"We knew from the start that we are inferior to the enemy, in every aspect from size of weaponry to fighting skills. Then why did we seal the gate and take up arms? To protect our family our friends and our country from the Japanese invaders who have infringed upon our lives with their swords and muskets! There is no weapon greater than unity. If we stand without fear, as one, victory will be ours." - Constable Kim Shi-min of Jinju Fort (named Lord Sang-lak on the 37th year of Sonjo's reign, received the posthumous title of Choong-Moo (loyalty-chivalry) on the 35th year of Sookjong's reign) - Immortal Admiral Yi Sun Shin episode 80.
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Hello all,
Welcome to my new project set in Early Modern Asia; a campaign about the Imjin War, otherwise known as the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598). The Imjin War was always something I've wanted to cover in 1/72 scale ever since I saw Lirui's excellent army project on this website and it was really seeing his miniatures that restarted my progress on 1/72 after many years. Loving both the ancient and medieval periods, I suppose I have some juggling to do, but I intend to go back to ancients at some point. But as to why I wanted to cover the Imjin War: having grown up in the West, with Western cultural influences and European history, the idea of Asian warfare was exotic to me. On some level I want to pay homage to my ethnicity but I also love the designs of the arms, armour and armies of the Asian nations in this period so this project has been gestating for a while; it's something I've wanted to do for a long time. Besides, Samurai look very ornate and I've always wanted to tackle them seriously.
But first the Koreans. There are three kingdoms in this conflict: the Ming Chinese, the Joseon Koreans and the Toyotomi regime. I wanted to start with the Koreans first because I think I'll be going to Korea later this year and it seemed fitting. When I create a new army, I draw up a list of key themes that I want the army to embody. I want the themes of each of the three factions to be distinct, so I wanted something distinctly Korean for this army but also for it to stand out against the others. The idea of the righteous army stood out to me; no other faction had this concept, and it fit the outraged, desperate nature of the Koreans in their national struggle for freedom. This ragtag cobbled together militia army also had the benefit of being visually distinct; the units could be composed of anyone and anything, so I imagined mixed units of irregulars with former professionals, which would be unlike anything else in the Imjin War. For the Joseon Korean Righteous Army, I've decided upon the below:
Themes of the Joseon Korean Righteous Army:
Bearded, topknots
Diverse colours - whites for peasants, blacks and whites for government soldiers, reds, blues, greens, whites, mustards for heavy infantry, greys for monks, unified by brown dirt and grime to show desperation of the situation but also shared adversity regardless of class and wealth
Spot colour: red - for vengeance!
Rough, ad-hoc, ununiform and ragtag, but unified by passionate national spirit
Few banners - to contrast with the other Imjin armies, informal organisation and ranks - unity is shown by close ranked poses
Few swords - mountainous terrain encourages pole weapons
Hilly, mountainous bases / wall bases
To explain the above themes, topknots were common in Joseon Korea, beards were also worn; the Japanese called the Koreans bearded barbarians. Where possible I will add beards with greenstuff on miniatures. The diverse colours of the army explain the adhoc factions of Joseon; ranging from peasants to monks. I would run the risk of units seeming like a band of individuals rather than an army; to dilute this I am adding dirt and grime to the shoes and trousers of the miniatures, which will visually tie the models together but also symbolise the dirty, unglamorous desperation of their war. This also ties into their ragtag theme. Red will be a spot colour in a visual attempt to tie everyone together, traditionally a symbol of passion and violence - very fitting for the nature of this army. I will minimise banners to contrast with the Japanese in particular - who have many, many banners. I'll have less swords as they weren’t practical in Korean warfare. Korea is a very mountainous country, making it very rare for battles to be fought in an open field, which is where swords would be most useful. Instead, battles between armies were usually fought on a slope, which meant swords were less practical. when it came to hand-to-hand combat, the Koreans relied more on polearms (spears, tridents, and pikes). Given Korea is famously mountainous, I intend for all my infantry to have hill bases. However, the Koreans were famously great fighters in defending fortresses. "The Koreans are poor soldiers on the open field and exhibit slight proof of personal valour... but put the same men behind walls... [and] they are more than brave, their courage is sublime, they fight to the last man and fling themselves on the bare steel when the foe clears the parapet. The Japanese of 1592 looked upon the Korean in the field as a kitten, but in the castle as a tiger," William Griffis (1892). I considered an urban wall-fight theme, but it would leave my cavalry units in an awkward position. I ultimately decided on mountain bases, but I am still vaguely open to the possibility of wall bases.
