History of Far East

Ryukyu Kingdom was an independent kingdom which ruled the Ryukyu Islands from the 14th century to the 19th century . The King of Ryukyu unified Okinawa Island and extended its rule over the Amami Islands in modern Kagoshima Prefecture and the Yaeyama...

The Liancourt Rocks 독도/獨島 or Takeshima/竹島 are islets in the Sea of Japan (East Sea), claimed by both South Korea and Japan but administered by South Korea since 1953 . Korea classifies the rocks as a part of Ulleung County , North Gyeongsang Province,...

Ulleung-do 울릉도 鬱陵島 is a Korean island in the Sea of Japan (East Sea). It is about 120 kilometers from the mainland of the Korean peninsula . Volcanic in origin, the island is rocky and steep-sided. Its natural beauty makes Ulleung-do a popular tourist...

The nation of Usan-guk 우산국 于山國 occupied Ulleung-do and the adjacent islands (including the Liancourt Rocks ) during the Korean Three Kingdoms period . According to the Samguk Sagi , it was conquered by the Silla general Lee Sabu (이사부, 異斯夫)in 512 . He...

Battle of Nagashino The Battle of Nagashino in 1575 took place in Nagashino in Mikawa of Japan . Takeda Katsuyori besieged Okudaira Nobumasa at Nagashino Castle in 1575 . Nobumasa was holding the castle for Tokugawa Ieyasu and this castle was situated...

The Battle of Sarhū refers to the series of battles between the Manchus and Ming on March 1619 , which ended in the overwhelming victory of the former. Official documents exaggerate the numbers of Ming soldiers and Manchus up to 470 thousand and 60 thousand...

First Manchu expedition to Korea : 정묘호란 丁卯胡亂 The Manchus under Hong Taiji made their first expedition to Korea in 1627 . In Korea, this event is called Jeongmyo-Horan, which is insulting to the Manchus. Background Joseon helped Ming China when she attacked...

Daegaya 대가야 大伽倻 was a major chiefdom of the Gaya confederacy during the Korean Three Kingdoms period. Daegaya was located in present-day Goryeong County , in North Gyeongsang Province of South Korea . (It should not be confused with Goryeong Gaya , which...

The Ainu (a word meaning "human" in the Ainu language ; Ezo, or Yezo, (蝦夷) in old Japanese ; Utari now preferred by some members) are an ethnic group indigenous to Hokkaido , the northern part of Honshu in Northern Japan, the Kurile Islands , much of...

The Toi invasion (Japanese:刀伊の入寇 toi no nyūkō) was the invasion of northern Kyushu by Jurchen pirates in 1019 . Toi (되, doe) means barbarian in Korean . Sailing in about 50 ships from direction of Goryeo , the Toi pirates assaulted Iki , Tsushima and...