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Propagating the Image of Admiral Yi Sun-shin to the Western World: A History of Japan by James Murdoch, Which is the book of playing the Role of connecting link.

Seok Yeong Dal 1

1해군사관학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

Homer Bezaleel Hulbert and George Alexander Ballard have been noticed as the two main figures in the propagation of the image of Admiral Yi Sun-shin to the West. Hulbert was a ‘Koreaphile’ who introduced Admiral Yi to the Western world. Ballard was a high-ranking Royal Navy officer who favorably compared Admiral Yi to Admiral Nelson and otherwise touted his accomplishments. However, there is a missing link in the propagation of the image of Admiral Yi to the West between the efforts of Hulbert and Ballard. That link is ‘James Murdoch.’ This study examined Murdoch who has long been marginalized in Korean academia even though his book on Japanese history has been an important part of the propagation of the image of Admiral Yi abroad. Murdoch faced many difficulties in his life. After much wandering around the world, he finally settled down in Japan where he wrote A History of Japan, his three-volume masterpiece on Japanese history. The second volume included 16th century Japanese history and so discussed the Imjin War in which Japan invaded Korea and in which the legend of Admiral Yi began. What is particularly interesting about this work is that it also draws the comparison between Admiral Yi and Admiral Nelson. This comparison did not originate with Murdoch, but actually arose from Japanese sources in the 1890s. In the late 19th century, the Japanese wanted the power of the Japanese navy to surpass that of Western navies. They appropriated the legendary history of Admiral Yi in pursuit of this goal. It was in this context that the comparison between Admiral Yi and Admiral Nelson arose. However, this comparison did not last long because of the performance of Tōgō Heihachirō in the Battle of Tsushima (1905). In this battle, Tōgō soundly defeated the Russian navy, causing him to become a source of pride in Japan, so the Japanese had no further need to compare Admiral Yi to Admiral Nelson. However, Murdoch’s history was published in 1903 before the Tōgō had achieved his famous victory, a time when the comparison between Admiral Yi and Admiral Nelson was still prevalent. Murdoch wrote about this comparison because it was so popular at the time and Ballard quoted from Murdoch’s history. It was through this process that the image of Admiral Yi was propagated to the Western world more broadly.

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