Reading multiple authors, it is not entirely clear who the historical figure Kim Duk Ryang was. An oft-quoted source is Turtle Taekwondo: Kim Duk Ryang (possibly also Chung Ki Ryong or Kim Duk Nyung) was born in 1567; he was a commander in the army during the Yi Dynasty. In 1592 when Toyotomi Hideyoshi began the Japanese invasion of Korea known as the Imjin Wars, Kim Duk Ryang was promoted to General. The invading Japanese were armed with around 300,000 imported muskets and faced Korean forces mostly armed with swords, bows, arrows and spears in guerrilla groups. On land the Korean forces struggled, while at sea the naval forces of Admiral Yi Sun-Sin were victorious. In 1594 Kim Duk Ryang was promoted to Commander in Chief of the Honam Province, under his great leadership and with a fel