MONGOL INVADERS AND DIVINE WINDS – THE “KAMIKAZE”
THE MONGOLS EXPAND
The Mongolian Empire, perhaps the largest in human history, saw its first expansion of
territory and power under the leadership of Genghis Khan. Various Mongolian tribes
joined together in 1206 CE and, led by Genghis Khan, conquered vast amounts of
land. The empire eventually grew to encompass large parts of Russia, the Middle-East,
South-East Asia, and East Asia. Of all these lands, Genghis Khan was said to be most
concerned with the territories of Eastern Asia, specifically China. China itself had been
a wealthy empire, but by the 13th century its power had been diminished by conflicts
between different dynasties which had divided up the land. Genghis Khan saw an
opportunity to take the territory and wealth of China by playing the factions off of each
other, eventually making himself emperor of all of China.
Genghis Khan would die in 1227 before his dream of conquering China would be
realized, but his grandson, Kublai Khan, would continue the work. After taking control
of northern China, Kublai Khan moved to Beijing permanently and began the work of
fighting for control of southern China, controlled by the Sung dynasty.
THE MONGOLS WANT CHINA… WHY INVADE JAPAN?
Largely ignored to this point in the grand Mongolian expansion plans was the small
island nation of Japan. The Japanese remained mostly isolationist, dealing with their
own internal struggles and avoiding confrontation with the growing empire on the
mainland. Yet trade relations they continued with the Sung dynasty of southern China
forced Kublai Khan to turn his attention to the Japanese. Not having complete control
over the region, even its trade with outside parties, went against his goal of achieving a
vast and connected empire. However, Khan did not begin to approach his relationship
with Japan with the assumption it would be another territory to annex. It was actually
seen as a potential ally and therefore an asset. Starting first with a gesture of
friendship, Kublai Khan attempted to establish relations with the emperor of Japan and
ask for military assistance in fighting the Sung dynasty. The emperor had no intentions
of turning against the Sung dynasty. On the one hand, the Sung had been good trading
partners - and Japan was reliant on trade for even basic resources. On the other hand,
Khan and his Mongolian forces were seen as foreign invaders - who would probably
turn against Japan upon completion of the Sung conquest. When the Japanese
refused, the Mongols realized they could not count on the support of the island nation.
In fact, they feared Japan would join forces with the Sung dynasty. Though the threat
from a Japanese force would be relatively small, it would nonetheless interfere with the
intentions of the Mongol forces in southern China. Therefore, it would be most
beneficial to take out the potential threat. The Mongolians prepared to invade.
THE FIRST INVASION
In November of 1274 the first wave of Mongolian ships set out for Japan. They were an
impressive force, possibly including 900 ships and 35,000 soldiers (a mix of Mongol,
Chinese and Korean). The Mongols landed on the main island of Kyushu, and easily
fought the Japanese samurai waiting on the island. At night, however, they returned to
the ships and moved out to sea to avoid a surprise attack. Immediately a huge storm
gathered offshore. High winds and huge waves arose, along with torrential rains. The
Mongolian forces were completely unprepared as they waited in the water. Their
wooden ships were easily broken. Chaos ensued, as it was night and impossible to
see. When the storm finally passed, the Mongols surveyed the destruction as
complete. Approximately 200 ships were sunk and 13,000 soldiers drowned, thus
forcing the Mongolians to retreat. The first invasion of Japan failed.
THE SECOND INVASION
Kublai Khan succeeded in conquering the southern Sung dynasty in China by 1279. In
retaliation for the humiliating defeat, he turned his attention back to Japan. A second
invasion was planned, with many more ships and soldiers divided among two fleets – a
first containing 3,500 ships and 100,000 troops, and a second containing 900 ships
and 41,000 troops. They set sail in May 1281. Again the island of Kyushu was
targeted, but the Japanese waited for the attack there and were able to repel the
Mongol forces. When the two fleets moved south to take the Japanese island of
Takashima, the weather again turned on them. This time the hurricane was so
devastating that 4,000 ships were sunk and 100,000 soldiers lost. The rest returned to
the mainland, and no future invasions of Japan were attempted.
THE “KAMIKAZE”
Japan had been saved twice by hurricanes that often proved devastating to its own
population during the typhoon season. From this miracle salvation the Japanese
termed the storm ‘kamikaze’, meaning ‘divine wind’. The Mongolian empire had failed
twice to conquer a small island nation. The devastation to morale, not just their force
capabilities, prevented the Mongolian empire from seeking to expand further. The
failure of the invasions proved to have long-term effects and historical consequences
for both the Japanese and Mongolian empires. Japan maintained its isolationism from
the rest of East Asia and prospered. It also never worried about future invasions. For
Japan, the Divine Wind instilled a feeling of divine protection. This invincibility fostered
nationalism among the Japanese people. A combination of intense nationalism and
isolationism had great effects for Japan in the twentieth century. A great deal of
development was achieved. Yet the limits to development encountered by a lack of
resources led Japan into conflict with other nations. This conflict reached its height in
the form of World War II.
THE BEGINNING OF THE END
For the Mongolian empire, however, the defeat at the hands of the ‘divine wind’ was
considered the beginning of its decline. Kublai Khan’s successors were unable to
regain the power of the empire and by 1368 – less than 100 years later - it dissolved. It
went down in history as a great, widespread empire that eventually suffered from
overreach and found it impossible to continue expansion.
Name ________________________________________ Date ____________________ Period ____
Feudal Japan – The Mongol Invasions
World History with Mr. Golden
Directions: Use the reading titled MONGOL INVADERS AND DIVINE WINDS – THE “KAMIKAZE” to respond
to the prompts below in complete sentences.
1. What was going on in China that led Genghis Khan to believe it was ripe for conquest?
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2. What were the Japanese doing that finally drew Kublai Khan’s attention?
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3. Why did the Japanese refuse Mongol offers of alliance and requests for military assistance?
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4. What caused the first Mongol invasion of Japan to fail?
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5. What caused the second Mongol invasion of Japan to fail?
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6. What name did the Japanese give to the “divine wind” that saved them from the Mongols?
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7. What were the long-term effects of repelling (preventing) the invasion for the Japanese?
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8. What were the long-term effects of the failed invasion for the Mongols?
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Study this image for a moment. Is there anything in
it that surprises you?
This picture shows Mongolian ships approaching the
Japanese coastline. (You can tell how close they are
because they’re within range of the Japanese archers!)
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