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41-574: The first references to older, first-generation turtle ships, known as gwiseon ( 귀선 ; 龜船 , Korean pronunciation: [kɥisʌn] ), come from 1413 and 1415 records in the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty , which mention a mock battle between a gwiseon and a Japanese warship. However, these early turtle ships soon fell out of use as Korea's naval preparedness decreased during a long period of relative peace. Turtle ships participated in

82-610: A Korean drama, The Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-sin . Several museums host turtle ships on display, and people can visit and go inside a 1:1 scale turtle ship that is anchored at Yeosu . North Korean delegations to the south seem to be more reserved about the significance of its historical role. Annals of the Joseon Dynasty The Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty , sometimes called sillok ( 실록 ) for short, are state-compiled and published records, called Veritable Records , documenting

123-557: A period which saw the rise of Western-type ironclad warship to global prominence, these authors may have naturally conjured up the image of metal armor instead of a more traditional heavy timber shell. For instance, during the General Sherman incident , the Koreans initially constructed an improvised turtle ship, which was protected by metal sheeting and cowhides to destroy General Sherman but failed to penetrate its iron hull at

164-504: A projector that could release a dense toxic smoke that was generated to obscure vision and interfere with the Japanese ability to maneuver and coordinate properly. A turtle ship has been reconstructed by Geobukseon Research Center ( 거북선연구원 ), a private commercial company. They have done extensive research on the original design of the turtle ship, and made several real-size reconstructions of them for commercial use. These were deployed in

205-665: A special committee known as the Sillokcheong , or the Office of Annals Compilation. This committee included high-ranking officials and the most competent scholars. The compilation relied on various primary sources, including the sacho , historians' private memoranda, administrative records ( 시정기 ; 時政記 ), and the Journal of the Royal Secretariat . The compilation process consisted roughly of three phases. First,

246-624: Is the first nation in East Asia to have printed its royal records using movable type. Beginning in 1445, they began creating three additional copies of the records, which they distributed at various locations around Korea for safekeeping: the Chunchugwan office in Seoul , Chungju County, Jeonju County, and Seongju County . Despite this precaution, during the 1592–1598 Japanese invasions of Korea , all repositories were destroyed, except for

287-432: The hong'ipo , which were used alongside the native Korean cannons. They were finally discontinued in the late 19th century when Joseon abolished the old-style army in favor of an army based on contemporary Western militaries. The 'Sky' or 'Heaven' ( 천자총통 ; 天字銃筒 ) type cannon was the largest of the chongtong. Its length was about 1.3 m (4 ft 3 in) and the bore was about 13 cm (5.1 in). One of

328-745: The 151st national treasure of South Korea and listed in UNESCO 's Memory of the World registry. In 2006, the annals were digitized and made available online by the National Institute of Korean History . Both a modern-Korean translation in hangul and the original in Classical Chinese are available. In January 2012, the National Institute of Korean History announced a plan to translate them to English by 2033. The work

369-525: The 1950–1953 Korean War to North Korea. The Jeongjoksan and Taebaeksan records were still held in the collection Kyujanggak , at Seoul National University (the successor to Keijō Imperial University). In the 1980s, the Taebaeksan copies were moved to the National Archives of Korea, Busan Center . Chongtong The Chongtong ( Korean :  총통 ; Hanja :  銃筒 )

410-593: The Japanese government ordered the military to use an iron plate in building ships, possibly in response to the Korean attacks. Samuel Hawley has suggested that the idea of ironclad turtle ships has its origins in the writings of late 19th-century Westerners returning from Korea. The progression from simple comparison to a statement that the turtle ships anticipated the modern ironclad by centuries can be roughly charted in retrospect, starting no earlier than ca. 1880. Coming in touch with local tales of ancient armored ships in

451-464: The Japanese pirates, and these needed gunpowder for their cannon. In the following year another request was made to the Ming emperor after the military camps at Happo were set ablaze by Japanese pirates, with over 5000 casualties. At first Thai Tsu was reluctant to supply powder and arms to the Koreans, but in the middle of 1374 he changed his mind, he also sent military officers to inspect the ships built by

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492-460: The Japanese. According to historical records, the spikes were covered with empty rice sacks or rice mats to lure the Japanese into trying to board, since the boarding would appear safe. However, modern authors have found this to be unlikely since such an arrangement would have invited enemy fire arrows. The turtle ship was equipped with cheonja "heaven", jija "earth", hyeonja "black", and hwangja "yellow" type chongtong (Joseon cannons). There

533-518: The Koreans. The Goryeosa records the first systematic manufacture of hand-cannons and bombards in Korea in ca. 1377, saying that the arsenal was directed by a "Fire-Barrel Superintendent" ( Huo Thung Tu Chien ). During the reign of Taejong of Joseon , improvements were made, and still more were made by Sejong the Great in the 1440s. Earlier in the century, the bullanggi , a breech-loading swivel gun

574-590: The Nam-kang hill to the south of the Sun-ch’on Sa temple with such force and velocity that they would penetrate completely into the ground together with their fins. In ca. 1372 Li Khang (or Li Yuan), a saltpetre expert ( yen hsiao chiang ), perhaps a merchant, came from South China to Korea, and he was befriended by the courtier Choi Muson. He asked him confidentially about the secrets of his mystery, and sent several of his retainers to learn his arts from him. Choi became

615-562: The Turtle Ship had a higher bulwark height. This alteration in the design was made so that more bulwark slots could be added. In turn, these slots could be used for additional weaponry or ventilation for the vessel's occupants. Early illustrations also show initial versions of the ship consisting of overlapping planks on the deck structure, while later depictions show the deck of the vessel covered with flush, hexagonal plates made of wood or iron. Nonetheless, in both earlier and later versions,

656-417: The Turtle Ship was designed to be surprisingly fast, as it was both oar and sail-powered. There are non-contemporary sources that state that the turtle ship was covered with metal plates, which would make it the first armored ship in history. While it is clear from the available sources that the roof of the ship was covered with iron spikes to prevent boarding, there is split opinion among historians on whether

697-505: The afternoon by firing large fire-arrows through repeated alternate approaches, even as close as 18–30 feet. As a result, almost every part of our ships—the turret, the passages and the side shielding—were totally destroyed..." A dragon's head was placed on the top of the ship at the bow. Several different versions of the dragon's head were used on the turtle ships. The dragon's head was first placed as an early form of psychological warfare in order to scare Japanese soldiers. One version carried

738-534: The cannons. It resembled the European hand-cannon. Its bore was about 5 cm (2.0 in) and shot a large arrow (similar to the chadaejeon) that weighed about 1.5 kg (3.3 lb) or four ordinary arrows at once which had a range of about 730 m (2,400 ft). In 1432, the Joseon dynasty under the reign of Sejong the Great introduced a handgun named sae-chongtong (세총통). Initially, Joseon considered

779-554: The command of Won Gyun the Joseon Navy suffered a devastating defeat in the Battle of Chilcheollyang . It is unknown precisely how many of Yi's Turtle Ships were constructed. The cost of one of these armored warships would have been high, especially if the deck was lined with hexagonal iron plates as some sources suggest. Later turtle ships held some structural changes as opposed to earlier versions. For example, later iterations of

820-474: The cost of one of their sailors. When the French Navy threatened Korea , the government ordered an ironclad ship be built "like the turtle ship." However, despite all efforts the design failed to float. Turnbull believes that the 19th-century experience should not rule out a "limited amount of armor plating in 1592". Metal spikes were used to cover the top of the turtle ship to deter boarding tactics used by

861-412: The daejanggunjeon, only smaller) about 1 km (0.62 mi). The 'Black' ( 현자총통 ; 玄字銃筒 ) type was about 0.8 m (2 ft 7 in) long with a bore of about 8 cm (3.1 in) and could fire a 'chadajeon' (similar to the janggunjeon) that weighed about 3.5 kg (7.7 lb) up to about 1 to 2 km (0.62 to 1.24 mi). The 'Yellow' ( 황자총통 ; 黃字銃筒 ) was the smallest of

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902-413: The drafts and certain primary sources likely to contain historian commentary was a safety measure designed to insulate the historians from political influences and preserve the integrity of the records. An oft-cited story in the sillok about King Taejong falling off his horse has been used to illustrate the commitment of Joseon court historians to documenting even events displeasing or embarrassing to

943-478: The first Korean to manufacture gunpowder and gun barrels, all depending on Li Khang's transmission. A royal inspection of a new fleet happened in 1373 including tests of guns with larger barrels for shooting incendiary arrows against the pirate ships. In 1373, a new mission, led by Sang Sa-on was sent to the Chinese capital asking for urgent supplies of gunpowder. The Koreans had built special ships for repelling

984-470: The historians' private memoranda were pulped in water and expunged ( 세초 ; 洗草 ; lit.   wash drafts ) to prevent leaks. Great care was taken to ensure the integrity of the records; historians were guaranteed legal protection and editorial independence, especially from the king. Only the historians were allowed to read the sacho ; if any historian disclosed or altered its contents, they were subject to severe punishment. Pulping and expunging

1025-613: The holdings of Keijō Imperial University in Seoul. The Odae-san copies were taken to Tokyo Imperial University in Japan. There, they were mostly destroyed during the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake . The remaining 46 volumes in Japan were not returned to Korea until 2006. The annals of the last two Joseon rulers, Veritable Records of Gojong  [ ko ] and Veritable Records of Sunjong  [ ko ] , are controversial and considered by modern South Korean historians to lack

1066-618: The impartiality of the other sources. This is because Japanese officials interfered in their creation and curation. They are thus considered relatively separate from the other records, and are not included in the National Treasures of South Korea or UNESCO's Memory of the World register. Around the liberation of Korea , the Jeoksangsan copies were partially looted during the instability; there are reportedly uncertain rumors that some of these copies were actually taken during

1107-442: The king and the extent to which the king could not influence which stories were included in the sillok . The king himself rode a horse and shot arrows at a deer. However, the horse stumbled, causing him to fall off, but he was not injured. Looking around, he said, "Do not let the historians know about this." The historian present defied King Taejong's order and ensured that not only the king’s fall but also his wish to keep it off

1148-411: The king at all times, and Joseon kings did not conduct official business without a historian present. The daily historical records produced by the eight historians were called sacho ( 사초 ; 史草 ; lit.   raw historical material ), which served as the basis for the compilation. After the death of a king, the veritable records, or sillok , of the deceased monarch's reign were compiled by

1189-617: The mid 14th century. From 1356 onwards Korea was much harassed by Japanese wo khou pirates , and the Goryeo king, Kongmin Wang, sent an envoy to the Ming court appealing for a supply of firearms. Although China at that time was under Yuan dynasty , the first Ming emperor, Chu Yuan-Chang seems to have treated the request kindly and responded in some measure. The Goryeosa mentions a certain type of bombard ( ch'ong t'ong ) which could send arrows from

1230-565: The one in Jeonju . The Jeonju records narrowly escaped being destroyed by fire and were only saved by the private initiative of several scholars. After the war, the government began maintaining five repositories at Chunchugwan, Mount Myohyang , Taebaeksan , Odaesan , and Manisan . The 1624 Yi Gwal's Rebellion resulted in the destruction of the Chunchugwan repository. It was not replaced; they ultimately returned to printing four copies of

1271-410: The primary sources were gathered, and the historians produced the first draft ( 초초 ; 初草 ; lit.   initial draft ). This draft was then refined into a second draft ( 중초 ; 中草 ; lit.   middle draft ), which was reviewed and finalized by high-ranking officials into a final draft ( 정초 ; 正草 ; lit.   official draft ). Once finalized, the drafts, sacho , and

