WEBVTT 00:00:06.599 --> 00:00:12.199 The fierce resistance on the beaches of Hakata Bay and the cataclysmic encounters with typhoons 00:00:12.199 --> 00:00:17.629 - later known as the kamikaze - stand tall in the popular memory of the Mongol invasions 00:00:17.629 --> 00:00:21.640 of Japan both within and outside of the country. 00:00:21.640 --> 00:00:26.260 Having covered the course of the two invasion attempts previously, we will now cover the 00:00:26.260 --> 00:00:32.210 first clash between Mongol horse archers and Samurai warriors, and their spirited defence 00:00:32.210 --> 00:00:34.829 of the islands of Tsushima and Iki. 00:00:34.829 --> 00:00:39.329 By the way, we have a podcast covering the history of the Mongols, the links are in the 00:00:39.329 --> 00:00:40.329 description. 00:00:40.329 --> 00:00:44.429 Shoutout to March of Empires for sponsoring this video! 00:00:44.429 --> 00:00:49.149 March of Empires is a free to download medieval MMO war strategy game where you can 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00:01:33.399 event and win an exclusive chest full with thematic equipment! 00:01:33.399 --> 00:01:36.820 New players are protected from high level attacks. 00:01:36.819 --> 00:01:40.788 Support our channel and build your empire by downloading now through the link in the 00:01:40.789 --> 00:01:42.000 description! 00:01:42.000 --> 00:01:47.180 The island of Tsushima is situated between the southern coast of Korea and the Japanese 00:01:47.180 --> 00:01:48.810 island of Kyushu. 00:01:48.810 --> 00:01:54.039 Only a short distance from Korea, Tsushima was a prominent base for Japanese pirates 00:01:54.039 --> 00:01:57.320 to raid Korea, known as wakō. 00:01:57.319 --> 00:02:02.769 As Tsushima itself was mountainous with little arable land, many turned to providing for 00:02:02.769 --> 00:02:08.449 themselves on the sea, either through fishing or making the short trip to Korea. 00:02:08.449 --> 00:02:13.709 In the thirteenth century the raiders found Korea a particularly vulnerable target, as 00:02:13.710 --> 00:02:19.280 the kingdom suffered continuously from a far more fearsome enemy: Mongol horsemen of the 00:02:19.280 --> 00:02:20.729 Great Khan. 00:02:20.729 --> 00:02:27.219 Over a thirty-year period, Mongol forces repeatedly invaded Korea, and the Korean King Gojong 00:02:27.219 --> 00:02:30.490 was forced to seek refuge on an island. 00:02:30.490 --> 00:02:35.850 During this destabilization, Japanese pirates attacked Korea several times, though these 00:02:35.849 --> 00:02:41.729 attacks ended by the time King Gojong made peace with the Mongols in 1259. 00:02:41.729 --> 00:02:47.899 It is these attacks which first brought the Japanese, and Tsushima itself, to Mongol attention, 00:02:47.900 --> 00:02:52.300 alongside rumours of the great wealth of the Japanese monarchs. 00:02:52.300 --> 00:02:58.450 When the new Mongol Emperor Kublai Khan began sending envoys to Japan in the 1260s, demanding 00:02:58.449 --> 00:03:04.639 they accept his Heaven ordained rule, Tsushima’s close proximity to Korea made it a natural 00:03:04.639 --> 00:03:07.279 stopover for the Khan’s messengers. 00:03:07.280 --> 00:03:13.400 However, the Japanese government, the Kamakura Bakufu under Hojo Tokimune, repeatedly refused 00:03:13.400 --> 00:03:16.430 to even see Kublai’s envoys. 00:03:16.430 --> 00:03:22.450 One returning group of frustrated envoys in 1269 captured two fishermen from Tsushima, 00:03:22.449 --> 00:03:24.289 Tojiro and Yashiro. 00:03:24.289 --> 00:03:27.250 The two were brought all the way back to the court of Kublai. 00:03:27.250 --> 00:03:33.439 There, the most powerful single individual on the planet entertained two humble fishermen, 00:03:33.439 --> 00:03:39.419 showing off his grandeur and demanding that, upon their return, they would tell Hojo Tokimune 00:03:39.419 --> 00:03:44.699 to show him proper respect, that the Khan wished only to have the Japanese King at his 00:03:44.699 --> 00:03:49.099 court, and to bequeath his fame to posterity. 00:03:49.099 --> 00:03:55.129 On returning to Japan, the fishermen found no more success than Kublai’s official envoys 00:03:55.129 --> 00:03:56.129 did. 00:03:56.129 --> 00:04:01.129 The continued diplomatic offenses were not forgotten, and Kublai’s pretensions only 00:04:01.129 --> 00:04:06.469 increased with the declaration of the Yuan Dynasty in 1271. 00:04:06.469 --> 00:04:11.979 With the fall of the key Song Dynasty stronghold of Xiangyang, preparations soon followed for 00:04:11.979 --> 00:04:15.060 an invasion fleet against Japan. 00:04:15.060 --> 00:04:22.750 On the 2nd of November 1274 an armada of perhaps 20,000 Mongols, Northern Chinese, Jurchen, 00:04:22.750 --> 00:04:28.810 Khitans, and Korean soldiers and sailors aboard nearly 1,000 ships set out from Happ’o on 00:04:28.810 --> 00:04:30.530 Korea’s southern coast. 00:04:30.529 --> 00:04:34.009 Tsushima was where the hammer blow would strike first. 00:04:34.009 --> 00:04:38.909 By the evening of November 4th, the defenders spotted the Mongol fleet off the Tsushima 00:04:38.910 --> 00:04:40.060 coast. 00:04:40.060 --> 00:04:45.430 Lacking naval powers beyond their small pirate and fishing vessels, the Japanese had no way 00:04:45.430 --> 00:04:48.000 to harry the Mongols at sea. 00:04:48.000 --> 00:04:53.649 Tsushima was at that time controlled by the Sō clan, whose head, Sō Sukekuni, was the 00:04:53.649 --> 00:04:57.469 deputy shugo, military governor, of the island. 00:04:57.470 --> 00:05:02.691 According to the Hachiman Gudokun, a Japanese source written soon after the invasion, on 00:05:02.690 --> 00:05:07.899 Tsushima there was a shrine to Hachiman, the Japanese god of war. 00:05:07.899 --> 00:05:12.779 Tradition holds that on the day the Mongol fleet neared Tsushima, a fire broke out at 00:05:12.779 --> 00:05:15.829 Hachiman’s shrine - a foreboding omen. 00:05:15.829 --> 00:05:21.339 The fire was extinguished, and white doves were seen gathering on the roof of the shrine. 00:05:21.339 --> 00:05:26.399 As doves were the messengers of Hachiman, Sukekuni interpreted it as a warning from 00:05:26.399 --> 00:05:31.469 Hachiman: for why else would the god set fire to his own shrine? 00:05:31.470 --> 00:05:36.530 Some modern authors have interpreted this as the doves having caused the fire, perhaps 00:05:36.529 --> 00:05:41.888 from incendiaries tied to them and hence, the opening salvo in the Mongol attack upon 00:05:41.889 --> 00:05:42.889 the island. 00:05:42.889 --> 00:05:47.990 Either way, news reached Sukekuni that a massive fleet was approaching. 00:05:47.990 --> 00:05:52.759 Sukekuni rallied his forces: some 80 mounted Samurai and their retainers. 00:05:52.759 --> 00:05:58.180 He led them through the night over rough terrain to set up on the beach of Komoda, and prepare 00:05:58.180 --> 00:06:00.240 for the dawn. 00:06:00.240 --> 00:06:05.418 As the Yuan fleet neared Komoda beach early on the morning of November 5th, Sukekuni sent 00:06:05.418 --> 00:06:10.310 a small vessel out to inquire as to the purpose of their arrival. 00:06:10.310 --> 00:06:15.339 With the bakufu having rebuffed the Great Khan’s envoys repeatedly, the time was well 00:06:15.339 --> 00:06:17.259 past for talk. 00:06:17.259 --> 00:06:23.279 Sukekuni knew chances of victory against such a massive force were non-existent, yet lined 00:06:23.279 --> 00:06:28.089 the defenders of Tsushima up for battle all the same as the smaller enemy landing craft 00:06:28.089 --> 00:06:30.060 neared the shore. 