Sanseong Ilgi - Diary from the Mountain Fortress

Sanseong Ilgi (山城日記 Diary from the Mountain Fortress) is an account in diary format compiled by an anonymous author in the mid-Joseon dynasty. It narrates King Injo’s (r. 1623-1649) vicissitudes during the Manchu invasion of 1636, which forced him to take refuge in Namhan Fortress (Namhan sanseong), until he capitulated to the Manchu army after fifty days of resistance. Sanseong Ilgi can be divided into three parts based on the contents. The first part briefly describes prior events. The second part describes the war between Joseon and Qing from the sixth day of the twelfth month of 1636 (byeongja year) to the thirtieth day of the first month of the jeongchuk year (1637). The third part deals in very brief terms with what takes place three years after the humiliating signing of the peace treaty. This work is valuable in terms of its realistic description and communication of history, but also its literary value is worthy of appreciation in that the author conveys to the reader in a tense style the real situation of the times.