Further Details

Title: A Korean War Captive in Japan, 1597–1600
Condition: New
Subtitle: The Writings of Kang Hang
Author: JaHyun Kim Haboush
Contributor: JaHyun Kim Haboush (Edited by), Kenneth Robinson (Edited by)
Format: Paperback
ISBN-10: 0231163711
EAN: 9780231163712
ISBN: 9780231163712
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Genre: History
Release Date: 04/26/2016
Description: Kang Hang was a Korean scholar-official taken prisoner in 1597 by an invading Japanese army during the Imjin War of 1592-1598. While in captivity in Japan, Kang recorded his thoughts on human civilization, war, and the enemy's culture and society, acting in effect as a spy for his king. Arranged and printed in the seventeenth century as Kanyangnok, or The Record of a Shepherd, Kang's writings were extremely valuable to his government, offering new perspective on a society few Koreans had encountered in 150 years and new information on Japanese politics, culture, and military organization. In this complete, annotated translation of Kanyangnok, Kang ruminates on human behavior and the nature of loyalty during a time of war. A neo-Confucianist with a deep knowledge of Chinese philosophy and history, Kang drew a distinct line between the Confucian values of his world, which distinguished self, family, king, and country, and a foreign culture that practiced invasion and capture, and, in his view, was largely incapable of civilization.Relating the experiences of a former official who played an exceptional role in wartime and the rare voice of a Korean speaking plainly and insightfully on war and captivity, this volume enables a deeper appreciation of the phenomenon of war at home and abroad.
Language: English
Country/Region of Manufacture: US
Item Height: 229mm
Item Length: 152mm
Release Year: 2016

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