THE ‘DIVINE WIND’

According to legend a huge typhoon hits Kyushu, scattering the Khan’s fleets at Imari Bay and Iki. Around 4,000 ships, each loaded with weapons, horses and men, are lost in the tempest. Many of the ships are lashed and chained together, compounding the devastating losses. The Japanese refer to this event as a kamikaze, or divine wind, that swept the Mongol invasion away from their islands.

This 19th century painting by Kikuchi Yosai depicts the Mongol fleet being wrecked by the kamikaze