⛩️ East Asiamedium
Mongol Invasion of Japan
1274 CE · Hakata Bay, Japan
Quick Facts
- Year
- 1274 CE
- Location
- Hakata Bay, Japan
- Era
- ⛩️ East Asia
- Difficulty
- medium

In 1274, Kublai Khan launched the first Mongol invasion of Japan with a fleet of approximately 900 ships carrying 40,000 Mongol, Chinese, and Korean soldiers. After initial fighting at Hakata Bay where samurai struggled against unfamiliar Mongol tactics, a massive typhoon struck and devastated the Mongol fleet. The Japanese called this storm 'kamikaze' or 'divine wind,' a term that would take on new meaning centuries later.
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The word 'kamikaze,' meaning 'divine wind,' was coined for the typhoons that destroyed the Mongol fleets. Centuries later, Japanese suicide pilots adopted the same name during World War II.