Also known as the Second Battle of Hakata Bay, during the second Mongol invasion of Japan
The Yuan dynasty's second invasion of Japan was repelled largely by a typhoon, giving rise to the Japanese concept of kamikaze as divine protection.
Key Facts
- Year of battle
- 1281
- Ships reportedly destroyed
- over 4,000 ships
- Yuan casualties (drowned/killed)
- ~80% of soldiers
- Storm duration
- 2 days
- Storm date
- August 15, 1281
- Previous invasion (Battle of Bun'ei)
- 7 years earlier, 1274
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following the failed first invasion at the Battle of Bun'ei in 1274, the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty of China launched a second, larger invasion of Japan in 1281, sending two substantial armies across the sea to subjugate the Japanese islands.
In summer 1281, the Yuan fleets converged on Hakata Bay. By August 12 both armies were poised to attack, but on August 15 a powerful typhoon struck the Tsushima Straits for two full days, destroying the majority of the Yuan fleet and killing or drowning an estimated 80% of the invading soldiers.
The catastrophic loss of ships and men forced the Yuan forces to abandon the invasion. The Japanese attributed their salvation to the storm, calling it kamikaze, meaning 'divine wind.' This term was later repurposed in the Second World War to describe Japanese pilots conducting aerial suicide attacks.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent