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The Book of Corrections: Reflections on the National Crisis During the Japanese Invasion of Korea, 1592-1598
English (translation)Original Korean
- GenresHistory
249 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 28, 2020
I finished this extraordinary true account of Joseon's involvement in the Imjin War from 1592 to 1597 and oh my gosh, I feel like I don't even have words for how much I loved reading this. I feel like it is incredible on so many levels.
As a fan of Joseon history, I learned so much through this book, but it feels like more than that. I think maybe because of the first-person memoir style narration, it really reminds you that these were real people who lived real lives and it brings you in very close to something that otherwise feels very far away. It is so strange to be a modern reader with access to the thoughts and descriptions of a man who actually lived through this terrible and tragic war. The language is straight forward and accessible too, despite being written five hundred years ago and I found the footnotes extremely helpful in understanding the context behind the text.
This account was created as a book of corrections, and it is filled with instances of terrible management of the war effort by the Joseon king and most of the men in charge. Of course, there were exceptions, but it felt like anyone who had good ideas or strategies was blocked at every turn by political in-fighting and higher ups with something to gain or lose. The Korean armies were not trained and under-equipped (to the point where volunteer armies were raised across the whole country, as the military consistently collapsed at every battle) and the men in charge were most often not military men, and very few had a head for strategy. The Korean army was up against a formidable foe of trained samurai seasoned by a period of civil unrest in Japan (and of course, this being war, it was very gruesome – this isn't in the book but I did learn from background reading about the 39,000 noses cut from Korean men, women and children during the Imjin war that were brought back to Japan by samurai as proof of death, and which still lie in a monument mound in modern Kyoto today ... so intense!)
The whole book was an incredible reading experience for a Joseon history buff like me, but I think one stand out section was the lead up to (think riots and evacuations and the king deserting his people) and the actual battle for Pyongyang (the first one when the Koreans were driven out and the Japanese armies moved in to the fortress to occupy the city). This was written in such a descriptive first-hand account way that really stood out for me. The author witnessed this terrifying battle himself and describes the events in detail. and now, 500 years later, I am able to read this account translated into English. Far out.
I am really keen to read more memoir style accounts of Joseon history, but am not too sure what else is out there. But I am going to have a look!
As a fan of Joseon history, I learned so much through this book, but it feels like more than that. I think maybe because of the first-person memoir style narration, it really reminds you that these were real people who lived real lives and it brings you in very close to something that otherwise feels very far away. It is so strange to be a modern reader with access to the thoughts and descriptions of a man who actually lived through this terrible and tragic war. The language is straight forward and accessible too, despite being written five hundred years ago and I found the footnotes extremely helpful in understanding the context behind the text.
This account was created as a book of corrections, and it is filled with instances of terrible management of the war effort by the Joseon king and most of the men in charge. Of course, there were exceptions, but it felt like anyone who had good ideas or strategies was blocked at every turn by political in-fighting and higher ups with something to gain or lose. The Korean armies were not trained and under-equipped (to the point where volunteer armies were raised across the whole country, as the military consistently collapsed at every battle) and the men in charge were most often not military men, and very few had a head for strategy. The Korean army was up against a formidable foe of trained samurai seasoned by a period of civil unrest in Japan (and of course, this being war, it was very gruesome – this isn't in the book but I did learn from background reading about the 39,000 noses cut from Korean men, women and children during the Imjin war that were brought back to Japan by samurai as proof of death, and which still lie in a monument mound in modern Kyoto today ... so intense!)
The whole book was an incredible reading experience for a Joseon history buff like me, but I think one stand out section was the lead up to (think riots and evacuations and the king deserting his people) and the actual battle for Pyongyang (the first one when the Koreans were driven out and the Japanese armies moved in to the fortress to occupy the city). This was written in such a descriptive first-hand account way that really stood out for me. The author witnessed this terrifying battle himself and describes the events in detail. and now, 500 years later, I am able to read this account translated into English. Far out.
I am really keen to read more memoir style accounts of Joseon history, but am not too sure what else is out there. But I am going to have a look!
September 24, 2017
Great first hand account of the Imjin war. Extensive footnotes on all the people and places mentioned. Also very frustrating to read at points (the Koreans were definitely not prepared for warfare when the Japanese invaded and seemed to bungle everything up at the beginning).
July 15, 2015
Read once and pass on. This book is a translation of the firsthand account of the Imjin war written by the Supreme Commander and Chief State Counselor at the time of the Japanese invasion.
For a complete understanding of the war, it is not nearly as helpful as Samuel Hawley's "The Imjin War". However, this book gives an interesting insight into the Korean mind at the time of the war. The analysis of what went wrong is very different than what would have resulted from a Western reflection. Whereas we would spend the bulk of our time on strategic mistakes, Yu spends much of his time discussing the character (or lack there of) of key players. The strategic analysis plays a secondary seat to the moral analysis. A deeply Confucius mindset.
For a complete understanding of the war, it is not nearly as helpful as Samuel Hawley's "The Imjin War". However, this book gives an interesting insight into the Korean mind at the time of the war. The analysis of what went wrong is very different than what would have resulted from a Western reflection. Whereas we would spend the bulk of our time on strategic mistakes, Yu spends much of his time discussing the character (or lack there of) of key players. The strategic analysis plays a secondary seat to the moral analysis. A deeply Confucius mindset.
June 5, 2013
Affordable books in English about the Imjin War are few and far between. This book was not only affordable, but it was source material, written by Yu Seong-ryong, a man who was deeply involved in both the political and military affairs of the Choson Korean State during the invasion. Anyone interested in Korean (Or even Chinese or Japanese) history should read this book.
March 29, 2015
Reading primary source material (in translation) about this period of Korean History is such a treat.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews