During negotiations among Japan, Ming China and Joseon Korea, intermediaries concealed or distorted the opposing rulers' demands. Toyotomi Hideyoshi believed China was accepting his conditions, while the Ming court was told that he sought investiture as a submissive vassal. When the deception was exposed, diplomacy collapsed and Japan invaded Korea again in 1597.

The war generated Korean sijo, memoirs and chronicles, including Admiral Yi Sun-sin's Nanjung ilgi. The failed talks reinforced literary themes of corrupt officials, unreliable reports and loyal service, while Chinese, Korean and Japanese writers preserved sharply conflicting narratives of the conflict.