Kamikaze (typhoon) in the context of Man'yōshū

⭐ Core Definition: Kamikaze (typhoon)

The kamikaze (Japanese: 神風, lit. 'divine wind') were two winds or storms that are said to have saved Japan from two Mongol fleets under Kublai Khan. These fleets attacked Japan in 1274 and again in 1281. Due to the growth of Zen Buddhism among Samurai at the time, these were the first events where the typhoons were described as "divine wind" as much by their timing as by their force. Since Man'yōshū, the word kamikaze has been used as a Makurakotoba of waka introducing Ise Grand Shrine.

The term "kamikaze" is the native Japanese kun'yomi reading of the characters, and the main reading of them that was used more throughout history was the on'yomi (Sinitic) "shinpu".

↓ Menu

Kamikaze (typhoon) in the context of Mongol invasions of Japan

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 (神風 "divine wind"), 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.

The invasions were one of the earliest cases of gunpowder warfare outside of China. One of the most notable technological innovations during the war was the use of explosive, hand-thrown bombs.

View the full Wikipedia page for Mongol invasions of Japan

↑ Return to Menu