In August 1281, the celebrated Kublai Khan, Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, sent a fleet to invade Japan. But – as with a previous invasion attempt in 1274 – he failed to prepare adequately for the weather.
The vast invasion force, with more than 4,000 ships carrying 140,000 troops, sailed from Korea and China. The Japanese were not only outnumbered but outgunned, as the Mongols had novel weapons including exploding arrows and grenades.
However, the Japanese defenders proved tenacious, and the invaders could not get a firm foothold on shore in Kyushu. Then a major typhoon struck.
Wishing to avoid being stranded in hostile territory, the invading soldiers re-embarked and tried to sail through the storm. Some ships collided with each other, others were blown on to rocks. Most of the army drowned.
Survivors who washed up on Japanese soil were hunted down by the defending samurai. The invasion was defeated, and only a few hundred ships returned to port.
In Japan, the typhoon was taken as a sign of heavenly favour, and was known as the “divine wind” – Kamikaze in Japanese.
Powerful typhoons are rare in Kyushu, and some have suggested that the storm was exaggerated. However, researchers looking at lake-bed sediments in the area have found indications of a major inundation that dates to the right period.
In addition, analysis of timbers from the invasion ships suggests they were poorly constructed, and would not have survived a typhoon.