I wanted a name for my army to make it mine, and I was inspired by the real-life example of the righteous army that was titled The Band That Seeks Revenge. Deciding upon a name, I thought of The Band That Knows No Fear, but it seemed a little overdone and obvious. Reading into Korean concepts in Joseon history I came upon a publication that was of the Good and Evil Will and that seemed esoteric enough. Hence, my army is named:
The Band of Good Will
The Band of Good Will is an army formed from the remnants of defeated government armies, peasant militia and monk soldiers. It is an infantry based army, utilising the manpower of the nation. Following the Choson list in Basic Impetus, it will have one unit of guard cavalry, two units of light cavalry, one unit of dual-wielding swordsmen, one unit of regular foot, two units of militia, one unit of crossbowmen (which is historically inaccurate, and will be represented by archers), one unit of skirmishers and one unit of foot with rockets (which the Joseon did have, called seungja-chongtong, but I might represent this unit with more archers) for a total of 10 units. The list has the option for artillery but I want to contrast this army with the Ming Chinese, which are visually similar.
With information for the Joseon Military being quite limited in the English language, I have been collecting information to make sure I get the depiction of the army correctly. I've included my research below and hope it will be helpful for anyone else:
Righteous Armies
There were three distinct groups of resistance: guerrilla bands of civilian volunteers, independent groups of monks-soldiers and regrouped units of government troops.
Private citizens began to take up arms in the early summer of 1592 against the invading Wae (Japanese), and these guerrilla civilian volunteers were called uibyong "righteous armies." Their leaders were mostly upper-class yangban scholars - literate, well-educated landowners who commanded the respect of the peasantry, and often possessed the wealth to outfit private armies. Some had military experience but most were committed amateurs who learned on the job. They were all patriots who wished to protect their land, families, king and despised the Japanese. Beginning in June 1592, one month after the invasion began, these guerrillas harassed the enemy in the south, hit supply lines and attacked strongholds. These armies would combine with government troops and their composition could be varied and diverse. His Majesty issued an order for them to become government troops but they refused, rather being so-called 'hoodlums', not like cowardly, fleeing government troops. His majesty conceded them to be allowed to be a separate body.
Kwak Jae-u, for example, raised a force of volunteers by selling his patrimony to raise money to arm his men. At the Uiryang village he spoke: "The enemy is fast approaching! If you don't stand up and do something now, your wives and your parents and your children will all be slain! Are you going to just sit here and wait for the sword to fall? Or will you join with me now, and got to Chong-am ford! I can see there are hundreds of strong young men among you. If you will make a stand with me at Chong-am; if we can together prevent the Japanese from crossing the river, you will teach the enemy something about the bravery of men in these parts! And you will keep your town safe!"
An example of a combined army was led by Ko Kyong-myong. He was a yangban landowner from Changhung, who recruited peasants, slaves and scholars via posters. King Sonjo sent General Kwak Yong to assist him with his military experience and several hundred government troops. Their combined force reached Kumsan on 16 August 1592. It was one of the first guerrilla armies. They were massacred, but Ko's one surviving son Ko Chong-hu, after the loss of his father and brother at Kumsan, organised his own force of guerrillas under the banner "The Band that Seeks Revenge."
Another leader, Kim Chon-il, had passed the civil service and made it to the middle ranks of public office. He raised 300 men, swearing an oath to fight to the death and sealed the bow with a drink of blood after ancient Korean military custom.
Monk Armies
King Sojo first considered calling upon the nation's monks to fight the Japanese. Prior to the war, the government had supressed them, so any call to arms by him or the government would be ignored, so he entreated the aged Buddhist master Hyujong to organise the nation's monks into a resistance movement. For the previous 2 centuries the monks had been persecuted by the kingdom's neo-confucian elite, whivh believed that Buddhism was competition and to establish neo-confucianism they had to suppress it, though Buddhism had formed the foundation of the Goreyo. Buddhist temples were closed, property was appropriated, the law allowing for the ordination of monks was rescinded, the number of sects was reduced to only two: the Meditation School (Sonjong) and the Doctrinal School (Kyojong).
Hyujong welcomed the opportunity the war provided for his followers to prove their patrotism and worth and therefore win recognition and acceptance from the state, and he owed a personal debt of gratitude to Sonjo, as an instigator for a minor rebellion falsely used Hyujong's name to win the nation's monks to his cause, but Sonjo investigated his case and released him. He was named "Commander of the monk-soldiers of the eight provinces" and issued a manifesto:
"Hold your banners high, and arise, all you monk-soldiers of the eight provinces! Who among you have not been given birth in this land? Who among you are not related by blood to the forefathers? Who among you are not subjects of the king? Confucius taught us to lay down our lives to achieve Benevolence. Sacrificing oneself for a just cause and suffering in the place of the myriad souls is the spirit of Bodhisattvas...
You monk-soldiers of all the monasteries! Abandoning a just cause and swerving from the right path in order merely to survive in hiding - how can this be the proper way? The cunning enemy, the monster, will never take pity on you. Once the land perishes how then do you propose to stay alive? Put on the armour of the mercy of the Bodhisattvas, hold in hand the treasured sword to fell the devil, wield the lightning bolt of the Eight Deitiies, and come forward. Only then can you do your duty. Only then can you find the way to life. Let the aged and the weak pray in the monastery. Let the able-bodied come out with their weapons to destroy the enemy and save the land. Whether or not the people will survive, whether or not the land will remain, depends on this battle. It behooves everyone with the sacred blood of Tan'gun flowing in their veins to defend the country with their lives. When even the trees and grass rise as warriors, how much more should red-blooded people?"
8000 monk-soldiers (sungbyong) answered Hyujong's call to arms. Leaders were Buddhist leaders like Choyong, abbot of Taehung Monastery in Cholla, Yujong, abbot of Kangwon's Naejang Monastery, Yonggyu, abbot of Chongyon monastery in Chungchong, and Yongjong, abbot of Kyonggi province's Chongyong monastery.
Organisation of the Joseon Military
Korea's military was based on an organisational framework that had existed since the beginning of the Joseon dynasty two centuries before. It was based upon the defence structure of the Goreyo, which had followed the Tang structure. The Nation's army consisted of five 'guards.' A Forward Guard for Cholla province, a Rear Guard for Hamgyong Province, Left Guard for Kyongsand Province, Right Guard for Pyongan Province and Middle Guard for the central provinces of Hwanghae, Kyonggi, Kangwon and Chungchong. Each of these five guards maintained army garrisons and naval bases in their respective regions of the peninsula, plus an auxiliary force in Seoul to defend the capital and serve as a national army in times of crisis.
Overall command of Korea's armed forces was in the hands of the General Headquarters of the Five Guards in Seoul. Beneath this body was the nation's top generals - they did not command armies, they were kept in Seoul and removed from their armies to prevent insurrection - as the Goreyo had fallen in 1388 when the general Yi Song-gye marched his army on the capital and founded Joseon. Yi then therefore separated generals from their armies so no one could copy him. Generals would only be placed at the head of armies only when national security was threatened and a military response required. Otherwise they would be kept in Seoul. As such, generals were inexperienced and did not know the state of their armies.
