Cause & Context
After unifying Japan, Toyotomi Hideyoshi launched an invasion of Joseon Korea with 140,000 troops, intending to conquer Ming China; King Seonjo appealed urgently to Beijing for intervention.
Epochal Overview
Emperor Wanli dispatched armies under General Li Rusong and Admiral Chen Lin across the Yalu River, recapturing Pyongyang and decisively crushing the Japanese navy alongside Admiral Yi Sun-sin at Noryang.
Key Figures
Ming commanders Li Rusong and Deng Zilong fought alongside Korean naval hero Yi Sun-sin, who perished heroically at the Battle of Noryang.
Civilizational Impact
The Imjin War shattered Japan's continental expansionism, prompted the Tokugawa Shogunate's isolationism, and preserved the regional East Asian balance of power for three centuries.