"Kamikaze"
Lloyd Schillinger
Lightning Talk Presented: June 2014
Published: July 31, 2014
In 1268, a new Mongol leader named Kublai Khan came to
power. His empire was gigantic; covering most of Asia. The
Mongol Army was a feared juggernaut. Even so, the proud
Japanese had been ignoring his demands that they pay him
tribute. Finally, in 1274, Kublai Khan ordered that Japan be
invaded.
The first Mongol invasion took place with a combined force of
23,000 Chinese, Mongol, and Korean troops. They arrived on
600 ships and brought catapults, crude missiles, and archers.
The Mongol invaders landed at northern Kyushu at Hakata Bay
where they fought with the local Japanese troops. This was
known as the Battle of Bun'ei or the First Battle of Hakata Bay.
The Mongol campaign was not fairing so well. They had not achieved a decisive victory on the
battlefield. So with the experienced Korean sailors warning of approaching severe weather the invasion
force returned to their ships and departed for home port. By the next morning, all the Mongol ships
were gone.
The Japanese believed that local Shinto priests had contributed to the victory by praying to the Shinto
gods, or kami, who sent storms to break up the Mongol fleet. These typhoons were named kamikaze, or
"divine winds," by the Japanese and are understood as winds sent by Shinto gods or kami. Korean
records indicate that it took the Mongol fleet a month to return to its home ports due to the weather.
At first, the Mongol tactics confused the Japanese. They were highly mobile and maneuvered together
in teams. The Mongols would send a force forward and engage their opponent. This force would then
withdraw from the engagement as if in retreat enticing their opponent to pursue. If the opponent did,
they would be drawn into a much larger force lying in wait to ambush them. These tactics seemed very
cowardly to the noble Samurai.
During warfare in Japan, individual Samurai would emerge from an army's ranks and issue challenges for
singular combat to any enemy Samurai who would desire to gain a reputation. In this way, they were
similar to western European knights and were defeated by the Mongols in a very similar way.
Reprinted from College History
http://collegehistory.info/manuscripts/schillinger-lloyd.html
Last updated on 31 July 2014
Photo Caption: Kikuchi Yo-sai's "The Mongol Fleet Destroyed in a Typhoon." 1847.
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Despite their victory, the Japanese knew that the Mongols would return. Several Mongol ambassadors
came to Japan between 1275 and 1280. Almost all were beheaded on the spot. Late in 1280, Kublai
Khan decided to launch a second massive invasion dwarfing his first attempt. Kublai Khan directed his
Korean and Chinese vassals to begin a massive shipbuilding campaign.
In 1281, the Mongols returned with two massive forces. The first consisted of 900 ships carrying 40,000
Korean, Chinese, and Mongol troops set out from Masan. While another force of 3,500 ships carrying
100,000 troops sailed from southern China. The Mongols planned to overwhelm the Japanese with their
combined imperial fleets.
Then, in early August 1281, the combined fleet took the small island of Iki-shima and moved on to
Kyushu. There, the Mongol forces were driven back to their ships in a number of fierce engagements
collectively known as the Battle of Koan, or the Second Battle of Hakata Bay. Then, on August 13, a
typhoon struck that lasted for two days.
This time there was no warning and the Mongol fleet was caught at anchor. Many of the fleet's ships
were hastily acquired flat-bottomed Chinese riverboats. These ships were not meant to be used on the
high seas and were nearly impossible to save in a violent typhoon. It is estimated that 60% to 90% of the
Mongol fleet was destroyed in this second divine storm which the Japanese again referred to as a
kamikaze. One Japanese account claimed that the corpses of the enemy filled Imari Bay and that a man
could walk across the bay on the bodies of the dead. The Mongols left, never again to return to Japan.
The Japanese gained valuable military experience from the Mongol invasion and their Military
technology advanced also. The sword of the period known as the tachi was prone to brake against the
Mongol body armor. A new type of sword known as the katana was developed. This sword would
become the Samurai's primary weapon and the one they were most known for.
The threat of the Mongol invasion had given the many Japanese clans a common enemy and cause to
unite behind. As the threat faded, the many Samurai became restless and began to demand
compensation for their service. Normally, after a victorious campaign, the defeated opponents land and
riches would be divided between the Samurai. In this situation that was not possible. Eventually
rebellions sprang up and the period known as the Kamakura period ended and the Sengoku period, also
known as the Warring States period, began.
The spectacular victories over the Mongols by the apparent supernatural nature of the typhoons led the
Japanese to believe they were a divine race favored and protected by the gods. The victories were a
great source of pride and also helped legitimize the shogunate system of government.
The events of 1274 and 1281 would be used more than six hundred and fifty years later to inspire
Japanese pilots to fly bomb-laden planes into Allied warships off the coast of Japan, hoping to save their
homeland from another invading army in the last months of World War Two. The pilots thought of
themselves as divine winds and were called kamikazes.
Reprinted from College History
http://collegehistory.info/manuscripts/schillinger-lloyd.html
Last updated on 31 July 2014
Photo Caption: Kikuchi Yo-sai's "The Mongol Fleet Destroyed in a Typhoon." 1847.
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Reprinted from College History
http://collegehistory.info/manuscripts/schillinger-lloyd.html
Last updated on 31 July 2014
Photo Caption: Kikuchi Yo-sai's "The Mongol Fleet Destroyed in a Typhoon." 1847.
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Reprinted from College History
http://collegehistory.info/manuscripts/schillinger-lloyd.html
Last updated on 31 July 2014
Photo Caption: Kikuchi Yo-sai's "The Mongol Fleet Destroyed in a Typhoon." 1847.
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