Battles & Wars › Gunpowder empires › Admiral Yi Sun-sin
Battle of Myeongnyang
October 26, 1597· Battle· Asia & Pacific
Well documentedSolid records, physical evidence or scientific consensus.
Admiral Yi Sun-sin, with 13 ships, turned back a Japanese fleet of over 130 in a narrow tidal strait off southwest Korea.
See it on the Battles & Wars map →What happened
Two months earlier, Korea's navy had been almost wiped out at Chilcheollyang. Reinstated, Yi Sun-sin had 13 warships left. He chose the Myeongnyang Strait, between Jindo island and the mainland, where the tide runs fast and only a few ships fit side by side. Japanese warships, about 133 by Korean count, crowded in against the current. Yi's flagship held on until the tide turned; about 30 Japanese ships were sunk or disabled, and the fleet withdrew. Korea lost no ships.
Why it matters
It stopped Japan from sailing up Korea's west coast to supply its armies, and restored Korean morale after near-total defeat at sea.
Think of it like
Like defending a property through one narrow entrance: numbers count for little when only a few can get through at once.
How we know
Yi's own war diary (Nanjung ilgi) and his reports to the court describe the battle; Japanese sources confirm the death of the commander Kurushima Michifusa.
Still debated
The Japanese fleet's size is disputed, with estimates from about 130 to over 300 counting transports. The story of iron chains strung across the strait is probably legend.
Connections (2)
▸Admiral Yi Sun-sin won, with just 13 ships, the Battle of MyeongnyangWell documented
The connection
Restored to command after the Korean fleet was destroyed at Chilcheollyang, Yi had only about 13 ships. He chose the Myeongnyang Strait, a narrow channel with some of Korea's strongest tidal currents, where numbers counted for little. His flagship held the narrows almost alone at first; when the tide turned, Japanese ships fell into confusion and around 30 were destroyed.
When and how
Myeongnyang Strait (Uldolmok), between Jindo Island and the mainland, October 26, 1597; Yi against a Japanese fleet including Tōdō Takatora and Kurushima Michifusa, who was killed.
How we know
Yi's war diary describes the battle, his report to the king before it said 'I still have 12 ships', and Japanese records confirm the defeat.
Debates and open questions
Japanese fleet size (estimates from about 130 to over 300 ships) is disputed, and the story of iron chains strung across the strait is unconfirmed.
▸Battle of Myeongnyang stopped Japan's second invasion at sea in Imjin War (Japanese invasions of Korea)Mostly agreed
The connection
Japan's second invasion in 1597 aimed to seize Korea's southwest and send its fleet up the west coast to support the army. Myeongnyang blocked that sea route within weeks of Ming troops checking the land advance at Jiksan. The Japanese pulled back to forts on the south coast, and after Hideyoshi's death in 1598 they withdrew entirely.
When and how
Southwest Korea, autumn 1597; Yi's rebuilt fleet, Ming and Korean armies, and the Japanese forces of Hideyoshi's second invasion.
How sure are we?
Korean and Japanese records agree the Japanese navy turned back after Myeongnyang, and the ruins of their south-coast forts (waeseong) still stand.
Debates and open questions
Historians debate whether Myeongnyang, the land battle at Jiksan, or the coming winter did most to halt the second invasion.