00:06:30.060 --> 00:06:35.610 The primary weapon of the samurai was the bow, their valuable and iconic yumi, with 00:06:35.610 --> 00:06:38.800 which each warrior was highly skilled. 00:06:38.800 --> 00:06:43.860 Like the Mongols, the Samurai fought as mounted archers, though their maneuvers on horseback 00:06:43.860 --> 00:06:48.730 could not compare to steppe nomads born into the saddle. 00:06:48.730 --> 00:06:53.110 The wealthiest samurai were well protected in their colourful and distinctive yoroi, 00:06:53.110 --> 00:06:59.490 though on a poorer island like Tsushima few of the 80 samurai gathered by Sukekuni would 00:06:59.490 --> 00:07:00.990 be so well armoured. 00:07:00.990 --> 00:07:06.490 For sidearms, Sukekuni’s warriors had their single curved blades, the predecessors of 00:07:06.490 --> 00:07:11.900 the famous katana, while the remainder of his forces were armed with little beyond spears 00:07:11.899 --> 00:07:14.019 and naginata. 00:07:14.019 --> 00:07:20.870 In contrast, the forces sent against him were varied, commanded by the Mongol general Ho-tan. 00:07:20.870 --> 00:07:26.110 Most of the infantry Ho-tan threw against Sukekuni were Chinese and Korean levies raised 00:07:26.110 --> 00:07:32.389 by the Khan, armed with spears, large wicker or bamboo shields, and protected by cloth 00:07:32.389 --> 00:07:35.009 and gambeson-like armours. 00:07:35.009 --> 00:07:41.120 As per Mongol tactics, these troops considered most expendable were sent in the first waves, 00:07:41.120 --> 00:07:47.110 soaking up enemy arrows while the more valuable Khitan, Jurchen, Turkic and Mongol horse archers 00:07:47.110 --> 00:07:49.830 disembarked from the ships. 00:07:49.829 --> 00:07:55.209 Generally lightly armoured but highly experienced, their composite bows made them a deadly counter 00:07:55.209 --> 00:07:56.750 to the samurai. 00:07:56.750 --> 00:08:02.009 The sea voyage and need to lead their horses from the landing craft meant they could only 00:08:02.009 --> 00:08:06.870 slowly get into their formations, preventing them from immediately trying to outflank their 00:08:06.870 --> 00:08:10.280 enemies as was their usual practice. 00:08:10.279 --> 00:08:15.259 While the Mongols readied their horses, the Korean and Northern Chinese troops were sent 00:08:15.259 --> 00:08:16.949 against the samurai. 00:08:16.949 --> 00:08:23.009 Per Samurai tradition, battle began with a whistling arrow sent high into the air; per 00:08:23.009 --> 00:08:26.889 Mongol tradition, drums marked the start of their own advance. 00:08:26.889 --> 00:08:32.240 Sukekuni’s skilled archers took a heavy toll on the foe marching up the beach. 00:08:32.240 --> 00:08:37.698 As the Yuan forces neared them, challenges for single combat by the Samurai went unanswered 00:08:37.698 --> 00:08:44.669 by the Chinese and Koreans, marching as they were behind rather un-samurai-like large shields. 00:08:44.669 --> 00:08:49.969 Unused to the press[ure?] and greatly outnumbered, Sukekuni pulled his men back to the treeline 00:08:49.970 --> 00:08:52.660 where the Yuan advance was slowed. 00:08:52.659 --> 00:08:56.639 Here, the swordsmanship of the samurai made itself known. 00:08:56.639 --> 00:09:01.948 One of Sukekuni’s closest comrades, Saito Sukesada, brought down several of the Yuan 00:09:01.948 --> 00:09:05.328 soldiers and one senior Mongol officer. 00:09:05.328 --> 00:09:10.379 Standing over the fallen officer, Sukesada shouted threats at the Mongols, calling on 00:09:10.379 --> 00:09:13.049 any who dared face him in battle. 