Battle of Noryang

Template:Battlebox Template:Koreanname noimage The Battle of Noryang Point, also known as the Battle of Noryang or Noryang Sea or Noryang Strait, occurred on December 16(November 19 in Lunar calendar), 1598 between the Korean and Japanese navies. It was the final battle of the Seven Year War. Japanese attempted to retreat to Japan after the death of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The Korean navy, led by Admiral Yi Sun Sin chased the Japanese fleet, and destroyed much of Japanese Fleet, leaving only smaller number to escape. However, Admiral Yi suffered a gunshot wound during the battle and died shortly thereafter, after uttering his famous statement, The battle is still raging. Shield my body and do not proclaim my death.

The Battle

The Japanese army under Konishi Yukinaga had prepared over 500 ships for their final withdrawal from Korea and had hoped for a peaceful return to their home territory on the Tsushima Islands. Having learned of their intentions and their location, Admiral Yi, along with his Chinese counterparts, resolved to defeat the Japanese fleet once and for all, hoping that through this, the Japanese would never attack Korea again.

The battle opened while the Japanese were still loading troops. A small fleet of Chinese and Korean ships engaged the first Japanese ships just outside the harbor. After the first shocks, the Japanese stopped loading their troops and began to try to expel the attack. Help arrived in the form of a fleet under Wakizaka Yasaharu and Shimazu Yoshihiro, but the ships were confronted by Admiral Yi's main fleet, cut off from Konishi's troops. The Japanese vessels charged full sail against the Joseon/Ming navy, only to be blown to bits by Joseon cannons. After learning that Admiral Yi was commanding the Korean fleet, the Japanese commanders lost all courage and started to leave the harbor, hoping to avoid any conflict. However, since Admiral Yi commanded most of the exits, a brutal exchange did occur. Wakizaka Yasaharu was slain in the midst of battle, and while his fleet engaged in a hopeless confrontation against the Joseon/Ming combined navy, Konishi led his ships to a quiet retreat, meeting no resistance by the distracted warships. At the height of the battle, Admiral Yi was shot by a stray musket shot, after which he was hidden to avoid letting the Japanese know that he had died. While the majority of the Japanese fleet was sunk at the battle, a great number of Japanese soldiers still managed to return to Tsushima, unhindered in part because of Admiral Yi's death.

See also

• List of Korea-related topics
• History of Korea
• Joseon Dynasty
• Yi Sun Sin