Battle of Hansan Island
The Battle of Hansando
Date 14 August 1592 Location The eastern coast of Hansan Island Result Decisive Korean victory
Combatants
Fleet of Toyotomi Hideyoshi	Joseon navy
Commanders
Wakizaka Yasuharu Wakizaka Sabei† Watanabe Shichi'emon†	Yi Sun-Shin Won Kyun Yi Eok Ki
Strength
73 ships	56 ships
Casualties
47 ships destroyed and 12 captured 9,000 casulaties	no ships lost 19 dead and 114 wounded

The naval Battle of Hansan Island, also known as the Battle of Hansan-do, took place on August 14, 1592 near the Korean island of Hansan, and was one of the most important battles of the Imjin War. Korean admiral Yi Sun-sin destroyed at least 47 Japanese ships, captured 12 and killed over 8,000 Japanese sailors and marines. Yi's success in this battle became a turning point in the war. Jamo redirects here. ... Hanja is the Korean name for Chinese characters. ... The Revised Romanization of Korean is the official Korean language romanization system in South Korea. ... McCune-Reischauer romanization is one of the two most widely used Korean language romanization systems, along with the Revised Romanization of Korean, which replaced (a modified) McCune-Reischauer as the official romanization system in South Korea in 2000. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... August 14 is the 226th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (227th in leap years), with 139 days remaining. ... Events January 30 - The death of Pope Innocent IX during the previous year had left the Papal throne vacant. ... The Battle of Hansan (or Battle of Hansan-do) is regarded as one of the four greatest sea battles of world history. ... Portrait of Toyotomi Hideyoshi drawn in 1601 Toyotomi Hideyoshi (Shinjitai (modern Japanese) writing: ; KyÅ«jitai (historical) writing: 豐臣秀吉; born Hiyoshi-maru ; coming of age (Genpuku) as Kinoshita Tōkichirō and later made Hashiba and martial nobility in the style of Hashiba Chikuzen no Kami Hideyoshi ; 1536 - September 18, 1598), was a... Joseon or Chosun (Korean: ì¡°ì„ ; Hanja: 朝鮮; Revised: Joseon; McCune-Reischauer: Chosŏn; Chinese: CháoxiÇŽn; Japanese: Chōsen) is a name for Korea, as used in the following cases: As part of the name of several ancient kingdoms (including Gojoseon, Gija Joseon, and Wiman Joseon); During most of the Joseon... Wakisaka Yasuharu (脇坂 安治; 1554 – September 26, 1626), sometimes referred to as Wakizaka Yasuharu, was a daimyo (feudal lord) of Awaji Island who fought under a number of warlords over the course of Japans Sengoku period. ... Yi Sun-sin (April 28, 1545 – December 16, 1598), also commonly transliterated Yi Sun-shin or Yi Soon Shin, was a Korean naval leader noted for his victories against the Japanese navy during the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592-1598) during the Joseon Dynasty. ... Won Kyun (1540 - 1597) was a Korean general and admiral during the Joseon Dynasty]. He is best known for his campaigns against Japanese during the Korea-Japan Seven Year War. ... Yi Eok Ki was the commander of the Cholla Right Navy Station and was one of Yi-Sun-Shins good friends during the Seven Year War. ... Combatants Joseon Dynasty Korea, Ming Dynasty China Japan under Toyotomi Hideyoshi Commanders Korea: Yi Sun-sin, Gwon Yul, Won Gyun, Kim Myung Won, Yi Il, Sin Lip, Gwak Jae-u, Kim Shi-min China: Li Rusong , Li Rubai, Ma Gui , Qian Shi-zhen, Ren Ziqiang, Wang You-quan, Yang Yuan... Combatants Japanese Army Korean Garrison Commanders So Yoshitoshi Chŏng Pal† Hangul: ì •ë°œ, Hanja :é„­æ’¥) Lee Jung Hun (Hangul: 이정헌, Hanja :李庭憲)]] Strength at least 15,000 men at least 8,000 soldiers Casualties Unknown between 8,500 - 30,000 (depending on various accounts) The Siege of Busan was a battle fought at Busan... Combatants Japanese Army Korean Garrison Commanders Konishi Yukinaga Yun Heung-sin† Strength at least 5,000 3,000 (est. ... Combatants Japanese Army Korean Garrison Commanders Konishi Yukinaga Mag. ... The battle of Sangju was one of the primary Korean attempts to stop the Japanese invasion and prevent the siege of Chungju Castle. ... Combatants Japanese army Korean cavalry division Commanders Konishi Yukinaga So Yoshitoshi Matsuura Shigenobu Arima Harunobu Omura Yoshiaki Gen. ... The Battle of Okpo was a battle of the first phase of the Seven Year War between Japan and Chosun (Korea). ... The Battle of Sacheon was a naval