Battle of Pungdo
Part of the First Sino-Japanese War
Ukiyoe by Kobayashi Kiyochika dated August 1894
Date 25 July 1894 Location off Asan, Korea Result Japanese victory
Combatants
Japan	China
Commanders
Admiral Tsuboi Kozo
Strength
3 cruisers	1 cruiser, 2 gunboats
Casualties
0 (killed & wounded)	1,100 (killed & wounded)

The Battle of Pungdo (Japanese: 豊島沖海戦) was the first naval battle of the First Sino-Japanese War. It took place on 25 July 1894 offshore Asan, Chungcheongnam-do Korea between cruisers of the Imperial Japanese Navy of Meiji Japan and components of the Beiyang Fleet of Qing China. Combatants Qing Empire (China) Empire of Japan Commanders Li Hongzhang Yamagata Aritomo Strength 630,000 men Beiyang Army, Beiyang Fleet 240,000 men Imperial Japanese Army, Imperial Japanese Navy Casualties 35,000 dead or wounded 13,823 dead, 3,973 wounded The First Sino–Japanese War (Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: Zh... Ukiyo-e (浮世絵, a Japanese term meaning pictures of the floating world) is a style of painting, but is more commonly associated with a type of woodcut printmaking that became popular in Japan in the 18th and 19th centuries. ... July 25 is the 206th day (207th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 159 days remaining. ... 1894 (MDCCCXCIV) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Asan is a city in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. ... Korea (Korean: (ì¡°ì„  or 한국, see below) is a geographic area, civilization, and former state situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia. ... Combatants Qing Empire (China) Empire of Japan Commanders Li Hongzhang Yamagata Aritomo Strength 630,000 men Beiyang Army, Beiyang Fleet 240,000 men Imperial Japanese Army, Imperial Japanese Navy Casualties 35,000 dead or wounded 13,823 dead, 3,973 wounded The First Sino–Japanese War (Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: Zh... Combatants Japan China Commanders Field Marshal Yamagata Aritomo General Li Hongzhang Strength 10,000 13,000 – 15,000 Casualties 102 (killed), 433 (wounded), 33 (missing) 2,000 (killed); 4,000 (wounded) The Battle of Pyongyang (Japanese: 平壌作戦) was the second major land battle of the First Sino-Japanese War. ... The Battle of the Yalu River, also called simply The Battle of Yalu took place on September 17, 1894. ... Combatants Japan China Commanders Field Marshal Yamagata Aritomo General Sung Cheng Strength 10,000 15,000 Casualties 4 (killed), 140 (wounded) The Battle of Jiulingchieng (Japanese: 鴨緑江作戦) was a minor land battle of the First Sino-Japanese War between the forces of of Meiji Japan and Qing China. ... Combatants Japan China Commanders Lieutenant General Yamaji Motoharu General Li Hongzhang Strength 15,000 13,000 Casualties 29 (killed), 233 (wounded) 4,500 (killed) The Battle of Lüshunkou was a major land battle of the First Sino-Japanese War. ... Combatants Qing Empire (China) Empire of Japan Commanders Li Hongzhang Yamagata Aritomo Strength 630,000 men Beiyang Army, Beiyang Fleet 240,000 men Imperial Japanese Army, Imperial Japanese Navy Casualties 35,000 dead or wounded 13,823 dead, 3,973 wounded The First Sino–Japanese War (Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: Zh... July 25 is the 206th day (207th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 159 days remaining. ... 1894 (MDCCCXCIV) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Asan is a city in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. ... Chungcheongnam-do (South Chungcheong) is a province in the west of South Korea. ... Korea (Korean: (ì¡°ì„  or 한국, see below) is a geographic area, civilization, and former state situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia. ... USS Port Royal (CG-73), a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser, launched in 1992. ... The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) (: 大日本帝國海軍 Shinjitai: 大日本帝国海軍 or 日本海軍 Nippon Kaigun) or sometimes referred to as the Combined Fleet was the Navy of Empire of Japan (Dai Nippon Teikoku) from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japans constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling... Emperor Mutsuhito Mutsuhito or Mitsuhito (睦仁), the Meiji Emperor (明治天皇, literally wise ruling heaven emperor) (3 November 1852–30 July 1912) was the 122nd Emperor of Japan. ... Ding Yuan, the flagship of Beiyang Fleet The Beiyang Fleet (Traditional Chinese: 北洋艦隊; Simplified Chinese: 北洋舰队; Pinyin: Bêiyáng Jiàndùi) was one of the four modernised Chinese navies in the late Qing Dynasty. ... The Qing Dynasty (Chinese: ; Pinyin: QÄ«ng cháo; Wade-Giles: Ching chao; Manchu: daicing gurun), occasionally known as the Manchu Dynasty, is a Chinese term for the Empire of the Great Qing (Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: dàqÄ«ngguó), founded by the Manchu clan Aisin Gioro, in what...

