x At the Battle of Sacheon, one of the very few casualties was
suffered by Admiral Yi, who was shot in the shoulder by a Japanese
musket. This incident also proved prophetic, in that Yi would suffer
several more combat injuries, culminating in his death in battle.x The driving force behind the invasion was the Japanese warlord
Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He joined the army of one of Japan’s lords as
a common foot soldier, repeatedly distinguished himself in battle,
and rose to the level of general.x Some opportune deaths combined with his own talent and ambition
allowed Hideyoshi to become one of the major powers in Japan,
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island of Japan, Kyoshu. The conquest of Kyoshu had involved a
large-scale amphibious landing, and this may have given Hideyoshi
the idea for the invasion of Korea.x Kyoshu is separated from the Korean mainland by only 30 miles
of water, known as the Tsushima straits. Several islands in the
straits provide useful way points and visual guidance. It is an easy
crossing—not only an important trade route but an invasion path
both to and from Japan.Japanese Naval Warfare
x For the Japanese, battles at sea were simply extensions of land
combat, and they attempted to use similar tactics. Thus, Japanese
warships were designed less as weapons in their own right than as
platforms for infantry, and the main tactic in naval battles was to
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hand-to-hand. Primitive cannon were in use but were rarely placed
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from the personal weapons carried by her crew.
x The samurai had a long tradition of excellence at archery, and
every samurai would have been trained in the use of the Japanese
longbow. Recently, however, gunpowder had arrived on Japanese