battle in the first phase of the Seven-Year War between Korea and Japan. ... Combatants Joseon Dynasty Korea Ming Dynasty China Japan under Toyotomi Hideyoshi Commanders Adm. ... The day after the Battle of Sacheon, Admiral Yi Sun-shin had his fleet rested in the open sea off Saryang where they would have tactical advantage were the Japanese to execute a counterattack. ... Combatants Fleet of Toyotomi Hideyoshi Korean navy Commanders unknown Yi Sun-sin, Yi Ok-ki Strength 26 51 Casualties all the warships and soldiers none Prelude The Battle of Danghangpo was a naval battle during the Imjin War (1592-1597) between Korean and Japanese naval forces. ... The Battle of Hansan (or Battle of Hansan-do) is regarded as one of the four greatest sea battles of world history. ... In 1592,after orders from King Seonjo to attack Pyongnyang,Admiral Yi Sun Shin bombarded Pyongnyang. ... Combatants Korean forces Toyotomi forces Commanders Yi Kwang Kobayakawa Takakage The battle of Chonju The battle of Chonju was a certain battle that took place during the Azuchi-Momoyama period (16th century) of Japan. ... The Battle of Busan was a naval battle of the first phase of the Seven Year War between Korea and Japan. ... Combatants Japanese army Korean army,citizens Commanders Hosokawa Tadaoki Kim Shi-Min†, Kwak Jae woo Strength 30,000 soldiers 3,800 soldiers,and citizens Casualties Unknown Unknown Jinju castle (진주성; 晋州城) was the site of two battles during the Imjin War; the first in 1592, and the second in 1593. ... Combatants Japanese army Ming army and Korean allies Commanders Konishi Yukinaga Li Rusong Hyujŏng Yi Il Strength Unknown 65,000 Casualties 16,000 Approximately 800 deaths The siege of Pyongyang was a battle fought between the Ming-Korea alliance and Japanese forces during the seven-year war. ... Combatants Korean army Japanese army under Toyotomi Hideyoshi Commanders Gwon Yul Cho Geyong Cheo Young Yi Bin Ukita Hideie Kato Kiyomasa Konishi Yukinaga Kuroda Nagamasa Ishida Mitsunari Yoshikawa Hiroie Kobayakawa Takakage Kobayakawa Hideaki Strength 2,000 regular army, 1,000 local monks 30,000 Casualties unknown at least 10,000... The Second Siege of Jinju was a battle during 1593 in the Seven-Year War at Jinju Fort, Korea, between Japan and Korea. ... The Battle of Chilchonryang was a naval conflict in the Seven-Year War. ... // Background The Forces : Chinese-Korean forces Ming-Chinese forces 3,000 men: Yang Yuan Korean forces 1,300 (?) men: Yi Pok-nam Yi Chun-won Shin Ho Kim Kyung-no Miscellaneous : Jung Kwi-won Oh Ung-jung Im Hyun Yi Duk-hwae Japanese besiegers forces Southern sector : Ukita... Combatants Fleet of Toyotomi Hideyoshi Korean navy Commanders Todo Takatora Kurushima Michifusa† Katō Yoshiaki Wakisaka Yasuharu Yi Sunsin Kim Eokchu Strength 133 warships[1] 13 warships Casualties 31 ships sunk No ships lost The Battle of Myeongnyang was a naval battle between Korean and Japanese forces during the Imjin War... // Background Ulsan Japanese Castle under Chinese-Korean allied troops attacks First Siege of Ulsan (1598 1st month 4th day of Chinese Calendar) Chinese-Korean besiegers forces Korean forces : Gwon Yul (Hangul : 권율 Hanja : 權慄) Chinese forces : Yang Hao (Hangul : 양호 Hanja : 楊鎬) Japanese forces Aftermath Second Siege of Ulsan (1598 9th month 25th... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Combatants Fleet of Toyotomi Hideyoshi Korean navy, Chinese Navy Commanders Shimazu Yoshihiro Tachibana Muneshige[1] So Yoshitoshi Yi Sun-sin† Chen Lin Strength about 500 ships (mostly transport ships) 80 Korean & 60 Chinese ships Casualties 459 ships lost 270 Koreans & 170 Chinese soldiers. ... August 14 is the 226th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (227th in leap years), with 139 days remaining. ... Events January 30 - The death of Pope Innocent IX during the previous year had left the Papal throne vacant. ... Hansan Island, known to Koreans as Hansando, is located across a relatively narrow strait from Choongmoo City, which was once known as Tongyeong. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Yi Sun-sin (April 28, 1545 – December 16, 1598), also commonly transliterated Yi Sun-shin or Yi Soon Shin, was a Korean naval leader noted for his victories against the Japanese navy during the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592-1598) during the Joseon Dynasty. ...