The Battle

At 0700 on 25 July 1894, the Japanese cruisers Yoshino, Naniwa and Akitsushima, which had been patrolling in the Yellow Sea off of Asan, Chungcheongnam-do, Korea, encountered the Chinese cruiser Tsi-yuan (済遠) and gunboat Kwang-yi (広乙). These vessels had steamed out of Asan is order to meet another Chinese gunboat, the Tsao-kiang (操江), which was convoying a transport toward Asan. The two Chinese vessels did not return the salute of the Japanese ships as required under International Maritime regulations, and when the Japanese turned to the southwest, the Chinese opened fire. July 25 is the 206th day (207th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 159 days remaining. ... 1894 (MDCCCXCIV) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The Yoshino, 1892. ... The Naniwa (Japanese:浪速) was an 1885 cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy. ... ... Asan is a city in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. ... Chungcheongnam-do (South Chungcheong) is a province in the west of South Korea. ... Korea (Korean: (ì¡°ì„  or 한국, see below) is a geographic area, civilization, and former state situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia. ... A gunboat is literally a boat carrying one or more guns. ...

After an exchange of fire for over an hour, the Tsi-yuen broke off the engagement and escaped; however, the Kwang-yi was stranded on some rocks, and its gunpowder magazine exploded. In the meantime the Tsao-kiang and the transport vessel Kow-shing (高陞), flying a British civil ensign and conveying some 1200 Chinese troops and stores, had the unfortunate timing of appeared on the scene. The civil ensign (a. ... The Beiyang Army (北洋軍 bÄ›iyáng-jÅ«n) was a powerful and Western-appearing Chinese military force created by the Qing dynasty government in the late 19th century. ...

The Tsao-kiang was quickly captured, and the Kow-shing was ordered to follow the Japanese cruiser Naniwa to the main Japanese squadron. However, the Chinese soldiers on board revolted, and threatened to kill the English captain, Galsworthy, unless he took them back to China. After four hours of negotiation, when the Chinese troops were momentarily distracted, Galsworthy and the British crew jumped overboard and attempted to swim to the Naniwa, but were fired upon by the Chinese troops. Most of the sailors were killed，but Galsworthy and two crewmen were rescued by the Japanese. The Naniwa then opened fire on the Kow-shing, sinking her and her mutineers. A few on board (including German military advisor Major von Hanneken) escaped by swimming ashore.

Chinese casualties were approximately 1100 against none for the Japanese.

Aftermath of the battle

The Naniwa was under the command of Captain (later Admiral) Togo Heihachiro. The sinking of the Kow-shing almost caused a diplomatic incident between Japan and Great Britain, but British jurists ruled that the action was in conformity with International Law regarding the treatment of mutineers. Admiral Togo at the age of 55, shortly before the Russo-Japanese War Fleet Admiral Count Tōgō Heihachirō (東郷 平八郎 Tōgō Heihachirō OM, January 27, 1848 - 30 May 1934) was a Japanese Admiral and one of Japans greatest naval heroes. ... This article or section is missing references or citation of sources. ...

The sinking was also specifically cited by the Chinese government as one of the “treacherous actions” by the Japanese in their declaration of war against Japan.

References

• Chamberlin, William Henry. Japan Over Asia, 1937, Little, Brown, and Company, Boston, 395 pp.
• Jane, Fred T. The Imperial Japanese Navy (1904)
• Kodansha Japan An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1993, Kodansha Press, Tokyo ISBN 4-06-205938-X
• Lone, Stewart. Japan's First Modern War: Army and Society in the Conflict with China, 1894-1895, 1994, St. Martin's Press, New York, 222 pp.
• Paine, S.C.M. The Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895: Perception, Power, and Primacy, 2003, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, MA, 412 pp.
• Warner, Dennis and Peggy. The Tide At Sunrise, 1974, Charterhouse, New York, 659 pp.
• Wright, Richard N. J.The Chinese Steam Navy 1862-1945 Chatham Publishing, London, 2000, ISBN 1861761449