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.

Background

Due to setbacks in land and sea battles, the Japanese armies had been driven back to their network of fortresses, or wajō (和城), on the southeastern Korean coast. However, the wajō could not hold the entire Japanese army, so, in June 1598, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the Taikō who instigated the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598), and also the acting Japanese Lord of War, ordered 70,000 troops mostly from the Japanese Army of the Right to withdraw to the archipelago.

The Sunch’on wajō was the westernmost Japanese fortress and contained 14,000 troops commanded by Konishi Yukinaga, who was the leader of Japan’s vanguard contingent during the first invasion, in 1592. Yi Sun-sin and Chen Lin blocked Konishi from retreat.

On 15 December, about 20,000 Japanese troops from the wajō of Sach’on, Goseong, and Namhae boarded 500 ships and began to mass east of the Noryang Strait in an attempt to break the allied blockade of Sunch’on. The overall commander of this relief force was Shimazu Yoshihiro, the leader of the Sach’on wajō.

The objective of the allied fleet was to prevent the link-up of Shimazu’s fleet with the fleet of Konishi, then attack and defeat Shimazu’s fleet. The objective of Shimazu’s fleet was to cross Noryang Strait, link up with Konishi and retreat to Busan. Shimazu knew that Konishi was trying to cause disunity within the Joseon-Ming alliance and hoped that they would be busy elsewhere or still blockading the Sunch’on wajō and thus vulnerable to an attack from their rear.

Battle

On 15 December, a huge Japanese fleet was amassed in Sach’on Bay, on the east end of the Noryang Strait. Shimazu was not sure whether the allied fleet was continuing the blockade of Konishi’s wajō, on its way to attack an abandoned wajō further east, or blocking their way on the western end of Noryang Strait.

The Joseon fleet consisted of 82 panokseon multi-decked oared ships. The Ming fleet consisted of six large war junks (true battle vessels most likely used as flagships) that were driven by both oars and sails, 57 lighter war ships driven by oars alone (most likely transports converted for battle use), and two panokseon provided by Yi. In terms of manpower, the allied fleet had 8,000 sailors and marines under Yi, 5,000 Ming men of the Guangdong Squadron, and 2,600 Ming marines who fought aboard Korean ships, a total of almost 16,000 sailors and fighting men.

The Japanese had 500 ships, but a significant part of their fleet consisted of light transports. The Japanese ships were well-armed with arquebuses and also had some captured Joseon cannon. The allied fleet was outnumbered, but made up for it with ships which, on average, had superior firepower and heavier, more sturdy construction.

The allied fleet waited for Shimazu on the west end of Noryang Strait. The battle began around 2:00 am on 16 December.

As in Yi’s previous battles, the Japanese were unable to respond effectively as the Korean and Chinese cannon fire prevented them from moving. When the Japanese fleet was significantly damaged, Chen ordered his fleet to engage in melee combat. This allowed the Japanese to use their arquebuses and fight using their traditional fighting style of boarding enemy ships. When Chen’s flagship was attacked, Yi had to order his fleet to engage in hand-to-hand combat as well.

By the middle of the battle, as dawn was about to break, the allied fleet had the upper hand and half of Shimazu’s fleet was either sunk or captured. It was said that Yoshihiro’s flagship was sunk and that he was clinging to a piece of wood in the icy water. Japanese ships came to his rescue, pulling him to safety. During the course of the battle, the ships fought from the west end of the strait all the way across to the east end, almost to the open water. The Japanese sustained heavy damage and began to retreat along the south coast of Namhae Island, towards Pusan

Yi’s death

As the Japanese retreated, Yi ordered a vigorous pursuit. During this time a stray arquebus bullet from an enemy ship struck him near the armpit, on his left side. Sensing that the wound was fatal, the admiral uttered, “We are about to win the war – keep beating the war drums. Do not announce my death.”

Only three people witnessed Yi Sun-sin’s death including Yi Hoe (his eldest son), his adjutant Song Hui-rip, and Yi Wan, his nephew. They struggled to regain their composure and carried Sun-sin’s body into his cabin before others could notice. For the remainder of the battle, Wan wore his uncle’s armor and continued to beat the war drum to let the rest of the fleet know that the Admiral’s flagship was still in the fight.

Chen’s ship was again in trouble, and Yi’s flagship rowed to his rescue. Yi’s flagship fought off and sank several Japanese ships, and Chen called for Yi to thank him for coming to his aid. However, Chen was met by Wan who announced that his uncle was dead. It is said that Chen himself was so shocked that he fell to the ground three times, beating his chest and crying.

