임진전쟁기, 중국 강남지방의 通倭案 -기록과 사실 사이에서-

Abstract

In late 1593, young people from influential families in Suchou and Shanghai, located in the Jiangnan area of China were arrested under the suspicion of secretly communicating with Japanese, which was considered to be an act of treason. When the Imjin War broke out, they recruited soldiers and began training them in martial arts, because they believed that Japan’s target in the invasion was the Jiangnan area. In the mid-16th century, Jiangnan was suffering greatly from the damages caused by Japanese pirates. Since then, it had become common for local elites to raise troops and funds for self-defense.BR The local minister arrested the leading figures driving the secret collaboration with Japanese and sentenced them to death or exile. However, the central government intervened and closed the pending cases and chose not to punish anyone, as they were concerned about agitating the public during the ongoing war. Furthermore, the Chinese War Command intended to inform the Japanese military of its regional defenses and tried to use it to push a peace treaty.BR The historical records surrounding the sequence of events are ambiguous and often contradictory. This study investigates the records to not only validate their legitimacy but also to determine the societal implication of the internal collaboration with Japanese.