Prelude

Admiral Yi Sun Shin, along with the small fleet of seven ships of Admiral Won Kyun, had fought two campaigns across the southern coast of Korea. Admiral Yi Eok Ki joined Admirals Yi and Won for the third campaign. In all, the Koreans sank over 100 Japanese ships and inflicted thousands of casualties. Admiral Yi and the combined Korean fleet did not lose any ships and suffered only 11 killed and 26 wounded up to this point. Won Kyun (1540 - 1597) was a Korean general and admiral during the Joseon Dynasty]. He is best known for his campaigns against Japanese during the Korea-Japan Seven Year War. ... Yi Eok Ki was the commander of the Cholla Right Navy Station and was one of Yi-Sun-Shins good friends during the Seven Year War. ...

Given the importance that the Japanese navy had in supplying the army as it advanced along the Korean peninsula and prepared to invade China, Toyotomi Hideyoshi made it absolutely imperative to his commanders that the naval situation must be brought under control, the Korean fleets destroyed and the supply routes through the Yellow Sea secured. The Japanese commander, Wakizaka Yasuharu, was ordered to wait and combine his fleet with the forces of Katō Yoshiaki and Kuki Yoshitaka to seek out and destroy the Korean fleet. However, it would have taken some time for Katō and Kuki to assemble their ships, so Wakizaka went out alone with 73 ships. Wakizaka's fleet probably had the best war ships fielded by the Japanese up to that point in the war. Out of the 73 ships, 36 were the large multi-decked atakebune, 24 the medium sized seki bune and 13 small kobaya scout ships. Portrait of Toyotomi Hideyoshi drawn in 1601 Toyotomi Hideyoshi (Shinjitai (modern Japanese) writing: ; KyÅ«jitai (historical) writing: 豐臣秀吉; born Hiyoshi-maru ; coming of age (Genpuku) as Kinoshita Tōkichirō and later made Hashiba and martial nobility in the style of Hashiba Chikuzen no Kami Hideyoshi ; 1536 - September 18, 1598), was a... Wakisaka Yasuharu (脇坂 安治; 1554 – September 26, 1626), sometimes referred to as Wakizaka Yasuharu, was a daimyo (feudal lord) of Awaji Island who fought under a number of warlords over the course of Japans Sengoku period. ... Katō Yoshiaki )(1563-1631) was one of Toyotomi Hideyoshis top generals, and commanded elements of Hideyoshis fleet in his invasions of Korea and campaigns in KyÅ«shÅ« at the end of the Sengoku period of Japanese history. ... Kuki Yoshitaka (九鬼 嘉隆; 1542 - November 17, 1600) was a naval commander during Japans Sengoku Period, under Oda Nobunaga, and later, Toyotomi Hideyoshi. ... A 16th century Japanese Atakebune coastal warship. ...

In the meantime, Admiral Yi was planning a third campaign and worked with Admirals Won and Yi Eok Ki in combined operations and practiced arranging their fleets in a "crane's wing" battle formation. The formation was often used on land, but not normally used at sea. The combined fleets had a total of 54 panokseons and 2 or 3 turtle ships. Panokseon (board roofed or superstructured ships) was the main type of warship used by the Korean Joseon Dynasty during the late 16th century, and was first constructed in 1555. ... The turtle ship (also known as Geobukseon or Kobukson by its Korean name) was a large warship belonging to the Panokseon class in Korea that was used under the Joseon Dynasty between the 15th century and 18th century. ...

