tan. For all those with an interest in 16th century naval history, East Asian history, or to develop understanding of Korean history, this book will be of particular interest. It is also valuable as a case study in how tactical and technical innovation can offset numerical inferiority, as well as the enduring importance of securing sea control as a prerequisite for power projection. All in all, Hansando and Busan 1592 is recommended.
[1] Ian Bowers, The Modernisation of the Republic of Korea Navy: Seapower, Strategy and Politics (Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan, 2019).
[2] Ibid., p. 145.