00:09:13.049 --> 00:09:18.609 The Mongols responded with arrows, three of which pierced the armour of Sukesada’s chest 00:09:18.610 --> 00:09:20.100 and ended him. 00:09:20.100 --> 00:09:24.759 In the tradition held in the history of the Sō family, seeing the doom that awaited them, 00:09:24.759 --> 00:09:31.009 Sō Sukekuni loosed the remainder of his arrows into the Yuan, and led one final futile cavalry 00:09:31.009 --> 00:09:33.209 charge into his foe. 00:09:33.208 --> 00:09:38.149 In the end the defenders were slaughtered, leaving the island open to the Mongols, and 00:09:38.149 --> 00:09:41.828 over the following week Tsushima was overrun. 00:09:41.828 --> 00:09:46.338 Towns were burnt, many were slaughtered, and a number of women of the Sō family committed 00:09:46.339 --> 00:09:49.509 suicide lest they fall into Mongol hands. 00:09:49.509 --> 00:09:52.190 A worse fate awaited the prisoners. 00:09:52.190 --> 00:09:57.449 Both Japanese and Yuan sources attest that wire was threaded through the palms of the 00:09:57.448 --> 00:10:02.659 prisoners, mainly women, who were strung along the prows of the Yuan ships as a gruesome 00:10:02.659 --> 00:10:04.110 necklace. 00:10:04.110 --> 00:10:10.350 By the 13th of November, Tsushima had fallen and Ho-tan ordered the fleet to the next island, 00:10:10.350 --> 00:10:11.350 Iki. 00:10:11.350 --> 00:10:17.300 Here, the deputy shugo Taira Kagetaka had had time to prepare his forces, sending word 00:10:17.299 --> 00:10:19.349 to Kyushu for aid. 00:10:19.350 --> 00:10:24.839 After sending women and children to Hinotsume Castle, he took 100 mounted Samurai and their 00:10:24.839 --> 00:10:29.430 retainers to meet the Yuan fleet on the northern beaches of the island. 00:10:29.429 --> 00:10:34.859 Kagetaka’s forces held them off for a few hours, slowing down the Yuan landing, but 00:10:34.860 --> 00:10:37.209 were unable to prevent it. 00:10:37.208 --> 00:10:42.678 As the Yuan foothold grew, Kagetaka had no choice but to withdraw to Hinotsume Castle 00:10:42.678 --> 00:10:43.730 in the evening. 00:10:43.730 --> 00:10:49.139 Here, the small wooden walls would not long provide shelter against the warriors who had 00:10:49.139 --> 00:10:50.938 taken Xiangyang. 00:10:50.938 --> 00:10:56.019 Kagetaka sent his daughter, Katsura-hime, with a single samurai to take word to the 00:10:56.019 --> 00:11:02.610 bakufu, and prepared for a hopeless last stand as the Yuan encircled the castle. 00:11:02.610 --> 00:11:07.019 Women and townspeople within the castle joined in the defence, hurling what they could at 00:11:07.019 --> 00:11:08.419 the enemy. 00:11:08.419 --> 00:11:13.860 Catapults and Mongol arrows made short work of those on the walls, and when Kagetaka attempted 00:11:13.860 --> 00:11:19.269 to lead a valiant sally through the gates, he found the Mongols pushing captive Japanese 00:11:19.269 --> 00:11:25.509 before them, wire threaded through their palms, living cover for Mongolian archers. 00:11:25.509 --> 00:11:30.220 His numbers dwindling, Kagetaka led what was left to the castle. 00:11:30.220 --> 00:11:36.300 As fire began to engulf the fort and his remaining men gave them what time they could, Kagetaka 00:11:36.299 --> 00:11:42.438 watched his family commit suicide before he too joined them in his final act of defiance. 00:11:42.438 --> 00:11:47.879 Iki was thus overrun, and slaughter and other atrocities followed. 00:11:47.879 --> 00:11:53.360 Katsura-hime never made it to shore, her boat coming too close to Mongol arrows. 00:11:53.360 --> 00:11:58.959 Survivors, such as Katsura’s Samurai bodyguard, brought news of the terrors on Tsushima and 00:11:58.958 --> 00:12:01.399 Iki to the rest of Japan. 00:12:01.399 --> 00:12:06.808 In popular tradition, upon learning of these horrors the regent, Hojo Tokimune, stated 00:12:06.808 --> 00:12:10.688 that this would be the most momentous occasion of his life. 00:12:10.688 --> 00:12:16.028 When asked by a nearby priest how he intended to reply to the Mongol invasion, Tokimune 00:12:16.028 --> 00:12:17.679 shrieked “Katsu!” 