Vanguard Fighting Ships of the Far East (2) Japan & Korea 612-1639AD Osprey Books

This, the second of a two part series, covers the history and development of the fighting ships of the Far East concentrating on the conflicts between Korea and Japan. The period covers everything form the wars of the Three Kingdoms of Japan, in which Japan took part, until the Seclusion Edict of 1637 which effectively drew Japanese maritime enterprise to a close. Also covered in some areas are the Ming dynasty of China and the Kingdom of Siam, which made its own contribution to Japanese naval warfare.Over the centuries, naval relations between Japan and Korea appear to have alternated between peaceful trade and outright hostility. However, this impression can be misleading, as much of what passed for mercantile activity was in fact conducted by Japanese pirate fleets, who pillaged the coasts of Korea and China in a long-lasting tradition that culminated in the greatest pirate raid of all: Hideyoshi's invasion of Korea in 1592. This was the conflict that involved Ming China and almost dragged in Siam, It also led to Korea developing East Asia's most famous warship: the legendary turtle ship, which is described for the first time in full technical detail in this book.