Wikipedia

Ōei Invasion

The Ōei Invasion (応永の外寇, Ōei no gaikō), also known as the Gihae Expedition (Korean: 기해동정; Hanja: 己亥東征; RR: Gihae dongjeong),[12] was a 1419 Joseon invasion of Tsushima Island, which is located in the middle of the Tsushima Strait between the Korean Peninsula and Kyushu.[13]

Ōei Invasion
DateJune 20, 1419 – July 3, 1419
(1 week and 6 days)
Location
Tsushima Island, Japan
Result

Strategic Joseon victory, ultimatively inconclusive

  • Withdrawal of Korean forces from Tsushima Island[1][2]
  • Wokou stopped their activities in Korea[3]
Belligerents
Tsushima Wokou Joseon dynasty
Commanders and leaders
Absent Yu Jeong-hyeon [ko]
Yi Jongmu
Park Sil
Strength

Unknown, largely absent

600[citation needed]

17,885[4]

200 ships
Casualties and losses

Korean records:[5][6]
129 ships
1,939 destroyed homes
119 dead (executed)
21 captured[7][8]
Japanese records:[9]

123 dead

Korean records:[10]
120 dead
Japanese records:[9][11]

2,500-3,700 dead
Korean campaign against Tsushima
Japanese name
Kanji応永の外寇
Korean name
Hangul제3차 대마도 정벌
Hanja第三次對馬島征伐
Alternative Korean name
Hangul기해동정
Hanja己亥東征

The third and largest suppression of Tsushima (對馬島 征伐) took place in 1419 (first year of the reign of Sejong), named after the zodiac of that year. It was preceded by the first suppression that took place in February 1389 and the second from December 1396. Both ended with the goal of eradicating pirate activity in the area. It is named after the hexagenerian zodiac of that year.

The Japanese identifying phrase derives from the Ōei era (1394–1428), which is the Japanese era name of the calendar system in use in Japan.[14]

Background edit

The immediate cause of the conquest was the incident on May 5, 1419, when 39 warships captured Cape Dodu (都豆音串) in Biin County (庇仁縣) on their way to the Ming dynasty. In this battle, the Joseon side lost 7 military ships and suffered heavy losses, including most of its crew.

In the 13th century, Wokou established themselves in the Tsushima Island area, conducting raids on the Korean mainland. The conflict between the court in Nara and Kyoto caused the central authority to be unable to limit pirate activity, while indirectly exacerbating it due to the accompanying political chaos.[15] Tsushimas economy was heavily reliant on trade with Korea.[15] It was used as a "frontier territory" and a diplomatic meeting place between Korea and Japan, but was considered historically by Koreans as a vassal or dependent state of Goryeo and Joseon.

The intensity of pirate activity was especially high from 1350 (reign of Chungjeong) In particular the reign of U (1374-1388) oversaw a total of 378 raids, an average of 27 times a year, threatening not only the coast of the South Sea but also the capital city of Gaegyeong and entering deep into the interior. In addition to looting, the Wokou also committed murder, kidnapping, and arson.

The first proposal to occupy Tsushima was made in 1387 by a military official called Jeongji (鄭地), but was not adopted.

The Goryeo military was busy with a expedition into the Liaodong in 1388, which caused the defenses in the south to be neglected and the Wokou to use this opportunity to raid the island of Yanggwang (楊廣道).

In response, the first suppression of Tsushima numbering around 100 ships was carried out led by the general Pak Wi (Korean: 박위; Hanja: 朴威), the provincial commander of Jeolla province Kim Jong-yeon (金宗衍), the provincial commander of Gyeonggi province Choe Chil-seok (崔七夕) and the local commander Park Ja-an (朴子安) and the Goryeo army cleared the island of Wokou, burned down 300 ships and rescued more than 100 Korean prisoners. There is no mention of any engagement with the Wokou.

Following the 1389 campaign, the Wokou momentum waned, but did not completely disappear after the transition from Goryeo to Joseon. From 1393 (Taejo 2) to 1397 (Taejo 6), a total of 53 incursions occurred. One event in particular, in August 1396 120 warships invaded Gyeongsang province and attacked Dongnae (東萊). Kim Sa-hyeong (김사형, 金士衡) Namjae (南在) and Yi Mu (李茂) were tasked with the suppression of Tsushima and Iki island and returned to Seoul in January 1397.

