Perhaps the first of Japan’s quasi-historical warrior women, Empress Jingu was not just victorious in war but also is alleged to have lived to the age of 100
200 CE
THE WARRIOR EMPRESS 02
The Empress Jingu leads an invasion of Silla and overruns its capital. She returns to Japan with much fanfare and plunder. The historiography of this conflict is muddled but it is deemed a starting point for examining Japan-Korea relations.
33 BCE
The Silla ruled the eastern half of the Korean peninsula for several hundred years and imbued its people with foreign influences such as Buddhism
FIRST ENCOUNTER 01
Japan’s imperial records reveal a minor expedition to assist a beleaguered rival of the Silla kingdom along the peninsula’s southern coast. It is claimed Japanese troops are left behind to protect their local allies. The event is inauspicious and has little effect on regional politics.
The enduring monument of the Joseon era is its imperial palace, twice rebuilt and still being restored today