This study aimed at examining various reactions that local people showed when the Japanese army invaded Hamgyeong-do. For this, this study accessed the Hamgyeong-do case to investigate the Japanese army's invasion of the region and subsequent practice...
This study aimed at examining various reactions that local people showed when the Japanese army invaded Hamgyeong-do. For this, this study accessed the Hamgyeong-do case to investigate the Japanese army's invasion of the region and subsequent practice of occupational policy, and the reactions of the local people.
Only two months after outbreak of the Imjin war, the Japanese army reached Hamgyeong-do. Soon after they arrived in the region, they practiced policy aimed at conquering the region. The policy the Japanese army carried out in Chosun Dynasty[朝鮮] territory was the one Toyotomi Hideyoshi[豊臣秀吉] had conducted in the unifying Japan. The primary goal of the policy was to stabilize the local people by issuing ‘Ginjei[禁制]’ or ‘Okitegaki[掟書]’. Immediately after arriving in Anbyeon(安邊), Kat. Kiyomasa[加藤淸正] made an official announcement to comfort and stabilize the local people. He said that the local people did not have to worry about their presence because Toyotomi Hideyoshi sent the Japanese army for changing the Dynasty's government. He wanted to stabilize the local people and induce residents who had escaped into the mountains to return to their villages.
In the meantime, groundless rumors criticizing king Seonjo were circulating among people in Hamgyeong-do, when they were informed of the Japanese army's impending invasion of their area soon after outbreak of the Imjin war. Such rumors unstabilized the local people and some people even captured government officials and handed them over to the Japanese army. Guk, Gyeong-in(鞠景仁), Guk, Se-pil(鞠世弼), and Jeong, Mal-su(鄭末守) in northern part of Myeongcheon(明川), led an uprising to conquer the region in cooperation with the Japanese army. Especially, Guk, Gyeong-in in Hoeryeong(會寧) handed over two Chosun Dynasty princes, Imhae-gun(臨海君) and Sunhwa-gun(順和君), to KatÞ and surrendered to the Japanese army. In addition, Jin, Dae-yu(陳大猷) willingly cooperated with the Japanese army. The circulation of groundless rumors, the outbreak of civil uprising, vigorous cooperation with Japan were caused by a combination of various factors such as sluggish local economy and the cental government's lack of attention in Hamgyeong-do.
After conquering Hamgyeog-do, the Japanese army made preparations to plunder grain, while conducting a appeasement policy. They collected detailed information on annual tributes from petty officials and, on the basis of this, received grain from people. The existing 『Joseonguk Jo secheop(朝鮮國租稅牒)』, the record on tax details petty officials in six districts of Hamgyeong-do investigated, shows the reality of such occupational policy. The Japanese army resorted to coercive means such as exchanging hostages with annual tributes when plundering grains. These were conducted under the supervision of Dikansyo[代官所].
In the meantime, the Japanese army differentiated its method of conquering Hamgyeong-do according to district. The northern part of Myeongcheon was indirectly ruled via insurgents, while the southern part of Gilju(吉州) was directly ruled by the Japanese army. They choose to different ruling way because the reasons were as follows: first, differences in local people's reactions over Japan's invasion of their region; second, differences in the amount of rice production; third, the threat posed by the Jurchen(女眞族) in the northern part above Myeongcheon.
Due to the Japanese army's reckless grain plundering, the local people who had wanted to depend on the Japanese army at the early stage of the Imjin war became increasingly against the Japanese army. In addition, the new of the Ming army(明軍)'s arriving in Hamgyeong-do stirred the local people further, making them fight against the Japanese army. Jeong, Mun-bu(鄭文孚) and Yun, Tak-yeon(尹卓然) participated in Uibyeong(義兵) force and the government troops respectively.
In conclusion, various reactions such as civil uprising, cooperation with the Japanese army, and the avidities of Uibyeong force's and the government troop were detected in Hamgyeong-do during the Imjin war. After conquering Hamgyeong-do, the Japanese army induced the local people to return to their villages with the appeasement policy. However, they also plundered grains for their soldiers. They also used different ruling methods according to district. Namely, the Japanese army's invasion and conquering of Hamgyeong-do was interrelated to the various reactions of people in Hamgyeong-do.