Following January 1398 Joha (朝賀) (On the occasion of the winter solstice where vassals and courtiers would pay their respects to the king) envoys from Tsushima came to Joseon court almost every year and would bring offerings and receive rice and beans in return. These envoys were sent by the Doju (島主, "island chief") Jeong Jeong-mu (宗貞茂, Sadashige Sō) and his sons, as well as by the aristocracy of the island. The concurring number of merchants visiting Korea increased rapidly, which led to various troubles. The Joseon government subsequently announced that traders are allowed entry to Busanpo (釜山浦) and Naeipo only on ships with a certificate of passage. Afterwards, there were many Wa (倭, ethnonym for Japanese) living in this area which according to the government officials caused unrest, while also attempting to sabotage the state authorities. In response in March 1418 Taejong he set up Japanese enclaves in Yeompo (鹽浦) and Gabae-ryang (加背梁) in Gyeongsang province.

Joseon subsequently requested the Ashikaga shogunate and its deputy in Kyūshū to properly deal with pirate activity in their vicinity. Sō Sadashige died in 1418 and was succeeded as governor of Tsushima by his infant son Sadamori (宗貞盛). Sōda Saemontarō, a subordinate of the Sō clan and a Wokou leader was one of the leaders of the pirates.

After receiving reports of these incidents, the Korean court approved an expedition of Tsushima. King Taejong withdrew from politics in 1418 but was still in charge of military affairs. On May 14th Taejong held a council and appointed Yi Jeong-mu to guard the route to Tsushima. On June 8th Taejong dispatched Yu Jeong-hyeon as the leader of the expedition.[16]

Invasion edit

The Koreans waited until a large Wokou fleet had left the island to raid the Liaodong peninsula.[17] Yi Jong-mus fleet of 227 ships and 17,285 soldiers, as well as 65 days of food, departed from Juwon Bangpo (周原防浦) and arrived on the next day Tsushima on June 20, 1419.[13] in Asō Bay (浅茅湾).

Yi Jong-mu first sent a letter to the governor demanding surrender, but when he received no reply, he landed and attacked. They captured 129 Wokou ships, burned 1,939 houses, beheaded 114 enemy soldiers, took 21 prisoners, and recovered 131 Chinese prisoners.[5] On June 29, the Joseon expeditionary forces "set fire to 68 houses belonging to the pirates, burned 15 vessels belonging to the pirates, beheaded 9 pirates, and obtained 15 Chinese men and women and 8 Joseon people who had been held in captivity.[6] In the record of July 10, the number of soldiers killed by Wokou was 180.[10] On the other hand, according to Kanmon Nikki (看聞日記), a diary written by Prince Fushiminomiya Sadafusa (ja) on August 13, citing a report sent by Shoni Mitsusada (ja), the Tsushima side entered the battle with a cavalry force of about 700 cavalrymen and fought especially hard all day on June 26, killing over 3,700 Koreans by July 2.[11] According to the Taishuu Chronenryaku, which was a Japanese source compiled later, the death toll of the Korean army was 2,500.[9]

On July 3, the Korean army withdrew to Geoje Island,[1] and according to the July 9 Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty, one of the high-ranking officials advised the king that it was not a good idea to sail out again because the soldiers' morale was already low, the ship's equipment was damaged, and the wind was getting stronger.[2] According to the July 22 record, one of the high-ranking officials said that the Chinese had seen the defeat of the Korean army and could not let them return to China knowing the Korean's weakness.[18] After that, the Korean army did not return to Tsushima.

Aftermath edit

On July 17, the Joseon government sent a written letter to Tsushima demanding its surrender. After a while of negotiations on the terms of surrender and post-war settlement, the two sides finally agreed as follows in January 1420: First, Tsushima Island will be placed as the 12th division Sokju (屬州) under the jurisdiction of Gyeongsang province, Second, Tsushima will be bestowed the 13th division of Imsin (印信) requested by Tsushima, and third, the envoy from Tsushima will immediately bring the Lord of Tsushima. In other words, the Joseon government wanted to convert Tsushima into peaceful diplomats to the extent that it would satisfy some of the economic demands of Tsushima Island.[19]

In 1443, 24 years after the invasion, the Treaty of Gyehae was signed between Joseon and the daimyo (Japanese feudal lords), which stipulated that 50 Japanese trading ships could enter Joseon ports each year. As a result, wokou gradually declined.[20] The treaty allowed the Sō clan to monopolize Japanese trade with Korea.[21] In 1510, Japanese traders revolted against Joseon's stricter policies on Japanese traders from Tsushima and Iki coming to Busan, Ulsan and Jinhae to trade. The Sō clan supported the uprising, but it was eventually suppressed by local authorities. The uprising was later came to be known as the "Disturbance of the Three Ports".

A more restrictive treaty was re-imposed under the direction of King Jungjong in 1512, but this Treaty of Imsin was enacted only under strictly limited terms, and only 25 ships were allowed to visit Joseon annually until "Japanese riots in Saryangjin" (사량진왜변, 蛇梁鎭倭變) in 1544.[22] Korean exports included rice, cotton, ginseng, and Sutra texts.[23] In exchange, the Sō clan provided copper, tin, sulfur, medicinal herbs, and spices from both Tsushima island and Japan.[24] The Sō clan became a trading hub between Korea and Japan and benefited greatly from it. The relationship between Korea and residents of Tsushima Island greatly improved thereafter; there were numerous records of hospitality towards shipwrecked Korean sailors who ended up on the island, and merchants from Tsushima Island enjoyed special privileges in Korean ports.

