Battle of Seonghwan
Part of the First Sino-Japanese War
Ukiyoe by Mizuno Toshikata dated August 1894
Date 28 - 29 July 1894 Location near Asan, Korea Result Japanese victory
Combatants
Japan	China
Commanders
Major General Oshima Yoshimasa
Strength
4,000	3,500
Casualties
82 (killed & wounded)	500 (killed & wounded)

The Battle of Seonghwan (Japanese: 成歓作戦) was the first major land battle of the First Sino-Japanese War. It took place on 29 July 1894 at Seonghwan, outside of Asan, Chungcheongnam-do Korea between the forces of Meiji Japan and Qing China. It is sometimes also referred to as the Battle of Asan (Japanese: 牙山作戦 ). 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. ... (Redirected from 28 July) July 28 is the 209th day (210th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 156 days remaining. ... July 29 is the 210th day (211th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 155 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 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. ... 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 29 is the 210th day (211th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 155 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. ... 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. ... 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

Charged with implementing the Imperial Japanese Army's commission from new Korean government to expel the Chinese Beiyang Army from Korean territory by force, a detachment of the First Japanese Army consisting of 4000 men under command of Major General Oshima Yoshimasa marched south from Seoul towards the major port city of Asan. The Imperial Japanese Army (: 大日本帝國陸軍 Shinjitai: 大日本帝国陸軍 Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun) was the official ground based armed force of Japan from 1867 to 1945 when it was Imperial Japan. ... The Beiyang Army (北洋軍 běiyáng-jūn) was a powerful and Western-appearing Chinese military force created by the Qing dynasty government in the late 19th century. ... Seoul (Sŏul 서울) ) is the capital and largest city of South Korea (Republic of Korea). ... Asan is a city in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. ...

The Chinese forces stationed at Asan numbered approximately 3500 men. Reinforcements, expected from China, had been lost in the naval Battle of Pungdo on 24 July 1894. 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. ... July 24 is the 205th day (206th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 160 days remaining. ... 1894 (MDCCCXCIV) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

The two forces met just outside Asan in a sharp engagement lasting from 1500 hours on 28 July to 0730 hours on 29 July 1894. The Chinese gradually lost ground to the superior Japanese numbers, and finally broke and fled towards Pyongyang. Chinese casualties included 500 killed and wounded against 82 for the Japanese. July 28 is the 209th day (210th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 156 days remaining. ... July 29 is the 210th day (211th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 155 days remaining. ... 1894 (MDCCCXCIV) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Pyongyang (평양 / 平壤) is the capital city of North Korea, located in the bottom third (almost direct center) of the country, situated on the Taedong River. ...

Aftermath of the battle

The victorious Japanese army returned to Seoul on 5 August 1894. Following this battle, formal declarations of war were issued by the Emperor of China and the Emperor of Japan. August 5 is the 217th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (218th in leap years), with 148 days remaining. ... 1894 (MDCCCXCIV) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The emperor or huángdì (皇帝) of China was the head of government and head of state of China from the Qin dynasty in 221 BC until the fall of the Qing dynasty in 1911. ... His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Akihito. ...

References

• Chamberlin, William Henry. Japan Over Asia, 1937, Little, Brown, and Company, Boston, 395 pp.
• 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.