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The Re-examination of the Battle of Sachŏn-Focusing on the Cause of Defeat and its impact

Moon HyungJoon 1

1한양대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to re-examine the Battle of Sachŏn in 1598, focusing on the cause of the defeat and the impact of the battle. This will help to reconstruct the battle and reveal the reality of the Imjin War. After stopping the attacks of the early Japanese Second Invasion of Korea in 1597 (丁酉再亂), the Chosŏn-Ming allied forces launched a counterattack at Ulsan, but failed. Yang Hao (楊鎬) planned the Operation Advancing Four-ways to make up for the failure, and Sachŏn was selected as one of the objectives of the operation. But the Japanese fortified this area in 1597, and 15,000 troops under the command of Shimazu Yoshihiro (島津義弘) were stationed around Sachŏn. In September 1598, Dong Yiyuan's (董一元) 29,000 Chosŏn-Ming allied forces began to advance, capturing the support castles (支城) and approaching the Japanese castle at Sachŏn. At first, it seemed that the allied forces were superior, but the gunpowder explosion accident caused confusion, and the Ming forces were defeated with heavy losses due to the Japanese counterattack that took full advantage of this opportunity. Although the explosion accident was decisive, the allied forces were also hampered by a fundamental limitation. Their military strength was insufficient to attack the heavily fortified Japanese castle, and their supplies were inadequate. And the solidarity of the Ming troops, which consisted of combined forces, was weak. Moreover, the cavalry from the northern region was not suitable for attacking the castle. On the other hand, the Japanese fought skillfully and efficiently against the allied forces. After the defeat in the Battle of Sachŏn, the Ming army lost it's will to fight. In this respect, the Battle of Sachŏn was a decisive battle that changed the Ming's attitude in the final stage of the Imjin War.

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