According to Japanese sources edit

In Kyoto, rumors of the invasion spread around the end of the June 1419. The raid was associated with the Mongol invasions of Japan. By August, Shōni Mitsusada, the overlord of the Sō clan, reported to the Ashikaga shogunate that the Shōni's deputy Sō Uemon had defeated Korean invaders. However, Korean captives were reported to have stated that forces from Ming China were planning to invade Japan. Since shōgun Ashikaga Yoshimochi took a harder stance toward the Ming than his father Yoshimitsu, the threat was taken seriously by the shogunate. Later, the shōgun received a report from the Kyūshū Deputy. Since it was considerably different from the Shōni's version, the shōgun felt the necessity of examining Korea's real intentions.

In a letter to Sō Sadamori issued on 15 July, the Joseon claimed that Tsushima belonged to Gyeongsang Province and asked him to leave the island, either by coming to the Korean mainland and submitting himself or by retreating to Japan. In August, a man who claimed to be an envoy of Sō Sadamori arrived in Korea. The conditions he presented seemed unsatisfactory to the Joseon. Taejong made similar demands of the envoy in September. Sejong Sillok, the same self-claimed envoy, agreed to Korea's proposal to put Tsushima under the rule of Gyeongsang Province. The Korean court approved of this agreement. However, in later negotiations it was revealed that the envoy was not actually a representative of Sō Sadamori.

In November 1419, envoys of Ashikaga Yoshimochi visited Korea. In return, King Sejong sent Song Hui-gyeong to Japan.[25] The diplomatic mission left the Joseon capital in early 1420 and met with Soda Saemontaro on Tsushima as Sō Sadamori stayed with the Shōni clan in Hizen Province. Sō Sadamori arrived in Kyoto in April. Having accomplished his mission, he left Kyoto in June, returning to Korea after completing negotiations with the Shōni and Sō clans in Kyūshū. This trip corrected mutual misunderstandings between Japan and Korea. In Tsushima, Song received a protest from Soda Saemontaro over a Korean document that stated Tsushima's dependence on Korea. He warned of the Shōni clan's possible military action. Song realized that Sō Sadamori had not been involved in the previous negotiations, and also learned of the Sō clan's vassalage to the Shōni clan. These realizations overturned Korea's plans towards Tsushima. In Kyoto, Song clarified that the Joseon had no intention of invading Japan. On their way back, Korean envoys faced the Sō and Shōni's hard-line attitude toward the Joseon.

In April 1421, a letter from Sō Sadamori demanded the return of Japanese captives and pointed out Korea's claim over Tsushima. It is noted that the Japanese envoy took advantage of the shogunate's authority, which can frequently be found in the Sō clan's later diplomatic talks with Korea. By the order of Taejong, Korea took a tough stance against the Sō clan. Although Soda's messengers visited Korea several times, they did not reach a settlement until 1423. The death of the hard-line Taejong in May 1422 softened Korea's policy toward Japan. Under Sejong, Joseon relinquished its claims to Tsushima and decided to grant trade privileges to the Sō clan in exchange for its duty to maintain trade order.

According to Korean sources edit

In 1419, King Sejong, under the advice of his father and former king Taejong, decided to attack the wokou at Tsushima while the pirates were engaged in raids against China. In May 1419 notice of this plan was sent as an ultimatum to the Tsushima province authorities. In the war declaration against Tsushima government, the king claimed Tsushima, known as Daemado in Korean, had degraded because of the lack of interference on pirate activities by the local authority. Korea repeated necessary involvement in the island's operations, by aiding in the recent famine and general trade route policing led the ruler to declare the land would be reclaimed by force in order to protect the integrity of the region.