00:12:17.679 --> 00:12:18.958 - Victory. 00:12:18.958 --> 00:12:24.278 As we covered before, the Mongols would not find victory on the shores of Hakata Bay, 00:12:24.278 --> 00:12:29.860 where stiff Japanese resistance and an unexpected storm pushed the remnants of the fleet back 00:12:29.860 --> 00:12:31.919 to the Yuan realm. 00:12:31.919 --> 00:12:38.299 Undaunted by the efforts of this small archipelago, Kublai threw another, even larger fleet against 00:12:38.299 --> 00:12:41.438 Japan after he had conquered the Song Dynasty. 00:12:41.438 --> 00:12:48.019 In 1281 his forces returned to Tsushima and Iki, though little information is provided 00:12:48.019 --> 00:12:54.250 on these second encounters other than the fact local defences once again fell quickly. 00:12:54.250 --> 00:13:00.399 One detail provided is that Saito Sukesada’s son, Sō Moriaki, continued in his father’s 00:13:00.399 --> 00:13:04.528 legacy and fought the Mongols on the beaches of Tsushima. 00:13:04.528 --> 00:13:09.379 Another is that the crying of children in the mountains of Tsushima alerted the Mongols 00:13:09.379 --> 00:13:14.930 to the presence of families hiding there, resulting in the deaths of 300. 00:13:14.929 --> 00:13:19.959 Ultimately, the invasion of 1281 proved an even greater disaster than the first, and 00:13:19.960 --> 00:13:24.989 thousands of Chinese, Mongols, and Koreans met their end in the sea off the coast of 00:13:24.989 --> 00:13:27.199 Japan. 00:13:27.198 --> 00:13:31.919 Local defenses on Tsushima and the Japanese islands continued to be maintained during 00:13:31.919 --> 00:13:37.299 the following decades for the possibility of a Mongol return, which was threatened but 00:13:37.299 --> 00:13:38.859 never materialized. 00:13:38.860 --> 00:13:44.970 Emboldened, Japanese pirates once more began to threaten the coast line, continuously attacking 00:13:44.970 --> 00:13:52.129 Korea throughout the Yuan and Ming eras, and in time ranging as far afield as Malaysia. 00:13:52.129 --> 00:13:57.808 On Tsushima and Iki, memorials stand to the brave samurai who stood against unstoppable 00:13:57.808 --> 00:14:03.198 odds, local heroes who gave their lives for the defense of their islands, small garrisons 00:14:03.198 --> 00:14:06.028 against perhaps the most fearsome army in history. 00:14:06.028 --> 00:14:07.909 Once again, thanks to March of Empire for sponsoring this video! 00:14:07.909 --> 00:14:13.250 This free to download medieval MMO strategy game is perfect for the fans of history and 00:14:13.250 --> 00:14:14.250 Wargaming. 00:14:14.250 --> 00:14:15.250 Play as a Highland King, Northern Tsar or Desert Sultan! 00:14:15.250 --> 00:14:16.720 New Update called Wings of Liberty adds new events, bosses, boosts, shop items and exclusive 00:14:16.720 --> 00:14:17.720 chest full of thematic equipment. 00:14:17.720 --> 00:14:18.720 New players are protected from high level attacks. 00:14:18.720 --> 00:14:21.420 Support our channel and build your empire by downloading now through the link in the 00:14:21.419 --> 00:14:23.409 description! 00:14:23.409 --> 00:14:27.928 We are planning more videos on the Japanese and Mongol histories, so make sure you are 00:14:27.928 --> 00:14:32.208 subscribed to our channel and have pressed the bell button. 00:14:32.208 --> 00:14:35.248 The link to our podcast is in the description! 00:14:35.249 --> 00:14:39.540 We would like to express our gratitude to our Patreon supporters and channel members, 00:14:39.539 --> 00:14:41.870 who make the creation of our videos possible. 00:14:41.870 --> 00:14:47.769 Now, you can also support us by buying our merchandise via the link in the description. 00:14:47.769 --> 00:14:51.869 This is the Kings and Generals channel, and we will catch you on the next one.