Battle of Noryang

BelligerentsJapanJoseon
Ming dynastyCommanders and leadersMain:
Konishi Yukinaga
Reinforcement:
Shimazu Yoshihiro
Tachibana Muneshige
Wakizaka Yasuharu
So Yoshitoshi

Kobayakawa Hidekane
Tsukushi Hirokado
Terazawa HirotakaYi Sun-sin†
†
Chen Lin

Deng Zilong†Strength 300 ships
500 ships (Korean sources)

148 ships

• Joseon: 85 warships
• Ming: 65 warships
  • 2 Panokseons
  • 6 large junks
  • 57 small junks

Casualties and losses 200 ships sunk
100 ships captured
500 soldiers beheaded
100+ soldiers captured
13,000 soldiers killed
200 ships 500 soldiers and sailors
1 Panokseon crippledKorean nameHangul노량해전Hanja露梁海戰Japanese nameKanji露梁海戦

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 December (19 November in the Lunar calendar) 1598 and ended past dawn.

The allied force of about 150 Joseon and Ming Chinese ships, led by admirals Yi Sun-sin and Chen Lin, attacked and either destroyed or captured more than half of the 500 Japanese ships commanded by Shimazu Yoshihiro, who was attempting to link-up with Konishi Yukinaga. The battered survivors of Shimazu's fleet limped back to Busan and a few days later left for Japan. At the height of the battle, Yi was hit by a bullet from an arquebus and died shortly thereafter. Chen Lin reported the news back to the Wanli Emperor, and Chen and Yi were celebrated as national heroes thereafter.