Asia in World History : 1450 – 1770
NOTES
1 . Cited from Thor May ’ s review of Yang Sung-jin and Lee Nam-hee , Click into the Hermit Kingdom ( Seoul : Dongbang Media Co . Ltd , 2000 ) review dated January 30 , at http :// Thormay . net / koreadiary / hermitkingdom . html , referring to pages 141-142 of that work . Click into the Hermit Kingdom was originally a CD-ROM exploration of Chosŏn lore , and its printed version is a major resource for the study of that dynasty .
2 . In 1393 , The Kings of Silla ( 668 – 935 AD ), the first dynasty to rule over all of the Korean peninsula , carved out a Buddhist cave grotto at Sokkuram in the hills above their capital , within sight of the Sea of Japan [ the Korean “ East Sea ”]. The grotto provided shelter for one of the world ’ s finest stone-carved images of the Buddha ( built c . 751 AD ). As Sokkuram was a royal chapel and the Buddha was graced by a jewel mounted on his forehead that caught the dawning light , it has been argued that Silla ’ s rulers were so “ mindful of Japan and the possibilities of invasion ” that Sokkuram had been constructed to serve “ as protector of Korea against invasion . From Don Liu , “ The Future of Korean-American Community : Challenges and Prospects ” at http :// www . icasinc . org / 2002 / 2002m / 2002mdhl . html .
3 . See Jon Carter Covell , Korea ’ s Cultural Roots ( Salt Lake City : Moth House , 3rd ed ., 1981 ), 81 – 91 .
4 . For the Japanese context of this invasion , see http :// www . samuraiarchives . com / hideyoshi . html and an essay by Cesare Polenghi , “ The Reasons , the Chronicle and the Consequences of the Japanese Invasion , 1592-1598 ,” at http :// www . samurai-archives . com / hak . html . See also Hitoshi Nakano , “ Concerning Toyotomi Hideyoshi ’ s Signed Letter Dated June 3 rd , 1593 ,” Interaction and Transformations 1 ( 2003 ): 273-289 .
5 . James Scarth Gale , James Scarth Gale and his History of the Korean People ( Seoul : Seoul Computer Press for the Royal Asiatic Society , Korean Branch , 1983 ), 261 .
6 . Though Chosŏn was a Confucian state , Buddhist institutions may have nonetheless been seen as rival centers of power .
7 . See Karl Friday , Samurai , Warfare and the State in Early Medieval 6 . Japan ( London : Routledge , 2004 ): 152 – 55 .
8 . For the “ Hill of Ears ,” see the Web page developed by Kirk L . Phillip for http :// www . orientalarchitecture . com / kyoto / mimizukaindex . htm . See also http :// www . planetkyoto . com / nils / archives / 2004 _ 03 . html .
9 . John Woodford , “ Imjin War Diaries are Memorial of Invasions for Koreans ,” The University Record ( University of Michigan ), February 22 , 1999 , at http :// www . umich . edu /~ urecord / 9899 / Feb22 _ 99 / imjin . htm . See also Kichung Kim , “ Resistance , Abduction , and Survival : The Documentary Literature of the Imjin War ( 1592-98 ),” Korean Culture , 20:3 ( Fall 1999 ): 20-29 .
10 . Quoted in Dennis P . Halpin , “ Human Rights in South Korea : Confucian Humanism versus Western Liberalism ,” at http :// www . icasinc . org / 2002 / 2002s / 2002sdph . html # fn16a . 11 . Yang Sung-jin and Lee Nam-hee , Click into the Hermit Kingdom , 71 – 82 . 12 . See , for example , “ Admiral Yi , Sun-Shin , The Legend of Choong Moo ” at http :// www . natkd . com / legend . htm . 13 . Underwood , Korean Boats and Ships , 79 – 81 . 14 . Ibid ., 74-79 . 15 . Ibid ., 81 . 16 . Ibid ., 77 . 17 . Shim Sun-ah , “ New Book Sparks Controversy Over ‘ Turtle Ship ,” Yonhap News Service , February 2 , 2005 , at http :// english . yna . co . kr / Engnews / 20050202 / 301900000020050202091734E7 . html . 18 . Underwood , Korean Boats and Ships , 77 . 19 . Sohn Pow Key , ed ., trans ., Ha Tae-hung , Nanjung Ilji : The War Diary of Admiral
Yi Sun-Shinn ( Seoul : Yonsei University Press , 1977 ), 51 .
20 . From Yi Pun ’ s Biography of Admiral Yi Sun-sin , reproduced in Lee Chong-young , ed . Imjin Changch ’ o : Admiral Yi Sun-sin ’ s Memorials to Court ( Seoul : Yonsei University Press , 1981 ), 215 . A view of the bay can be found at http :// www . fa25 . com / mytrip / themetrip . php .
21 . Yi Sun-sin , “ Memorial no . 20 : Request for Order to Settle War Refugees on Tolsando Farms ,” in Lee Chong-young , ed . Imjin Changch ’ o : Admiral Yi Sun-sin ’ s Memorials to Court ( Seoul : Yonsei University Press , 1981 ), 86-87 .
