Major military efforts were taken by Kublai Khan of the Yuan dynasty in 1274 and 1281 to conquer the Japanese archipelago after the submission of the Korean kingdom of Goryeo to vassaldom. Ultimately a failure, the invasion attempts are of macro-historical importance because they set a limit on Mongol expansion and rank as nation-defining events in the history of Japan. The invasions are referred to in many works of fiction and are the origin of the word kamikaze, first used to describe the typhoons that destroyed the Mongol invasion fleets in the 13th century. The term was later adopted in the 20th century to describe Japanese pilots who deliberately crashed their aircraft into enemy warships during the last years of World War II.
Mongol invasion of Japan: The Mongolian fleet of Kublai Khan is destroyed by a "divine wind" for the second time in the Battle of Kōan.
On August 15, in the year 1281, Mongol invasion of Japan: The Mongolian fleet of Kublai Khan is destroyed by a "divine wind" for the second time in the Battle of Kōan. This event is recorded as a Historical Events event in the history of August 15, one of 476 recorded events on this date across all of history.
Key Facts
- This event took place on August 15, 1281 (AD era).
- It is categorised as a Historical Events event in recorded history.
- Referenced in 5 Wikipedia articles.
- Wikipedia source last updated on 2 August 2026.
On This Date in History 476
This article draws on content from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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