The siege of Jinju was one of two battles during the

Japanese invasions of Korea Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

– the first in 1592, and the second in 1593. The first siege attempt by the Japanese failed, leaving the Koreans holding the castle. The second siege of Jinju was successful, and it fell to the Japanese.

Military Strength

Joeson

Kim Si-min Gim Si-min (1554–1592), also known as Kim Si-min, was a prominent Korean general during the Joseon Dynasty. He is most famous for having defended Jinju Castle against the Japanese invaders during the Seven Years' War. Background Gim Si-min wa ...

– 3,700 soldiers * Yi Gwang-ak – 100 soldiers *

Gwak Jaeu Gwak Jae-u (; 1552–1617) was a Korean people, Korean military general and patriot from Uiryeong. He was called the "Red Robe General" (천강홍의장군, 天降紅衣將軍) after his habit of wearing a coat made of red silk. In 1592, nine days ...

– 200

irregulars Irregular military is any non-standard military component that is distinct from a country's national armed forces. Being defined by exclusion, there is significant variance in what comes under the term. It can refer to the type of military orga ...

* Choi Gyeong-hoe, Im Gye-yeong – 2,000 irregulars Total 3,800 soldiers and 2,200 irregulars

Japan

Ukita Hideie was the ''daimyō'' of Bizen and Mimasaka Provinces (modern Okayama Prefecture), and one of the council of Five Elders appointed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Son of Ukita Naoie, he married Gōhime, a daughter of Maeda Toshiie. Having fought again ...

– 10,000 soldiers *

Hosokawa Tadaoki was a Japanese samurai warrior of the late Sengoku period and early Edo period. He was the son of Hosokawa Fujitaka with Numata Jakō, and he was the husband of a famous Christian convert (Kirishitan), Hosokawa Gracia. For most of his life, he ...

– 3,500 soldiers * Hasegawa Hidekazu – 5,000 soldiers * Kimura Shigekore – 3,500 soldiers *

Kato Mitsuyasu Kato or Katō may refer to: Places *Kato, Guyana, a village in Guyana *Katō, Hyōgo, a city in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan *Katō District, Hokkaido, a district located in Tokachi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan * Katowice, a city in Southern Poland, ...

– 1,747 soldiers * Shinzo Naosada – 300 soldiers * Kasuya Takenori – 200 soldiers * Ota Kazuyosi – 160 soldiers Total 30,000 soldiers

Background

Jinju castle was an important castle that guarded Jeolla province.

and

agreed on taking Jinju castle because if the Japanese captured it, it would open up a new road to Jeolla, and they would be able to attack

's guerilla forces hiding in the area. Jeolla was also a place for plenty of loot. Ukita also agreed to recapture

Changwon Changwon () is the capital city of Gyeongsangnam-do, on the southeast coast of South Korea. With a population of 1.07 million , Changwon is South Korea's ninth-most populous city. A port city, Changwon is bordered by Masan Bay to the south ...

, a small fortress that led to Jinju castle. Therefore, an army of 30,000 men to recapture Changwon and Jinju set out. The Japanese Seventh Contingent arrived at Jinju on 8 November with 30,000 men under

, Hasegawa Hidekazu, Nagaoka Tadaoki, and Kimura Shigeji. Yu Sung-in, commander of right Gyeongsang province, placed his army in front of the gate of Jinju. General Yu Sung-in requested permission to enter into the Jinju. However, Japanese arquebuses reached behind the reinforcements. Kim Si-min inevitably rejected the request, and Yu Sung-in ultimately agreed to Kim Si-min's words. The reinforcements were annihilated by the Japanese

arquebus An arquebus ( ) is a form of long gun that appeared in Europe and the Ottoman Empire during the 15th century. An infantryman armed with an arquebus is called an arquebusier. Although the term ''arquebus'', derived from the Dutch word ''Haakbus ...

es.

Siege of Jinju

The

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese heartily approached Jinju fortress. They expected another easy victory at Jinju but the Korean general

defied the Japanese and stood firm with his 3,800 men. Again, the Koreans were outnumbered. Kim Si-min had recently acquired around 170 arquebuses, equivalent to what the Japanese used. Kim Si-min had them trained and believed he could defend Jinju. The Japanese charged and began to bring ladders to scale the wall. They also brought a siege tower to try to gain the higher ground. As a counter, the Koreans unleashed massive volleys of cannons, arrows, and bullets. Surprised, Hosokawa tried another angle of approach by using his arquebuses to cover the soldiers scaling the wall. This still had no success because the Koreans ignored the bullets and smashed ladders with rocks and axes. When the Koreans began to lob mortars down at the Japanese, the Japanese began to lose even more men. After three days of fighting, Kim Si-min was hit by a bullet on the side of his head and fell, unable to command his forces. The Japanese commanders then pressed even harder on the Koreans to dishearten them, but the Koreans fought on. The Japanese soldiers were still unable to scale the walls even with heavy fire from arquebuses. The Koreans were not in a good position since Kim Si-min was wounded and the garrison was now running low on ammunition.

Reinforcements

Gwak Jae-u Gwak Jae-u (; 1552–1617) was a Korean people, Korean military general and patriot from Uiryeong. He was called the "Red Robe General" (천강홍의장군, 天降紅衣將軍) after his habit of wearing a coat made of red silk. In 1592, nine days ...

, one of the main leaders of the

Righteous armies Righteous armies, sometimes called irregular armies or militias, are informal civilian militias that have appeared several times in Korean history, when the national armies were in need of assistance. The first righteous armies emerged during th ...

of Korea arrived at night with an extremely small band, not enough to relieve the Koreans at Jinju. Gwak ordered his men to grab attention by blowing on horns and making noises. About 3,000 guerrillas and irregular forces arrived at the scene. At this time, the Japanese commanders realized their danger and were forced to abandon the siege and retreated.

Aftermath

The Righteous army was too small to relieve Jinju. But, the retreat of Japanese soldiers heartened the Koreans and the biggest thing earned from the siege was that the Korean morale was boosted greatly. The first battle of Jinju along with the

Battle of Hansan Island The Battle of Hansan Island and following engagement at Angolpo took place from 8 July 1592. In two naval encounters, Korean Admiral Yi Sun-sin's fleet managed to destroy roughly 100 Japanese ships and halted Japanese naval operations along th ...

and the

Battle of Haengju The Battle of Haengju took place on 14 March 1593 during the 1592–1598 Japanese invasion of Korea. The Japanese attack failed to overcome Haengju fortress. Background Gwon Yul was stationed at the fortress of Haengju, a wooden stockade on ...

are regarded as the three most important battles of the war. In 1593, the Japanese returned the next summer and burned Jinju to the ground.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * 桑田忠親 uwata, Tadachika ed., 舊參謀本部編纂, yu Sanbo Honbu 朝鮮の役 housen no Eki��(日本の戰史 ihon no SenshiVol. 5), 1965. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{Refend

External links

Jinju
1592 in Asia 1592 in Japan Jinju 1592 Jinju 1592 Jinju 1592 Conflicts in 1592