Aftermath

Out of 500 Japanese ships under Shimazu’s command, an estimated 200 were able to make it back to Busan Harbor (other Joseon archives record that Shimazu’s remnants were fiercely pursued by Yi Sun-sin’s fleet: only 50 ships of Shimazu’s armada ever managed to escape). Konishi Yukinaga left his fortress on 16 December and his men were able to retreat by sailing through the southern end of Namhae Island, bypassing both the Noryang Strait and the battle. Although he knew the battle was raging, he made no effort to help Shimazu. This led to the loss of crucial supply lines that caused the inevitable loss of all Japanese strongholds in Korea. Konishi Yukinaga, Shimazu Yoshihiro, Katō Kiyomasa, and other Japanese generals of the Left Army congregated in Busan and withdrew to Japan on 21 December. The last ships sailed to Japan on 24 December.

Yi Sun-sin’s body was brought back to his home town in Asan to be buried next to his father, Yi Chong (in accordance with Korean tradition). The court gave him the posthumous rank of Minister of the Right. Shrines, both official and unofficial, were constructed in his honor. In 1643, Yi was given the title of chungmugong, “duke/lord of loyal valor”.

Chen gave a eulogy while attending Yi’s funeral. He then withdrew his forces to Ming China and received high military honors. Joseon officials feared another Japanese invasion and requested the Ming army to remain. The Ming agreed and left behind a force of 3–4,000, which aided Joseon efforts in rebuilding and training forces until 1601.

Megathreads and spaces to hang out:

reminders:

  • 💚 You nerds can join specific comms to see posts about all sorts of topics
  • 💙 Hexbear’s algorithm prioritizes comments over upbears
  • 💜 Sorting by new you nerd
  • 🌈 If you ever want to make your own megathread, you can reserve a spot here nerd
  • 🐶 Join the unofficial Hexbear-adjacent Mastodon instance toots.matapacos.dog

Links To Resources (Aid and Theory):

Aid:

Theory:

  • Torenico [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
    2·
    32 minutes ago

    Last exam for the year, it’s over, time to rest for a bit from University. I had a fantastic result in it…, after all it’s my favourite subject: History of Colonization and Decolonization, literally just history of Africa (mostly western and eastern Africa) and India, with bits of Algeria, South Africa and Congo/Angola thrown in…, so I had to give it the best I have.

    This is the place where I became in direct contact with great authors like Walter Rodney, Frantz Fanon (His works are starting to be appreciated once again), Aimé Césaire (Please read Discourse on Colonialism), Kwame Nkrumah, Amílcar Cabral, Edward Said, Vijay Prashad (whom I had the great pleasure of meeting in person), Jawaharlal Nehru, Samir Amin, Jacques Pouchepadass, Shashi Tharoor and many others, some are marxists while others are not, yet everyone has pretty cool works on Africa and India and the inner workings of colonization and it’s administration as well as slavery and it’s absolutely devastating effect in Africa.

    This summer I’ll be signing up for a seminar about “Decolonization in North Africa and in the Middle East: The role of Women”, it promises to be an excellent experience. I’ve reached a point in my studies where I have to give shape to my would-be specialization, that’ll be focused basically on the Middle East and Africa with Pan-Arabism and Pan-Islamism as the link between them and what relation they have with decolonization (including of course MLs and other leftist movements).

  • WhatDoYouMeanPodcast [comrade/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
    1·
    15 minutes ago

    A person on dating app uses one word answers and adversarial language for a few text volleys. I ask them their next travel destination. It’s a place I’ve been to, so I make a pointed & subtle insult about how much nicer they treat me than “people who couldn’t care less if they tried.” I’m pretty sure the convo’s going to be over in the next volley anyway but it’s good for the algorithm to farm responses.

    They’re suddenly pleasant and curious about me. They want to know about my trip. I want to crash out so bad - feeling like I’m not worth listening to is like a high speed rail towards being upset for me. I just gotta be curious about the connection - I want to figure out whether the turn of heart means they want to know more about the person I am or if they’re just seeking shiny things. It’s the difference between people who see my brown belt and ask me how tough I think their students are or if they see that I’m a goofball who has the resilience to stick to a goal for years and years.

