ABSTRACT
The Japanese invasion of 1592 came on Chosŏn like a storm, and Yoshino Jingozaemon 吉野甚五左衛門 was at the forefront of the invading force. Yoshino vividly recounts how the attackers slaughtered defenders and civilians alike, such that he reminded himself of the ‘demons of hell’. Yoshino struggled, however, to reconcile his conviction in the superior prowess of the Japanese samurai with the reality of the Chinese military might, after Ming reinforcements forced the Japanese into retreat. The result is a nuanced account of the 1592–1593 invasion, glorifying the warriors of Japan even while questioning the whole campaign. Yoshino’s account offers a glimpse of how Japanese participants justified their actions, and the real challenge the war posed to their sense of Japanese superiority.
