How did the geography and weather in Japan play a role in protecting Japan from Kublai Khan's mongol invasion?

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History

Zaria Roberts

8 September, 15:42

How did the geography and weather in Japan play a role in protecting Japan from Kublai Khan's mongol invasion?

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Amani Hendricks · Answer 1

The Mongol ruler Kublai Khan succeeded in conquering China, and he began the Yuan dynasty. His next objective was conquering Japan.

In 1266, Kublai Khan asked Japan for tributes, but after being ignored for several years, he decided to invade. Two invasions took place.

The first one occurred in 1274, and the Mongols successfully conquered the islands of Tsushima and Iki. However, as they were withdrawing, their naval forces met with a typhoon. The Mongols lost most of their soldiers and ships.

During the second invasion in 1281, the Mongol fleet was unable to find adequate beaches to land in due to the defensive walls that Japan had built. This meant that the warriors had to stay afloat for months. Eventually, another typhoon hit them, destroying the fleet. The Mongols decided not to attack Japan again.

This typhoons were seen as a sign of divine protection by the Japanese, and were known as "kamikaze" (a term that would become popular again during WWII).