On January 1, 1592, at the Left Jeolla Navy headquarters in Yeosu, Yi Sun-sin begins keeping a diary on New Year’s Day.
The first line he leaves is not about war. It is about longing for his mother.
New Year’s Day at the Yeosu Headquarters
His brother Yeobil, his nephew Bong, and his son Hoe come to see him before dawn and talk together. An officer sent by the provincial military commander brings New Year’s gifts and a few arrows. On the surface, it is a peaceful New Year’s morning.
More than a year has passed since he took command of the Left Jeolla Navy. In that time he has thrown himself into refitting the fleet’s warships and drilling his men.
The First Line, Written in Longing
Even as he talks with the family who came to see him, part of his mind will not settle.
但離天只, 再過南中, 不勝懷恨之至。 Only, parted from my mother, I have passed another year’s turn here in the south, and I cannot bear the longing. (New Year’s Day, 1592)
This is the second time he has greeted the New Year in this southern post, away from his mother. Bound to his duty, he cannot simply go to her.
This single short line becomes the opening of a diary that will fill the next seven years. He does not yet know it will lead through war, and to the threshold of his own death.
Four Months Later, Urgent News Arrives
Four months pass. In April, urgent word reaches the headquarters. Japanese forces have landed at Busan and torn down its walls.
Word from Won Gyun, commander of the Right Gyeongsang Navy, follows soon after. His fleet has already been driven to near ruin by the enemy’s advance. Won Gyun urgently asks Yi Sun-sin for help.
The headquarters stirs. The fact that a fleet that has only ever trained is now facing a real fight puts everyone on edge.
Whose Sea Is It
Yi Sun-sin’s jurisdiction is Jeolla’s waters. Strictly speaking, Gyeongsang’s crisis is not his to solve.
Some of his officers raise this point in objection. Crossing into another province’s sea is excessive, they argue, and it risks leaving Jeolla’s own defenses thin.
Yi Sun-sin answers this way. With the enemy already across the border and threatening the whole country, this is no time to divide our province from another’s.
Today, Where a Resolve Takes Shape
A man who longed for his mother on New Year’s Day takes up, four months later, the resolve to carry the fate of the country.
Yi Sun-sin decides to lead his fleet into Gyeongsang waters. It is a decision that crosses a line of jurisdiction, but his mind is already made up.
The ships will soon leave Yeosu for Gyeongsang’s sea. Waiting for him at the far end of that sea is a harbor named Okpo.