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1312-502: The projectiles it fired was a 30 kg (66 lb) 'daejanggunjeon', a large rocket-shaped arrow with an iron head and four fins. Using the daejanggunjeon, the Cheonja-Chongtong had a range of up to 2.4 km. The 'Earth' ( 지자총통 ; 地字銃筒 ) cannon was a little smaller, about 1 m (3 ft 3 in) long with a bore of about 10 cm (3.9 in). It could fire a 16.5 kg (36 lb) 'janggunjeon' (similar to

1353-459: The record were documented. The records are written in Classical Chinese . The records of the first three kings of the Joseon dynasty— Taejo ( r.  1392–1398 ), Jeongjong ( r.  1399–1400 ), and Taejong ( r.  1401–1418 )—were handwritten. The records of Sejong ( r.  1418–1450 ) and later kings were printed using movable type , some wooden and others metal. Korea

1394-575: The records and storing them at the other repositories. The Mount Myohyang copy was moved to Jeoksangsan in 1633. Part of the Manisan collection was lost during the 1636 Qing invasion of Joseon , and the surviving volumes moved to Jeongjok-san on Ganghwa Island in 1678. During the 1910–1945 Japanese colonial period , the records went under the control of the Japanese colonial government . The Jeongjoksan and Taebaeksan repositories were transferred to

1435-408: The reigns of the kings of Joseon . Kept from 1392 to 1865, they comprise 1,893 volumes and are thought to be the longest continual documentation of a single dynasty in the world. The records of the last two monarchs are believed to have been influenced by the Japanese colonial rule and, therefore, their credibility compromised. Excluding the records of the last two kings, the sillok is designated as

1476-508: The turtle ship was ironclad. There are no contemporary Korean sources from Yi Sun-sin's time that refer to the turtle ship as ironclad. One Japanese chronicle mentions a clash in August 1592 which involved three Korean turtle ships "covered in iron." This could refer to the iron spikes protruding from their roofs. Historian Stephen Turnbull , however, points out the fact that in February 1593

1517-520: The war against Japanese naval forces supporting Toyotomi Hideyoshi 's attempts to conquer Korea from 1592 to 1598 . Korean Admiral Yi Sun-sin , who won all battles against the Japanese Navy, is credited with designing the improved turtle ship. From their first appearance in the Battle of Sacheon , his turtle contributed to winning 16 battles against the Japanese fleet under the command of various Daimyos primarily from Western Japan, though under

1558-532: Was a term for military firearms of Goryeo and Joseon dynasty. The size of chongtong varies from small firearm to large cannon, and underwent upgrades, which can be separated in three generation type. The well-known "Cheonja", "Jija", "Hyeonja", and "Hwangja" were named after the first four characters of the Thousand Character Classic in decreasing size, thus making them equivalent to Cannons A, B, C, and D. Gunpowder first came to Korea in

1599-479: Was also an arquebus known as seungja (victory). The seungja ranged 200 metres (660 ft) while the hwangja was the lightest but with a range of 1,200 metres (3,900 ft). According to Hae-Ill Bak, one Japanese record of the Battle of Angolpo records the experience of two Japanese commanders on July 9, 1592, in their battle against turtle ships: "their (turtle ships') attack continued until about 6 o'clock in

1640-522: Was introduced from Portugal via China. In 1596, more improvements were made, and by this time (i.e. on the dawn of the Imjin War ) the Seungja class of hand-cannons were phased out in favor of Japanese-style muskets and arquebuses . The Koreans called these jochong (조총/鳥銃). During the 1650s, Hendrick Hamel and others were shipwrecked on Jejudo , introducing a Dutch cannon the Koreans called

1681-584: Was scheduled to start in 2014 with an initial budget of ₩ 500 million, but it was estimated that a total of ₩ 40 billion would be needed to complete the project. The Bureau of State Records , overseen by the three High State Councillors , served as the state archive for administrative records. However, the eight historians of the seventh, eighth, and ninth ranks in the Office of Royal Decrees ( 예문관 ; 藝文館 ) were responsible for maintaining daily records of official court activities. These historians accompanied

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