During the conflicts, 180 Korean soldiers were killed.[26] In the July 1419, Taejong sent a letter to Tsushima's Sō Sadamori laying claim to the historical repossession of Tsushima with the Korean victory in war. Once again the land was Korean territory as it had been under the Kingdom of Silla.[27] An arrangement was proposed for Tsushima to enter into a tributary relationship. In the September 1419 Sadamori sent an emissary to surrender the territory and to present a variety of tribute to the Korean court. In January 1420, a Japanese envoy visiting Seoul requested to have a copy of Tripitaka Koreana, a comprehensive Buddhist script held in great regard as a Korean national treasure. Sejong granted the request as sign of friendship between two countries. Sadamori requested that the island officially become a state of Korea under the name of Daemado, also promising to personally become a subject and to manage the wokou situation as an independent act of the state. Sejong granted this request as well as allowing Sadamori to report to Gyeongsang Province rather than Seoul.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b 이종무 등이 수군을 이끌고 돌아와 거제도에 머물다 (in Korean). National Institute of Korean History. Archived from the original on 22 July 2020. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  2. ^ a b 이원이 막 돌아온 수군을 돌려 다시 대마도 치는 것이 득책이 아님을 고하다 (in Korean). National Institute of Korean History. Archived from the original on 26 October 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  3. ^ Seoh, M. (1969). A Brief Documentary Survey of Japanese Pirate Activities in Korea in the 13 th—15 th Centuries. Journal of Korean Studies (1969-1971), 1(1), 23-39. Retrieved January 20, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/23849476
  4. ^ 대마도정벌-한국민족문화대백과 Tsushima expedition-Encyclopedia of Korean Culture (in Korean)
  5. ^ a b 대마도에 도착하여 성과를 올리다. 이에 앞서 상왕이 행군이 늦음을 문책한 교지 (in Korean). National Institute of Korean History. Archived from the original on 5 November 2019. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  6. ^ a b 이로군의 접전에서 박실이 많은 군사를 잃었으나 마침내 적이 물러나 수호를 빌다 (in Korean). National Institute of Korean History. Archived from the original on 7 January 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  7. ^ Annals of King Sejong Vol.4 June 20. National Institute of Korean History.
  8. ^ Annals of King Sejong Vol.4 June 29. National Institute of Korean History.
  9. ^ a b c 応永の外寇 (in Japanese). Kotobank/Encyclopedia Nipponica. Archived from the original on 15 April 2023. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  10. ^ a b 대마도에서 180명이 전사하다 (in Korean). National Institute of Korean History. Archived from the original on 8 January 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  11. ^ a b 看聞日記 (in Japanese). National Museum of Japanese History. Archived from the original on 16 June 2023. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  12. ^ Tan, Isaac C.K. (2021-02-28). "Beyond Frontiers and Borderlands: A Reexamination of Tsushima's/Taema-Do's Geopolitical Position in Fifteenth Century East Asia". International Journal of Korean History. 26 (1): 67–116. doi:10.22372/ijkh.2021.26.1.67. ISSN 1598-2041. S2CID 233841742.
  13. ^ a b Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Ōei no Gaikō" in Japan encyclopedia, p. 735; n.b., Louis-Frédéric is pseudonym of Louis-Frédéric Nussbaum, see Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Authority File Archived 2012-05-24 at archive.today
  14. ^ Seminar für Japanologie der Universität Tübingen (in German) Archived 2010-01-22 at the Wayback Machine Nengo Calc (in English) Archived 2007-09-30 at the Wayback Machine
  15. ^ a b Lewis, James B (2003-09-11). Frontier Contact Between Choson Korea and Tokugawa Japan. ISBN 9780203987322. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  16. ^ 『태종실록(太宗實錄)』
  17. ^ Pirate of the Far East: 811-1639 （Author：Stephen Turnbull）
  18. ^ 박실이 대마도에서 패군할 때의 상황을 알고 있는 중국인을 보내는 데 대한 의논 (in Korean). National Institute of Korean History. Archived from the original on 15 June 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
  19. ^ "대마도 정벌 (對馬島 征伐)", 한국민족문화대백과사전 [Encyclopedia of Korean Culture] (in Korean), Academy of Korean Studies, retrieved 2024-04-13
  20. ^ "wakō". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 7 February 2023. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  21. ^ Tsushima tourist Association WEB site [1] Archived 2018-09-17 at the Wayback Machine"1443　嘉吉条約（発亥約定）- 李氏朝鮮と通交条約である嘉吉条約を結び、歳遣船の定数を定める。これにより、宗家が朝鮮貿易の独占的な地位を占めるようになる。"
  22. ^ "の検索結果 - 国語辞書 - goo辞書". Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  23. ^ 世界大百科事典内言及. "朝鮮貿易(ちょうせんぼうえき)とは - コトバンク". コトバンク. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  24. ^ Korea, 1400–1600 A.D. | Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  25. ^ Kang, Etsuko H. (1997). Diplomacy and Ideology in Japanese-Korean Relations: from the Fifteenth to the Eighteenth Century, p. 275.
  26. ^ "조선왕조실록의 홈페이지에 오신 것을 환영합니다". Archived from the original on September 26, 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
  27. ^ South Korea's current claims of sovereignty over Tsushima Islands is based on notes in the "Silla Bongi" [Silla section] (新羅本紀), in the Samguk Sagi [Chronicle of the Three Kingdoms] (三國史記, completed in Korea in 1145), and the Sejong Sillok [Annals of King Sejong] (世宗實錄, 1431.

External links edit

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