The siege of Pyongyang was part of 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 ...
.
Konishi Yukinaga
Konishi Yukinaga (小西 行長, baptized under the personal name Agostinho (Portuguese for Augustine); 1558 – November 6, 1600) was a Kirishitan daimyō under Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He is notable for his role as the vanguard of the Japanes ...
, a
Japanese
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 ...
''
daimyō
were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and n ...
'', captured
Pyongyang
Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 populatio ...
and garrisoned his force in the winter of 1592.
Background
Following the capture of
Kaesong
Kaesong (, ) is a special city in the southern part of North Korea (formerly in North Hwanghae Province), and the capital of Korea during the Taebong kingdom and subsequent Goryeo dynasty. The city is near the Kaesong Industrial Region close t ...
following the
Battle of Imjin River
The Battle of the Imjin River ( fil, Labanan sa Ilog Imjin), also known as the Battle of Solma-ri ( ko, 설마리 전투) or Battle of Gloster Hill () in South Korea, or as Battle of Xuemali () in China, took place 22–25 April 1951 during the ...
, the Japanese invasion armies split up into three groups.
Kuroda Nagamasa
was a ''daimyō'' during the late Azuchi–Momoyama and early Edo periods. He was the son of Kuroda Kanbei, Toyotomi Hideyoshi's chief strategist and adviser.
Biography
His childhood name was Shojumaru (松寿丸). In 1577, when Nagamasa was a ...
led his forces west into
Hwanghae Province
Hwanghae Province (''Hwanghae-do'' ) was one of the Eight Provinces of Korea during the Joseon era. Hwanghae was located in the northwest of Korea. The provincial capital was Haeju. The regional name for the province was Haeseo.
History
In 139 ...
, and
Kato Kiyomasa 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, ...
to the east into
Hamgyong Province
Hamgyong Province () was one of the Eight Provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. Hamgyŏng was located in the northeast of Korea. The provincial capital was Hamhŭng.
Names
The province was first established as Yonggil ( ko, 영길, , ' ...
. The main force, under
Konishi Yukinaga
Konishi Yukinaga (小西 行長, baptized under the personal name Agostinho (Portuguese for Augustine); 1558 – November 6, 1600) was a Kirishitan daimyō under Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He is notable for his role as the vanguard of the Japanes ...
, proceeded north into
Pyongan Province
Pyeong-an Province (, ) was one of Eight Provinces of Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. Pyeong'an was located in the northwest of Korea. The provincial capital was Pyeongyang (now Pyongyang, North Korea).
History
Pyeong'an Province was formed in ...
on 1 Jun. His vanguard reached the south bank of the
Taedong River
The Taedong River (Chosŏn'gŭl: ) is a large river in North Korea. The river rises in the Rangrim Mountains of the country's north where it then flows southwest into Korea Bay at Namp'o.Suh, Dae-Sook (1987) "North Korea in 1986: Strengthening ...
on 16 July within sight of the walls of Pyongyang. A few days later, he was joined by Kuroda Nagamasa's army, which had completed its sweep through Hwanghae Province without opposition. Unable to cross the river they waited there, sending a letter to
King Seonjo
Seonjo of Joseon (26 November 1552 – 16 March 1608) was the fourteenth king of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea from 1567 to 1608. He was known for encouraging Confucianism and renovating state affairs at the beginning of his reign. However, politi ...
urging his surrender. A parley mid-river led to no results.
King Seonjo fled Pyeongyang on 19 July and made his way to
Yeongbyeon. Although the city had strong fortifications and was well supplied with troops and supplies, the departure of the king severely impacted the morale of the defenders, and the populace began to flee in panic. Korean General
Gim Myeongweon, together with government minister
Yun Doo-su
Yun Du-su ( ko, 윤두수, 尹斗壽; 1533–1601) was a Korean scholar-official of the Joseon Kingdom. He was a politician, poet, writer, scholar, and part of the Yi Hwang school among Westerners (Hangul: 서인, Korean: Seoin). Among many othe ...
and Minister of Interior Yi Won-ik, were left in charge of the defenses with nominally 10,000 men under their command.
Battle
Rather than wait for the Japanese offensive, Gim decided to make a surprise night attack with a small contingent, after observing that Japanese camp security was lax at night. It took the Koreans longer to cross the river in darkness than anticipated, and the actual attack did not occur until near dawn. Initially successful, the Koreans managed to kill several hundred enemies before the Japanese realized what had happened. Kuroda Nagamasa counterattacked, pushing the Koreans back to the river. However, at the riverbank, the Korean army found that their boats were gone, the boatsmen having fled when they heard sounds of the Japanese gunfire. Unable to escape across the river, they retreated upstream where the river was shallow enough to ford. This inadvertently gave the Japanese vital information - to a path across the river to the city.
Realizing that the Japanese attack was coming, Gim had his remaining men sink their cannon and arms into a pond to prevent them from falling into the hands of the Japanese, and fled north to
Sunan. The Japanese crossed the river on 24 July and found the city completely deserted. Suspecting a trap, Konishi and Kuroda sent scouts to a nearby hill to confirm before entering the empty city. Within the city's warehouses, they found seven thousand tons of rice, which would be enough to feed their army for several months.
Aftermath
The Japanese occupation of Pyeongyang would not be contested until
Ming
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...
general
Zhao Chengxun Zhao may refer to:
* Zhao (surname) (赵), a Chinese surname
** commonly spelled Chao in Taiwan or up until the early 20th century in other regions
** Chiu, from the Cantonese pronunciation
** Cho (Korean surname), represent the Hanja 趙 (Chines ...
arrived with 6,000 men on 23 August 1592.
See also
*
*
Siege of Pyongyang (1593)
The siege of Pyongyang was a military conflict fought between the allied Ming-Joseon army and the Japanese First Division under Konishi Yukinaga. The battle ended in victory for the allies but a successful retreat from Pyeongyang by the remaini ...
Notes
Bibliography
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* 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.
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Pyongyang
Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 populatio ...
History of Pyongyang
1592 in Asia
Pyongyang
Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 populatio ...
Pyongyang
Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 populatio ...
{{Korea-hist-stub