22 . From Yi Pun ’ s Biography of Admiral Yi Sun-sin , reproduced in Lee Chong-young , ed ., Imjin Changch ’ o : Admiral Yi Sun-sin ’ s Memorials to Court ( Seoul : Yonsei University Press , 1981 ), Appendix VI : 219 . 23 . Ibid ., 216 . 24 . Ibid . 25 . Accounts vary , but Yi Sun-Shin was apparently ordered to destroy some Japanese naval units far out at sea under conditions in which he could not but fail . It is suggested by some that there were , in fact , no Japanese naval forces operating in that area . Yi Sun-Shin knew this , but the court was so set against him , there was no way he could decline the mission or otherwise prevent his “ failure ” to complete this assignment from being interpreted as anything other than as an act of disloyalty . That is , if he failed to engage the non-existent force , it would be perceived that he was a coward or mole who warned the enemy to absent themselves . For this rivalry , see Eric Niderost , Yi Sun Sin and Won Kyun : The Rivalry that Decided the Fate of a Nation , Korean Culture , 22:4 ( Winter 2001 ): 10-19 . 26 . Sohn Pow Key , ed ., The War Diary , 262 . 27 . Ibid . 28 . This is a commonly used paraphrase of a letter to the court in which Yi wrote , “ Your humble servant still commands no fewer than twelve ships . If I engage the enemy fleet with resolute effort , even now , as I believe , they can be driven back . The total decommissioning of our navy would not only please the enemy , but would open up for him the sea route along the coast of Chungchong Province , enabling him to sail up the Han River itself , which is my heart ’ s greatest fear . Even though our navy is small , I promise you that as long as I live , the enemy cannot despise us .” This dramatic rendering can be found at http :// www . koreanhero . net / en / TheMajorNavalBattles . htm .
29 . The last entries of Yi Sun-Shin ’ s diary suggest that the Japanese had resorted to peace overtures to cover their withdrawal . See Sohn Pow , War Diary , 342 – 343 . 30 . Bruce Cummings , Korea ’ s Place in the Sun : A Modern History ( New York : W . W .
Norton & Company , 1997 ), 77 .
31 . Cited in a selection from Yi Pun ’ s multi-volume Biography of Admiral Yi Sun-sin reprinted in Lee , Chong-young , Imjin Changch ’ o : Admiral Yi Sun-sin ’ s Memorials to Court , 237 . 32 . Ibid . 33 . Perhaps Yi Sun-Shin ’ s most enduring personal legacy are the popular quotations derived from his war diary , or Nanjung Ilgi ( See Sohn Pow Key , ed . Nanjung Ilji : The War Diary of Admiral Yi Sun-Shinn ( Seoul : Yonsei University Press , 1977 ) that embody the values of a number of Asian traditions from Daoism to Sŏn ( Jpn ., Zen ) Buddhism . Admiral Yi Sun-Shin wrote , “ A warrior must master three roads , four obligations , five skills , and ten keys to security , along with three essentials , among other principles .” He wrote that “ the three roads are knowledge of the world ; understanding of things as they are ; and wisdom toward humanity . . . the four obligations are to provide national security with minimal cost ; to lead others unselfishly ; to suffer adversity without fear ; to offer solutions without blame . . . the five skills are to be flexible without weakness ; to be strong without arrogance ; to be kind without vulnerability ; to be trusting without naiveté ; and to have invincible courage . . . . The ten keys to security are purity of purpose , sound strategy , integrity , clarity , lack of covetousness , lack of addiction , a reserved tongue , assertiveness without aggression , being firm and fair , and patience . . . . The three essentials for the warrior are humility , discernment , and courage .”
34 . Remarks by Alan Burrese , originally published in the Korean Daily , March 19 , 1997 available at http :// members . aol . com / ABurrese / Yi Sun-Shin-Sunshin . html .
35 . A shrine was erected at his Hyonchungsa near Yi ’ s family home close to the port city of Asan . The site includes an exhibition hall that displays a portrait of Admiral Yi a painting describing his life , his War Diary , his long sword , an archery field , and a reconstruction of his private residence . This residence can be virtually visited at http :// www . lifeinkorea . com / Travel2 / skyongsang / 327 . Other images and virtual tours of shrines devoted to his memory are readily available on the Web , including http :// www . lifeinkorea . com / Travel2 / Skyongsang / 327 , which offers a virtual tour of a turtle ship .
36 . See article “ Admiral Yi Sun-sin , A Korean Hero ,” at http :// www . koreanhero . net / en / TheMajorNavalBattles . htm .
37 . See Tae-chun Kim , Yi Sun-sin ’ s Fame in Japan , Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities , 47 ( June 1978 ): 93 – 107 .
38 . George Alexander Ballard , The Influence of the Sea on the Political History of Japan ( Westport , Connecticut : Greenwood Press , reprint of 1921 edition , 1972 ), 66 – 67 .
MARC JASON GILBERT ( PhD . UCLA ) is the holder of the National Endowment for the Humanities Endowed Chair in World History and Humanities at Hawai`i Pacific University . This essay was inspired by study in Korea made possible by the Korea Society of New York , which offers travel , research , and workshop opportunities for educators at all levels of academia . For further information , please contact Yong Jin Choi , Senior Director , Korean Studies , The Korea Society , Eighth Floor , 950 Third Avenue , New York , NY 10022 , yongjin . ny @ koreasociety . org .
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