The Japanese invasion of Korea in 1592 unleashed a brutal conflict known in the West as the Imjin War. Forces from Korea and their ally, Ming China, resisted the Japanese, finally ending the war in 1598. The initial Japanese invasion witnessed the largest maritime expedition ever assembled, as over 150,000 samurai sailed from japan to Korea. Over the course of the war, the Korean navy led by the national hero Yi Sun Sin eroded Japan's ability to maintain its forces in Korea.

This book brings together scholarship from English, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean sources. Examining the historical factors which led to the war, some of the technological developments which facilitated the conflict, and the armies and leaders that met in this seminal conflict, this book offers readers a view of the Imjin War's place in history and its impact on relations between Korea, China, and Japan in the twenty first century.