During the early Imjin War, the ranks were:
Dowonsu - top post, Commander in chief of all 8 provinces' armed forces
Samdo Sunbyonsa - Commander of three provinces - Kyongsang, Cholla and Chung Chong
Sunbyonsa - Provincial Commander
Pangosa - county commanders - defending strategic points
The highest military rank was commander. Each of Korea's eight provinces had between one and three army and navy commanders, with one of these posts held concurrently by the province's civilian commander. No real distinction was made between army and navy, commanders and officers could be assigned to both or just one. Provinces of greater strategic importance such as the southern ones close to Wako pirates and north bordering Manchuria had more commanders, and less important provinces had less commanders. Kyongsang-do and Hamgyong-do were the first in line for foreign aggression and had six commanders.
Therefore each strategically important province had four tangible commanders led by four professional commanders (disregarding the provincial governor): a right army, a left army, a right navy and left navy. For example, there was a Kyongsang Right Army as a unit of organisation. Cholla-do, had three commanders: a right navy, a left navy and one army. Chungchong had two: an army and navy. Hwanghae-do and Kangwon-do had little military command structure of any substance, had one army and one navy command post each, with both falling to the provincial governor.
Officer corps was recruited by periodic examination on knowledge of Sun Tzu and tested their skill of horseback riding and archery, the ideal Korean commander was a good warrior but therefore not well versed in drilling and training to fight as a unit. Officers were also low quality because the military had a lack of prestige, as mirrored by the organisation of Ming China. The military was a second choice for not passing the civil service. In the century before Imjin, it was increasingly common for civil officials to be appointed provincial army and navy commanders, and had no military experience.
The Korean army and navy was manned by conscription. All able-bodied males were liable except for the yangban upper class. Some conscripted families hired people to take their conscript's place or by paying a fee in lieu of service. This was eventually changed to the Sogogun or Sogo during the Imjin War, based on the Ming Chinese militia system: the mixed army of high class and low class people. This was a nationwide order late in the Imjin War in 1595, where high classes were drafted too and was a revolutionary change to strengthen the army. The structure of the army is listed below:
1 伍(오, o) is like a fireteam, and consists of 5 men.
1 隊(대, dae / tae) is a squad, and consists of 12 men: 2 伍/fireteams, a 隊長(대장, daejung / taech’ong, squad commander) - and a 火兵(화병, hwabyeong), a non-combatant in charge of food/other logistical needs of the squad.
1 旗(기, gi / ki) is a platoon, and consists of 37 men: 3 squads, and 1 旗摠(기총, gichong, platoon commander).
1 哨(초, cho) is a company, and consists of 112 men: 3 platoons, and 1 哨官(초관, chogwan, company commander).
1 司(사, sa) is a battalion, and consists of 561 men: 5 companies, and 1 把摠(파총, pachong, battalion commander).
1 (yŏng) is a regiment, and consists of 2,475 men; 5 battalions
There were a few distinct unit types in the Joseon military:
Naegeumwi, Gyeomsabok, Woorimwi, and Jungrowi (royal guards)
Gabsa / Gapsa (professional soldiers of many different pay grades under the 5 rank system, they were the highest caliber of soldiers in the nation that served as both elite foot and cavalry)
Chakhogapsa / Cheokhogapsa (special forces that hunted tigers, they used bows and spears, their bows and crossbows were heavier for more hitting power. A similar unit, the Chakhoin, was based in the provinces to hunt tigers, while the Chakhogapsa was based in Seoul)
Pengbaesu (elite soldiers, could be shield-bearing foot soldiers)
Gibyeong (cavalry)
salsu (spearmen)
sasu (bowmen)
In 1592 the Koreans were armed with the same personal weapons used by their ancestors for more than a thousand years; the sword, bow, spear (dangpa), maces, flails, tridents, half-moon spear; an enormous knife blade affixed to a long shaft. The Korean bow was less than 1.5 metres tall, much shorter than the Japanese bow but was sturdy and had more range than Japanese bows. This is because the Koreans almost never fought in open battle if they could avoid it. This is especially true because the Koreans almost never fought offensive wars in its history. Instead, they were always on the defense, repelling invaders. The Korean strategy in wartime was to evacuate everyone to fortresses on top of rocky mountains. There, the steep slopes prevented heavy machinery and cavalry from being deployed effectively, and also allowed the Koreans to not have to build very tall walls, Thus, the Koreans focused most of their attention on archery, so much so that the Koreans were repeatedly recorded in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean sources to be extremely adept at archery. Their bows are compound bows, cousins of the Mongolian and Manchurian short bow, and were made from a variety of different materials glued and bound together, creating a remarkably strong and compact weapon.
