The Battle of Haengju took place on 14 March 1593 during the 1592–1598 Japanese invasion of Korea. The Japanese attack failed to overcome the fortress

Haengjusanseong Haengjusanseong () is an ancient Korean fortress in Deogyang District, Goyang, South Korea. On January 21, 1963, it was designated Historic Site of South Korea No. 56. It was built during the Three Kingdoms of Korea period, possibly around the ...

Background

Gwon Yul was stationed at the fortress Haengjusanseong, a wooden stockade on a cliff over the Han River. Haengju posed a threat to

Hanseong The region now corresponding to Seoul, South Korea has been inhabited since the Paleolithic Age. It has been the capital of a number of kingdoms since it was established. Prehistoric It is believed that humans were living in the area that is n ...

(modern Seoul and capital of Joseon) due to its proximity, so the Japanese attacked it in March.

Battle

The Japanese attack led by

Konishi Yukinaga Konishi Yukinaga (小西行長, baptized under the Portuguese personal name Agostinho; 1558 – November 6, 1600) was a Japanese daimyō who served under Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Known as a Kirishitan daimyo, he is notable for his role as the ...

happened on 14 March 1593 with 30,000 men. They took turns attacking the stockade due to the limited space. The Koreans retaliated with arrows, cannons, and

hwacha The ''hwacha'' or ''hwach'a'' () was a multiple rocket launcher and an organ gun of similar design which were developed in fifteenth century Korea. It resembled a wooden cart with a launch pad attached, and it had up to 200 tiny Sin'gijŏn, sing ...

. After three attacks, one with siege tower, and one where

Ishida Mitsunari was a Japanese samurai and military commander of the late Sengoku period of Japan. He is probably best remembered as the commander of the Western army in the Battle of Sekigahara following the Azuchi–Momoyama period of the 16th century. He ...

was wounded,

Ukita Hideie was the ''daimyō'' of Bizen and Mimasaka Provinces (modern Okayama Prefecture), and one of the council of Five Elders appointed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Son of Ukita Naoie, he married Gōhime, a daughter of Maeda Toshiie. Having fought a ...

managed to breach the outer defenses and reach the inner wall. However, he was wounded as well and had to fall back. In the last attack

Kobayakawa Takakage was a samurai and daimyō (feudal military lord) during the Sengoku period and Azuchi–Momoyama period. He was the third son of Mōri Motonari who was adopted by the Kobayakawa clan and became its 14th clan head. He merged the two branches of ...

burned a hole through the fort's log pilings, but the Koreans managed to hold them back long enough for it to be repaired. When the Koreans had nearly run out of arrows, I Bun arrived with supply ships containing 10,000 more arrows, and they continued to fight on until dusk when the Japanese retreated.

Aftermath

Aside from the defeat, the Japanese situation became even more tenuous after Zha Dashou led a small group of raiders to

, burning more than 6,500 tons of grain. This left the Japanese with less than a month of provisions. After several negotiations with Shen Weijing, the Japanese abandoned Hanseong on 17 May 1593. What

Li Rusong Li Rusong (1549–1598) was a Chinese general of the Ming dynasty from Tieling, Liaodong. He was a Ming army commander in the first half of the Imjin War that took place in the Korean peninsula. Upon the request of the Korean King Seonjo of ...

and

Song Yingchang Song Yingchang (; 1536－1606) was an administrative official during the Ming dynasty, most famously known for managing the first Ming campaign of the Imjin War during 1592-1593 . Career Song entered public service in 1565, during his career he hel ...

witnessed upon entering the city was a people who "looked like ghosts."

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * 桑田忠親 uwata, Tadachika ed., 舊參謀本部編纂, yu Sanbo Honbu 朝鮮の役 housen no Eki��(日本の戰史 ihon no SenshiVol.5), 1965. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

External links