From Natives to Captives: Transportation Routes and Destinies in the Imjin War

Abstract The Imjin War resulted in numerous Koreans being captured and transported to Japan as captives. This study examines the experiences of these captives, including scholars, potters, farmers and artisans, focusing on their transition from ordinary to war captives, and their subsequent lives in Japan, mainly in Kyushu and western Japan. Drawing on diverse sources such as Korean envoys’ diaries, captives’ memoirs and local Japanese records, this research investigates the allocation processes and living conditions of captives in Japan. The study identifies three primary transportation routes significantly influencing captives’ fates: sale to Japanese slave merchants, selective transfers by samurai and daimyo, and large-scale wartime relocations. Furthermore, it reveals that wartime mobilisation in Japan led to a shortage of administrative personnel, unexpectedly affording some captives relative freedom of movement. This freedom enabled them to establish social networks and integrate more effectively into Japanese society, offering new insights into captives’ adaptation to alien environments.