Japanese armies advance into the peninsula
Toyotomi Hideyoshi sent armies into Korea in 1592, intending a further campaign against Ming China. Troops captured Hanyang and advanced north, while the court withdrew. Local militia resisted, and naval commanders including Yi Sun-sin attacked Japanese shipping. Ming forces intervened, extending the conflict across East Asian military networks. Supply, transport and garrisons shaped operations. Civilians faced deaths, looting and displacement as campaigns repeatedly moved through settlements and agricultural areas that supported both armies and households.
Campaigns and negotiations damage household life
Campaigns alternated with negotiations, consuming grain while disease and hunger increased losses. A renewed Japanese invasion in 1597 brought further fighting. Artisans and other captives were taken to Japan; displaced potters later influenced ceramic production there, alongside lasting family separation. Temples, offices and records suffered destruction. Diaries and military accounts preserve experiences beyond commanders’ decisions, documenting how residents sought survival while administration and supplies broke down within regions repeatedly occupied or contested by opposing armies.
Withdrawal leads to rebuilding and diplomacy
Japanese forces withdrew after Hideyoshi’s death in 1598. Korea faced damaged fields, disrupted populations and depleted revenues. Survivors returned or resettled, and officials restored records and production. Relations later resumed with the Tokugawa government through missions and regulated trade, while memories shaped understanding. Repairing towns, temples and institutions took years of work by residents and authorities. Material losses and forced movements continued affecting crafts, households and regional relationships within the societies that emerged after the armies departed.