  • miz [any, any]@hexbear.netEnglish
    4·
    36 minutes ago

    (cw: billionaire heir kidnapping, billionaire heir mutilation)

    Getty was kidnapped in the Piazza Farnese in Rome at 3 a.m. on July 10, 1973, when he was 16. According to his girlfriend Martine Schmidt, he had toyed with the idea of getting himself kidnapped by petty criminals when the couple were struggling to make ends meet, but changed his mind when both of them began working as models for photographers. She stated that “Paul didn’t want to be kidnapped anymore, but the kidnappers continued following him.” He was blindfolded, transported, and imprisoned in a cave in Calabria. The kidnappers issued a ransom note demanding $17 million (equivalent to $117 million in 2023) in exchange for his safe return; however, the family suspected a plot by the rebellious teenager to extract money from his grandfather.

    John Paul Getty Jr. asked his father J. Paul Getty for the money, but his grandfather refused, arguing that his 13 other grandchildren could also become kidnap targets if he paid. The kidnappers sent a second demand, but its arrival was delayed by an Italian postal strike. As time wore on, Paul’s treatment by his captors grew worse; they took away his radio, killed a bird that he had taken as a pet, and began playing Russian roulette against his head.

    In November 1973, a daily newspaper received an envelope containing a lock of hair, a human ear, and a threat from the kidnappers to mutilate Paul further unless they were paid $3.2 million (equivalent to $22 million in 2023). The letter read, "This is Paul’s first ear. If within ten days the family still believes that this is a joke mounted by him, then the other ear will arrive. In other words, he will arrive in little bits." Paul’s health began to decline rapidly as his wound became infected, combined with pneumonia. His captors were alarmed at this sudden decline and gave him large doses of penicillin to treat the infection, which caused him to develop an allergy to the antibiotic and further affected his health. Getty’s biographer John Pearson attributed his later alcoholism to the large amounts of brandy that he was plied with in the last few months of his captivity to keep him warm and numb his pain.

    After Paul’s ear was sent, his grandfather agreed to pay no more than $2.2 million, the maximum amount that was tax deductible, and lent the remainder to his son, who was responsible for repaying the sum at four percent interest. Paul was found alive on December 15, 1973 in a petrol station of Lauria in the province of Potenza shortly after the ransom was paid. At his mother’s suggestion, he called his grandfather to thank him for paying the ransom, but J. Paul Getty refused to come to the phone.

    imagine your billionaire granddad making your father repay him for the amount he loaned your dad to get you back from kidnappers that wasn’t tax deductible… and charging interest

  • DeathToBritain [she/her, they/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
    7·
    3 hours ago

    video on piece of media called a ‘deep dive’

    look inside, it’s just another shitty 2 hour plot summary

    no analysis of themes, links to a wider movement in genre, authorial development among works

    every damn time meow-tableflip

  • LocalOaf [they/them, ze/hir]@hexbear.netEnglish
    5·
    3 hours ago

    jfk-gaming

    Is there anyway to install dlc on Xbox 360 nowadays? I like playing old games I like when I listen to my slop before bed and the marketplace is shut down years ago. Could you install dlc from an external drive if someone has it already downloaded and transfer it to a different console? I want the MW3 dlc for the spec ops levels and survival mode and BO1/2 dlc for zombies and mp bot maches but idk if it’s possible anymore. I want to build a PC eventually but it’d be nice if there’s a way to still do this on hardware I already own.

  • GalaxyBrain [they/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
    6·
    3 hours ago

    While my kitty was up in my shoulder getting pats and purring away I asked “who made you so cute? Was it José?” A name I picked at random, here ears perked up and she left at the mention. I think I stumbled on to something

  • Thorngraff_Ironbeard [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
    8·
    4 hours ago

    Fucking Reddit man. I was navigating between the subs I still use when I see some pretty horrific gore on a default sub with not so much as a NSFW tag. It involved someone’s arm and every so often I think about it and grab my arm and cringe.

  • GrosMichel [none/use name]@hexbear.netEnglish
    5·
    3 hours ago

    Posts in estranged parents’ forums are vague. Members recount stories with the fewest possible details, the least possible context. They don’t recreate entire scenes, repeat entire conversations, give entire text exchanges; they paraphrase hours of conversation away. The only element they describe in detail is their own grief or rage. Nor do the other members press them for more information.

    Compare this with the forums for adult children of abusers, where the members not only cut-and-paste email exchanges into their posts, they take photos of handwritten letters and screenshot text conversations. They recreate scenes in detail, and if the details don’t add up, the other members question them about it. They get annoyed when a member’s paraphrase changes the meaning of a sentence, or when omitted details change the meaning of a meeting. They care about precision, context, and history.

    https://www.issendai.com/psychology/estrangement/missing-missing-reasons.html

    Reading this site since someone linked it was on Reddit talking about how reactionary boomers perceive the world.