(86) Admiral Yi Sun-shin: Most Respected Hero in Korean Naval History
By Janet Shin
Since Korea is a peninsula, Koreans had to deal with issues related to the ocean from ancient times. Especially confronted with North Korea, the coast defense is one of the most important missions in South Korea.
There were countless external invasions not only by land but also from the coast. It was indeed a history of challenges and fights against all those aggressions by foreign countries that has fueled the East Asian political situation.
On the night of March 26, the Korean navy ship Cheonan was sunk in the Yellow Sea. While the exact cause of the sinking has yet to be reported, 38 sailors were found dead and eight others remain unaccounted for. In the course of rescuing missing sailors from the sunken part of the ship, Han Joo-ho, a warrant officer sacrificed his life.
To make matters worse, there was news that a fishing boat sunk after searching for missing sailors. These incidents have led all Korean people into deep grief.
Although there is no direct connection, a Korean supertanker was hijacked by Somali pirates, on its way to the United States from Iraq. It was reported that the destroyer, Chungmugong Yi Sun-shin, arrived in waters in order to watch over the hijacked vessel.
The destroyer was named by the most respected Korean hero, Admiral Yi Sun-shin.
He was born April 28, 1545. We are now going to look at the life of Admiral Yi by his saju.
The first impression we get from Yi's saju is the strength of metal (Gyeong), as it is one of the strongest elements in itself and is nourished by the earth element in the month branch.
When the saju is well organized, Gyeong people set an example for their inferiors to follow. Their leadership is proven by action not by word. They are loyal, charismatic and decisive. The energy flows from wood to fire, to earth, to metal and to water according to 5 the elements generation cycle. Among them, fire and earth rule the major stream in this saju.
It is not surprising that Yi was the greatest admiral in Korean history owing to the strong earth and fire element in his saju.
However, the water element must be the balancing energy, in order to leverage the strength of metal.
While he was respected for his leadership and victories in lots of wars, he was also well known for his War Diary that was published as ``Lyrics of Sword,'' one of the bestsellers in later generations.
The water element takes the role of the ``expression star,'' which indicates how the person communicates with others while it basically means the talent of a person. Yi was thoughtful person who made prudent and considerate writings.
Looking at the specifics in his life:
In 1576 (year of water), he passed the military service examination.
In 1592 (year of Im-jin - Japanese invasion), he built Turtle Ships and achieved great victories in many battles against the Japanese. Im-jin is a year of the water and earth elements.
In 1593 (year of water), he became a Chief Naval Officer of Three islands.
In 1597 (year of metal), he was deprived of his control as a naval officer due to a competitor's slandering.
He was reappointed as a Chief Naval Officer in the same year after the defeat and death of his competitor.
In 1598 (year of earth), he died in the Noryang War.
Reviewing some of important incidents in his life, we can notice that he achieved great victories and significant leaps in the years of water. The water element (gye) in the stem of time takes root in the branch of month (jin), which suggest the fact that his achievements also came from and reached to the people's recognition.
Looking at the life of Admiral Yi and admiring what he did, the coincidence in his destiny may not be just a surprising experience.
The writer is the president of the Heavenly Garden, a saju research center in Korea. She is the author of "Learning Four Pillars." She offers saju courses to all who are interested. For more information, visit her Web site (https://blog.naver.com/janet_shin) or email janetshin@hotmail.com