The Battle

First phase of the battle

Admiral Yi received intelligence from a local farmer that a large Japanese fleet (Wakizaka's ships) was making its way west towards him and was anchored north of the Kyonnaeryang Strait, a narrow channel between Koje Island and the mainland. Geoje is a city located in South Gyeongsang province, just off the coast of the port city of Busan, South Korea. ...

On August 14th, the next morning, Admiral Yi sent out six panokson battle ships through the channel to lure out Wakizaka's fleet. Wakizaka took the bait and his ships chased Yi's six panoksons through the channel and into the broad open sea in front of Hansan Island. At this time, Admiral Yi began to arrange the fleet in the crane wing formation.

The crane wing formation

In the two previous campaigns, the Koreans had either met the Japanese ships in a straight battle line or, if space was limited, with a circular or rolling method of attack, where their ships attacked in relays to sustain a continuous bombardment. Although these tactics were effective, considerable numbers of Japanese had escaped and swum ashore. The crane wing formation was designed to not just sink ships, but to annihilate the enemy without losing a lot of men.

The formation itself resembled a "U" shape, with the heaviest battleships in the center and lighter ships on the wings. Reserves were placed behind the central ships and would plug gaps as the formation expanded. Ships at the front of the formation would face broadsides to maximize the number of cannons that would be aimed at the enemy. Furthermore, the "U" shape itself would allow for interlocking fields of fire so that many Japanese ships would be enfiladed and hit from several angles. In this sense the Crane Wing formation shared similarities with the late 19th and early 20th century battleship tactic of 'Crossing the T'. French frigate Poursuivante firing raking fire in enfilade on a British ship of line French frigate Aréthuse and English frigate Amélia exchanging defilade fire on the shores of Guinea, the 7th of February 1813 Enfilade and defilade are military tactical concepts used to describe a fighting units... In the illustration, the blue ships are crossing the T of the red ships. ...

The Japanese tactic was to put their fastest ships in the vanguard to keep the Korean ships occupied, then move their larger ships rapidly to close in, grapple, and board the Korean ships. However, this tactic played right into Admiral Yi's plan, as the Japanese rowed deeper into the trap. The volume and range of Korean cannon fire prevented the Japanese from employing their favorite tactic and the two wings of the crane formation would envelope, surround and finally have the effect of "crowding in" the Japanese ships, making it difficult to manuever or retreat and "packing" in the ships and present an easier target for Korean cannons.

Second phase of the battle

Wakizaka Yasuharu was a highly aggressive commander and one of the legendary "Seven Spears of Shizugatake," having gained fame in the battle that solidified Hideyoshi's claim to be Oda Nobunaga's successor. It is clear from his tactics in the Battle of Hansan Island that Wakizaka tried to get as close as possible to the Korean ships so he can grapple and board them. Wazikaka not only followed the six Korean ships through the Kyonnaeryang Strait with his entire fleet of 73 ships, but pressed as quickly as possible into the center of the crane wing formation, oblivious to the fact that he was exposing his ships to the Korean fleet's concentrated firepower. The Seven Spears of Shizugatake (七本槍, Shizugatake no shichi-hon-yari) were the top generals of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who sought to control Japan at the end of the 16th century. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

The battle continued from the mid-morning to the late afternoon. Some boarding of Japanese ships by the Koreans did take place, but Admiral Yi only allowed it if the ship was already crippled and damaged. Commanders Wakizaka Sabei and Watanabe Shichi'emon were killed. Commander Manabe Samanosuke committed seppuku aboard his burning, sinking ship. Wakizaka Yasuharu himself was hit by several arrows, but none penetrated his armor. After losing 59 ships, Wakizaka abandoned his flagship and boarded a faster, lighter ship. In total, 14 Japanese ships were able to retreated from the immediate area of the battle. However, many of the surviving ships were damaged so badly that they had to be abandoned in some of the surrounding islands that dotted the southern Korean coast. Only a few ships ever made it back to the Japanese base at Pusan Harbor. “hara-kiri” redirects here. ... Pūsan is also a Vedic Hindu god. ...

Aftermath

Admiral Yi's victory at Hansan Island effectively ended Hideyoshi's dreams of conquering Ming China, which was his original goal in invading Korea. The supply routes through the Yellow Sea had to be open in order for his troops to have enough supplies and reinforcements to invade China. Thus, Konishi Yukinaga, the commander of the contingent of troops in Pyongyang could not move further north due to lack of supplies, nor could more troops be sent to him because there was not enough food to feed them. It took five times the resources in food and men to move supplies via the land route over Korea's primitive roads. Furthermore, moving supplies overland left them vulnerable to attacks by regular Chinese and Korean forces as well as Korean irregular or guerrilla forces (the Righteous Armies 의병/義兵) that were becoming increasingly active as the war progressed. For other uses, see Ming. ... Konishi Yukinaga (小西 行長 Konishi Yukinaga, born 1555 and died November 6, 1600) was a Japanese (Christian) daimyo under Toyotomi Hideyoshi. ... Not to be confused with PyeongChang. ... Irregular soldiers in Beauharnois, Quebec, 19th century. ... Look up guerrilla in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In Korea, during the long period of Japanese invasion and occupation from 1890 to 1945, the disbanded imperial guard, and Confucian scholars, as well as farmers, formed successive armies to fight for Korean freedom on the Korean peninsula. ...

After the battle of Hansan Island (and the battle of Angolpo shortly afterwards), Hideyoshi found it necessary to give a direct order to his naval commanders to cease all unnecessary naval operations and limit activity to the immediate area around Pusan Harbor. He told his commanders that he would come to Korea personally to lead the naval forces himself, but Hideyoshi was never able to carry through on this as his health was deteriorating rapidly.

The battle of Hansan Island was the most important battle of the Imjin War. It ensured that all the fighting would be in Korea, not China, and that Pyongyang would be the furthest northwestern advance of the Japanese armies (to be sure, Katō Kiyomasa's second contingent's brief march into Manchuria was Japan's northernmost advance, however, Manchuria was not a part of Imperial China in the 16th century). It can be argued that the battle was one of the most important in East Asian history up to that point. Had Hideyoshi been able to invade China and conquer a large part of it, his plans were to also invade the Philippines and other commercially important islands in the East and South China seas. Hideyoshi's larger war plans, supported in much written documentation, was nearly identical to Imperial Japan's blue print for conquest in the second half of the 20th century. Statue of Katō Kiyomasa in front of Kumamoto Castle Katō Kiyomasa (, July 25, 1562-August 2, 1611) was a daimyō during the Sengoku and Edo periods of Japanese history. ... Manchuria (Manchu: Manju; Traditional Chinese: 滿洲; Simplified Chinese: 满洲; pinyin: MÇŽnzhōu, Russian: ) is a vast territorial region in northeast Asia. ... The ensign of Imperial Japanese Navy was a prominent symbol of Imperial Japan. ...

International Recognition

George Alexander Ballard (1862–1948), a vice admiral of British Royal Navy, complimented Admiral Yi's winning streaks by the Battle of Hansando highly: The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore the Senior Service). ...

"This was the great Korean admiral's crowning exploit. In the short space of six weeks [actually about 9 weeks, May 7, 1592 – July 7, 1592] he had achieved a series of successes unsurpassed in the whole annals of maritime war, destroying the enemy's battle fleets, cutting his lines of communication, sweeping up his convoys, imperilling the situation of his victorious armies in the field, and bringing his ambitious schemes to utter ruin. Not even Nelson, Blake, or Jean Bart could have done more than this scarcely known representative of a small and cruelly oppressed nation; and it is to be regretted that his memory lingers nowhere outside his native land, for no impartial judge could deny him the right to be accounted among the born leaders of men." (The Influence of the Sea on The Political History of Japan, 57p)

References

• Hawley, Samuel 2005 The Imjin War: Japan's Sixteenth-Century Invasion of Korea and Attempt to Conquer China. Republic of Korea and U.S.A.: Co-Published by The Royal Asiatic Society and The Institute of East Asian Studies, University of California, Berkeley.
• Turnbull, Stephen 2002 Samurai Invasion: Japan's Korean War. Great Britain: Cassell & Co.
• Sohn, Pow Key (edited by) 1977 Nanjung Ilgi: War Diary of Admiral Yi Sun-Shin. Republic of Korea: Yonsei University Press.

Dr Stephen Turnbull is an historian specialising in eastern military history. ...

See also

• The Four Campaigns of Admiral Yi during the Imjin Year (1592)