Kamikaze sank the Mongols

QUESTION Did the Mongol army ever attempt to invade Japan? THE Mongols twice invaded Japan and, both times, were destroyed by typhoons, which became known as kamikaze or ‘divine wind’.

Mongolian ruler Kublai Khan, who conquered China and became the first Yuan dynasty emperor, invaded Japan in 1274.

Due to the shogun (military leadership) policy of staying isolated from the rest of the world, the Japanese army was ill-prepared.

When the invading Mongols landed their ships on November 19 at Hakata Bay on the island of Kyushu, they made swift gains.

However, at nightfall, a typhoon led most of the Mongols to sail off, to avoid being marooned.

The ships that remained were boarded by samurai (military officers), who cut the Mongol soldiers to pieces. After this, the Japanese fortified landing zones.

In Kublai Khan’s second Mongol invasion of 1281, some 140,000 troops were dispatched, but the 6ft-high walls at Hakata Bay enabled a small Japanese force to repulse them. A two-day typhoon smashed the Mongol fleet.

David Sanders, London Se12. QUESTION People who come from Leicester are called Rat-eyes, from the Roman name for the city, Ratae. What other nicknames are there for Britain’s towns and cities? FURTHER to the earlier answer, Wiltshire people have nicknames associated with folklore, legend or historical fact.

Aldbourne villagers are known as Dabchicks, after a strange bird seen on the village pond. In Bradford on Avon, residents are Gudgeons — after a fish-shaped weather vane on the jail. Trowbridge people are Knobs, after a stone ball on the lock-up’s roof.

Meanwhile, birds inspired the names Rushall Rooks, Enford Owls and Upavon Jacks.

tim Lester, Marlborough, Wilts.