The Koreans, unlike the Japanese, did not have particularly strong martial tradition. That is not to say the Koreans were not engaged in conflict - they had their share of wars, such as against the Jurchens and Japanese pirates - but martial arts, sword manufacturing, warrior codes, and the like that was in abundance in Japan simply wasn’t prominent in Korean culture. "The military spirit has never been really strong in Korea since the downfall of ancient Ko-kuryŭ (Goreyo). The profession of arms has always been looked down upon as an inferior calling and so long as a living could be gained some other way the army has been shunned" (The History of Korea, Hubert). Rather, the Koreans hailed from a very intellectual culture, one that is rich in its reverence to studying literature, history, philosophy, and the arts. Essentially, the Koreans and Japanese differed so much despite being geographically close is that the Koreans achieved unification very early on in its history, developing a very keen sense of a kin and common heritage unheard of in grand, diverse China and the splintered, warring Japan. "For two centuries preceding the invasion of Korea, Japan had been one great battlefield. War was the great occupation of the people. While Korea had been busy producing, Japan had been busy destroying" (The History of Korea, Hubert). The Koreans called the Japanese "dwarfs" as well, following the Ming and held them in contempt because they had low Chinese cultural attainment. They thought the Japanese envoys conducted themselves rudely, and Korean envoys were given insulting seating arrangements. Japan seem splintered, with never a single figure in control, fighting, engaging in piracy and favouring violence. As such were considered to be uncivilised, dangerous and arrogant people. Thusly, the Koreans focused most of their attention to building a sense of societal cohesion, which was why the heavily socially-focused ideology of Confucianism was pursued in Korea more than China itself.
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1/72 Joseon Dynasty Korean Righteous Army - The Band of Good Will
이광수의 대 (李光洙隊) (Yi Gwang-su's squad - Korean and Hanja) are the first into the fray, shouting oaths of vengeance as they hurl themselves at the Wae. They form the vanguard of raids on Wae supply lines, fighting with a fervour that even surpasses the passion of their comrades in the righteous army. The Buddhist monk Yi Gwang-su was among those who heeded Seosan Hyujong's call to arms, fighting in various skirmishers in a monk army before a defeat scattered them to the winds. Gwang-su escaped into the mountains, hunted by roving Japanese patrols, stealing from the dead just to live another day. The scouts of the Band of Good Will found Yi Gwang-su starving and near death, covered in filth and blood, with the bodies of three Japanese soldiers scattered around like broken dolls. In Gwang-su's hands he still clutched his sword in a death grip. He has never spoken of the atrocities he had seen, or the lengths he went to survive, but the fire in his eyes since his rescue has not dimmed since.
To the others, he is a symbol of hope, an indicator that even in calamity one may survive and simply a good luck charm. For his part, Gwang-su rarely comments, spending his time meditating and in quiet contemplation. The organisation of this righteous army roughly adheres to a government army's structure, with the need for leaders and hierarchies for better resistance. Gwang-su has accepted command of his squad without emotion, seeming to take it as another duty in his mission to purge Korea of the Wae invaders. In battle he is transformed; he is a whirlwind of cold violence, a masterclass display of bladework and rare grace. He does not give into anger or fear. He is fast, unfettered, smooth as water with deadly, grim artistry. Rumours abound that Gwang-su has bested samurai in single combat, that he is the manifestation of vengeance and that he cannot be harmed by mortal men. As with other comments, Gwang-su ignores them, muttering Buddhist mantras under his breath. His men follow him with a rare passion, coming from all backgrounds. Some are peasants who have taken up the sword for their homeland, some disgraced former government troops seeking redemption from past defeats, some Daeripgun (proxy warriors, mercenaries) who rejoice and clap at his sword-skill and some are fellow monks seeking fellowship. Gwang-su does not distinguish between profession, class or creed. He cares not if you are a roughneck or an official. He disdains the pursuit of merit or glory. The only thing that matters to him in a warrior is the will to fight and their righteous conduct. These men he has gathered to him are the zealots in the army who wish only to see the impious Japanese invaders burn for their crimes.
