The Mongols, The Samurai and The Divine Wind

The Mongol forces that invaded Japan were superior in man power, organization, tactical skills and weaponry but were twice defeated by the defending nation.  However it was not the legendary fighting skills of the Samurai that beat them, it was the islands typhoon season, which became known as the ‘Kamikaze’ or ‘Divine Wind’, sent from the heavenly realms to protect the island.

Kublai Khan, the grandson of Genghis Khan, swept across East Asia in the mid thirteenth century conquering all who stood in the way of his terrifying Mongol army.  Korea was brought under his control in 1259 and almost a decade later, the Khan sent emissaries to Japan to request military assistance against the Chinese Sung dynasty and demand that they accept him as their overlord. 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, this demand was not well received by the proud ruling elite of Japan, who relied on the Chinese for trading basic goods and would not accept being ruled by any foreign leader.  In 1271, the Mongols established their rule in China and three years later an army made up of Mongol, Chinese and Korean warriors set out to conquer Japan, who had enraged the khan with their refusal of assistance.

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On the 19 November 1274, the Mongols landed at Hakata Bay, where they were met by the samurai of Kyushu.  When they met on the battle field, two opposing samurai forces would charge each other mounted on horse back and engage in pitch battles between archers.  However this tactic proved ineffectual against the Mongols, who fired volleys of poisoned arrows at the on coming samurai, before retreating and preparing for the next round.  On foot, the samurai were out-classed as at this time their main weapon was the bow.  They suffered heavy losses to the Mongols, who were far more effective with the sword and more accustomed to fighting on foot.

The Mongols also used firebombs, a weapon probably developed in China, to burn the samurai and their mounts.  Eventually the Japanese were forced to fall back and form a defensive formation but due to a shortage of arrows, the Mongols could not take advantage and follow up their attack.  Fearing a sneak attack, they re-boarded their ships when night fell and moved out to sea.  As soon as they did, huge winds and waves along with torrential rains hit them causing chaos among the Mongol fleet.  Of the 900 ships that began the attack, 200 were lost and estimated 13,000 people of the 35,000 who came lost their lives to the ‘Divine Wind’.