Uesugi Kenshin  | 10 Aug 2009 1:58 a.m. PST |
If you love Korean Military history like I do then you wil know that Korean fortresses played an important part in their Medieval history from the Silla to the Manchu invasions. My suggestion for this topic as an Osprey book has finally been put to the vote. Please feel free to help this one along: ospreypublishing.com |
| clibinarium | 10 Aug 2009 3:17 a.m. PST |
Done. I wish they'd do a MAA/WAR on the Korean army of the Imjin War, indeed it could be a combined "Choson and Ming armies of the Imjin War" and I'd still be very happy. Given that there's practically nothing available, anything would be welcome. |
| nycjadie | 10 Aug 2009 7:30 a.m. PST |
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| Skeptic | 10 Aug 2009 5:28 p.m. PST |
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| Cyrus the Great | 10 Aug 2009 9:25 p.m. PST |
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| Uesugi Kenshin | 11 Aug 2009 2:48 a.m. PST |
Thanks all for the support! "I wish they'd do a MAA/WAR on the Korean army of the Imjin War, indeed it could be a combined "Choson and Ming armies of the Imjin War" " I submit this suggestion every month as "Medieval Korean Armies" but it is yet to be posted as an option to vote for. Perhaps if they received a few more suggestions ;-) |
| hwarang | 11 Aug 2009 3:03 a.m. PST |
there is quite a bit available, especially in korean. most korean fortresses are rather unspectacular affairs: "mountain strongholds" (sanseong) which serve as a retreat for the population.
not putting up a real defense in the field but rather trying to sit the threat out and have the terrain work against the enemy (korea is hilly, there are – or have been, some are dry today – nasty rivers). so the population was supposed to retreat to those sanseong in cases of emergency.
try:
link link and generally try to search the ekoreajournal.net site. its free and better recherched than most ospreys on asian topics are. if you want pretty pictures, try this: link |
| nycjadie | 11 Aug 2009 8:40 a.m. PST |
Great link, Hwarang. Are you Korean? I've been looking for articles like this for a long time. |
| hwarang | 11 Aug 2009 2:11 p.m. PST |
no, but i can read korean.. actually that took about 1 minute to google ^^ sadly, as stated above, osprey books on asian topics really are lacking in depth often. i am most ready to grant that it is not easy to find academic-level specialist on these topics though.. there has an interest in korea in military history probably starting with Ch'oe Namseon and his publishing works. he published a compilation of sources on korean miltary history (in classical chinese) in the 1920s (probably, maybe a bit earlier, not sure now). there also are a few surviving military and martial arts manuals from choson times, probably 17th century (again, those are in chinese, but they have pictures and i could maybe be talked intro translating them if there is an interest in such things) |
| Uesugi Kenshin | 12 Aug 2009 8:40 a.m. PST |
Definitely interested. PS. Maybe you should offer to write a book for Osprey ;-) |
| hwarang | 12 Aug 2009 10:20 a.m. PST |
i guess my version of korean military history would not be heroic enough for the osprey series. i mean, osprey is not a "serious" history publisher but more like a special interest vendor catering to wargamers and military "history" buffs… still i might write a book.. |
| nycjadie | 12 Aug 2009 4:53 p.m. PST |
I for one would support your translations, but then it would be easy for me to say that. I'm in for one copy!
Best,
Steve |
BlackWidowPilot  | 17 Aug 2009 10:57 a.m. PST |
" 12 Aug 2009 10:20 a.m. PST
i guess my version of korean military history would not be heroic enough for the osprey series. i mean, osprey is not a "serious" history publisher but more like a special interest vendor catering to wargamers and military "history" buffs…" I respectfully beg to differ! That said, Ospreys are indeed not perfect, and certainly would be less likely to wind up on the shelves of a university history department, but many an Osprey has stood up to scrutiny for at least citing the sources, using primary references, etc. Ospreys can be a very handy jumping off point for more in-depth, detailed research into a given subject. I like to think of them as hard-copy Wikipedia without the problems of any damn fool being able to change the content capriciously with the click of a mouse and a few minutes on a keyboard spewing quackery… 
"still i might write a book.."
DAMMIT, MAN! WRITE THE BOOK! WRITE IT NOW. IN *ENGLISH* PLEASE! ('cause I can't read Korean or Chinese to save my immortal soul…)
Leland R. Erickson
henley-putnam.edu
P.S. "Continental Asian Armies of the Imjin War 1592-98" would IMHO be as good a title as any, as it could cover Choson Korean, Ming Chinese, and Jurchen forces engaged against the Japanese invaders… |
| Uesugi Kenshin | 17 Aug 2009 10:53 p.m. PST |
This one needs some more votes! |
| hwarang | 19 Aug 2009 10:44 a.m. PST |
yes.. but the colour plates in ospreys old korean naval book seem to be mostly based on pictures in south korean museums and military collections which again are based on.. ..fantasy mostly. will have to do a bit more research on what is alredy available in korean, chinese and japanese (of course, english too… french and russian might be wort a look too.. german less likely). if its not starting from scratch, it should not be too dificult… writung the book in english is the biggest part (my mother tongue is german…) |
