The Mongols, The Samurai and The Divine Wind
by In the thirteenth century, the Mongol’s had what was probably the biggest empire the world had ever seen and was at the height of its power. Japan on the other hand was a small, isolated empire, divided by internal conflict as rival warlords battled each other constantly for land and power.
Over the next few years, the Mongols focused their attention on completing their conquest of South China until in 1279, they again sent envoys to Japan, demanding they pay homage to Kublai Kahn; the heads of the ambassadors were sent back to the Mongol leader, infuriating him. The samurai built a wall along the coast of Hakata Bay, 4.5 metres height and 40 km in length in response to the Mongol threat, they also assembled a large number of small boats, designed for fighting in shallow water.
By May, 1281, Kahn had raised an army which he split into two fleets. The first contained 3,500 ships and 100,000 troops, the second had 900 ships carrying 40,000 troops. The first wave of the attack reached the island of Kyushu on the 9 June and was eventually repelled by the samurai, who limited the invasion fleet to landing small numbers of men and harassed them with night-time attacks on their ships, using their new boats.
The two Mongol fleets moved south to take the island of Takashima but as if the gods were watching over the Japanese, as was believed to be the case, another storm came and laid waste to the invasion fleet. This time, 4,000 ships and 100,000 men were lost to the ‘Divine Wind’, forcing the rest of the fleet to return to China.
The battles against the Mongol army changed the way the samurai viewed warfare forever as successful warlords began mimicking the way the Mongols fought. They changed from being predominantly mounted archers who used their swords as secondary weapons, to swordsmen who mainly fought on foot but who had the secondary tactic of mounting up and using their archery skills if needed.
The failed invasion had a devastating effect on the Mongol Empire as the loss of man power and moral not only prevented the chance of any further expansion, it signalled the beginning of the end for them; less than 100 years later the largest empire the world has ever seen had dissolved.
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Post CommentMark S Stephens
On March 15, 2009 at 4:39 am
Another good read Auron look forward to reading more
papaleng
On March 15, 2009 at 7:32 am
a very informative article and well-researched. Thanks for sharing.
R J Evans
On March 15, 2009 at 6:02 pm
Interesting work!
The Quail
On March 15, 2009 at 6:35 pm
Very interesting work and a very interesting read.
John McDonnell
On March 15, 2009 at 9:05 pm
Good history lesson. It seems the weather conspired to help the Japanese twice. It was a Divine Wind indeed!
nutuba
On March 15, 2009 at 10:21 pm
Informative, interesting, and enjoyable! Nicely researched and beautifully done!
Stock Photography
On March 15, 2009 at 11:21 pm
The failed invasion had a devastating effect on the Mongol Empire as the loss of man power and moral not only prevented the chance of any further expansion
Tony Payne
On March 19, 2009 at 10:23 pm
Great article, very interesting read.
Lauren Axelrod
On March 21, 2009 at 1:44 pm
Wow, I bookmarked this one Auron. My Dad loves stories like this.
Brenda Nelson
On March 21, 2009 at 6:27 pm
Great information about a time long gone… thanks
Gary Wallace
On March 29, 2009 at 10:39 am
Natural phenomena, like the weather or disease, have an enormous effect on history, as you have shown here. An enjoyable read. Thanks.
shaun simpson
On June 16, 2009 at 9:17 am
what a great article! your work gets better all the time
xoxo
On December 9, 2009 at 9:28 am
Saved by the storm. Great read. Thanks.