Suncheon Castle, also known as Suncheon Waeseong (
Hangul
The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The let ...
: 순천왜성,
Japanese: 順天倭城), in
Korean, Juntenjō (順天城) in
Japanese, is the only remaining
Japanese castle in
Jeollanam-do
South Jeolla Province (; ''Jeollanam-do''; ), also known as Jeonnam, is a province of South Korea. South Jeolla has a population of 1,902,324 (2014) and has a geographic area of located in the Honam region at the southwestern tip of the Korean ...
, and the battlefield of
Yi Sun-sin who tempted
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 ...
from here to
Noryang Point
The Battle of Noryang, the last major battle of the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598), was fought between the Japanese navy and the combined fleets of the Joseon Kingdom and the Ming dynasty. It took place in the early morning of 16 ...
known as
Battle of Noryang Point
The Battle of Noryang, the last major battle of the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598), was fought between the Japanese navy and the combined fleets of the Joseon Kingdom and the Ming dynasty. It took place in the early morning of 1 ...
.
Characteristics
*Yagura (Guard Tower) : 3 at least.
*Moats, Gates and other structures.
*Date of Construction : December 2, 1597 (established).
*Founder :
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 ...
,
Tōdō Takatora
was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of Tōdō clan from the Azuchi–Momoyama to Edo periods. He rose from relatively humble origins as an ashigaru (a light foot soldier) to become a ''daimyō''.
Biography
During his lifetime he changed his feudal m ...
.
*Status : The 171st Jeollanamdo monument.
*Area : 188,428 m
2.
*Location : Sinseong-ri, Haeryong-myeon,
Suncheon
Suncheon () (''Suncheon-si'') is a city in South Jeolla Province, South Korea. It is a scenic agricultural and industrial city of around 250,000 people near Suncheon Bay. It is located in the southeastern corner of Jeollanam-do, just over an hour ...
, Jeollanam-do.
History
The castle was built by the Japanese generals
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 ...
and
Tōdō Takatora
was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of Tōdō clan from the Azuchi–Momoyama to Edo periods. He rose from relatively humble origins as an ashigaru (a light foot soldier) to become a ''daimyō''.
Biography
During his lifetime he changed his feudal m ...
as an outpost during the
second invasion of Korea in 1597. The castle was constructed using mud and stone with a footprint of 120,600 m
2 for the outside castle (
Hangul
The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The let ...
: 외성) 2502m for the inside castle (
Hangul
The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The let ...
: 내성) 1342m. The site consists of 3 outside mud castles (
Hangul
The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The let ...
:외곽성 or 토석성), 3 main stone castles (
Hangul
The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The let ...
: 본성 석성) and 12 castle gates. It is the only castle preserved among 26 Japanese castles in the southern region.
The Japanese general
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 ...
stayed in this castle with 14,000 troops to fight on two occasions against
Joseon
Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...
and
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 ...
(China) allied forces.
See also
*
Siege of Suncheon
The siege of Suncheon was an unsuccessful Korean and Chinese Allied Forces attempt to capture Suncheon Japanese Castle late in the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598).
Siege
The allied army attacked on 20 September 1598. Initially they att ...
*
Suncheon
Suncheon () (''Suncheon-si'') is a city in South Jeolla Province, South Korea. It is a scenic agricultural and industrial city of around 250,000 people near Suncheon Bay. It is located in the southeastern corner of Jeollanam-do, just over an hour ...
*
Japanese castles in Korea
*
Ulsan Japanese Castle
Ulsan Castle (울산왜성, ), also known as is a Japanese style castle in Ulsan, South Korea which was constructed during the Japanese invasions of Korea (Imjin war) by Katō Kiyomasa's army. Today, Ulsan Castle is almost ruined by the c ...
External links
Map of Suncheon Japanese CastleSuncheon Waeseong (Castle built by Japanese), Chungmu Temple
* https://web.archive.org/web/20050528111615/http://www.ngokim.pe.kr/imjin/~LWF0045.bmp
* https://web.archive.org/web/20070927075151/http://www.ngokim.pe.kr/imjin/imjin.htm
Japanese-style castles in Korea
Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598)
Castles in South Korea
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