(이광수의 대 (李光洙隊) form the first unit in my righteous army, and therefore need to embody the thematic elements of the army as a whole and provide a foundation and guide for the other units. I paid close attention to the theme; this unit is a mix of government troops, peasants and monks. It was quite hard to visually tie every figure together; they look quite different.
In particular, the unarmoured government troops and peasants have large white areas while the armoured troops don't, and have more colour and metallic studs, while the monk has a completely different colour scheme. I think the mud on their legs doesn't too much to visually tie everyone together, but it's something.
I do think the end effect clashes a little, but that's simply how the army looked like, so I have to just accept it. I'm usually quite adverse to wear and wear on my models, I like my figures looking pristine, but in this case it was thematically important. The figures are mostly from Red Box, except for the monk, which is a 3D print I bought from Taobao. The running peasant guerrilla and the running armoured soldier have both had green stuff beards sculpted on to tie onto the bearded theme.
The posing of the models can be difficult - at the mercy of the vagaries of the base. I was glad to be able to have a peasant soldier lying a hand on a front-ranker, perhaps pulling his comrade back. This kind of close contact tells a story, and shows the bond these warriors have. I wouldn't have any kind of friendly gestures in my Japanese army.
The front rankers are posed as fighting, while the second rankers are running into the fray. There are quite a few swords in this unit, and the Joseon warriors didn't really favour them. At least they don't dominate the unit, I'll try limiting the number of swords further in future. Painting the studs on the brigandine armour was very irritating and difficult, but it had to be done.
Red was used as a spot colour as expected, but it seemed odd to add onto the monk. He does seem like a very lone figure, but with such a figure diversity in this unit it was always tricky making everything consistent. He is the only monk I suppose, he stands apart. I was trying to work on a Korean skin colour scheme and settled upon a suggestion which I saw for painting Japanese skin - to avoid pinks and reds. My end colour schemes were of two varieties:
Lighter: Cadian Fleshtone - Kislev Flesh - Elf Flesh OR Bleached Bone
Darker: Ungor Flesh + Bestial Brown - Cadian Fleshtone - Kislev Flesh
I made sure to make the peasants and some of the soldiers darker, while the government soldiers tended to be lighter.
In terms of basing, I wanted to carry the theme of Korea's struggle further, so I settled upon a mountain with struggling plant life. I researched Korean landscapes and noted a bone/sandy/grey palette which I liked. It appeared dusty, rather than nourished and rich, which fit perfectly with the deprived state of the Joseon people. There is greenery but it is clinging on. There is grass, but it is scattered and mixed. I used a combination of spring and winter dead grass.
The soil took some experimenting, originally using a Scorched Brown / Bleached Bone - Bestial Brown / Bleached Bone - Bleached Bone combination, but it still seemed too brown. I modified it with Tallarn Sand, then Bleached Bone for my final look. For future bases I believe I will use Tallarn Sand first, and perhaps mix some greys in.)
(unit 1 of 10 - 이광수의 대 (李光洙隊) - Joseon Dynasty Korean Righteous Army - The Band of Good Will - Basic Impetus)
Previous Projects:
[Basic Impetus] Ancient British Celts: http://bennosfiguresforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=23514
[Basic Impetus] Ancient Mauryan Indians: http://bennosfiguresforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=24641&p=270592
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... but I looked at pictures and I like them 
. Sadly I don't have time for such long researchs when painting my minis!
, and they had more interaction with Chinese, Japanese and Mongols than what I previously thought, plus a wonderful amount of information, compared to many other similar subjects!.
