Yuan dynasty's relations with Japan (invasion of Japan)
First Invasion Towards Japan (1274)
First Invasion Preparations
In 1271, Kublai Khan founded the Yuan Dyanasty
The Yuan fleet contained of 15,000 Chinese and Mongol soldiers along with 8,000 Korean soldiers.
The Yuan Dynasty had superior weapons compared to the Japanese, and were outnumbered.
Time of Invasion
The Mongolians headed out to sea on a bad storm that eventually caused them to retreat, while most ships were lost or destroyed during the storm.
The Japanese ships were smaller and much more maneuverable than that of the Mongolians.
Drawing of the battle between the Mongols and the Japanese on the sea
Second Invasion Towards Japan (1281)
Second Invasion Preparartions
Now that the first invasion had passed, Japan was expecting another invasion to have come.
Getting prepared, the Japanese had built defenses, such as forts, and large stone walls that were up to 2 meters tall.
When sent 5 emissaries, Kyushu beheaded them in reply to the Yuan Dynasty.
Time of Invasion
The Yuan Dynasty coordinated over 100,000 soldiers to attack Japan.
Since the Japanese had fortified their coastal line, it became much easier to defend the opposing enemies.
Soon, a massive typhoon (Kamikaze) hit and destroyed much of the Mongolian fleet.
Yuan Dynasty's Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages
Superior weapon techniques, and superior in numbers.
The Mongolians also had gunpowder warefare fired from catapults.
Another advantage the Yuan Dynasty had was that Japan did not have a general with adequate skills to move a large amount of troops.
In conjunction with that, the Japanese used fighting techniques that were customary to them, but was used for one-on-one combat.
Disadvantages
The Mongolians' ships were not maneuverable at sea, especially during the typhoon that wiped the majority of their ships in the two failed invasions.
Drawing of what a Mongolian ship would have looked like
Kublai Khan
Map of the Yuan Dynasty
The Yuan Dynasty's Motives
Motives
The Yuan Dynasty provoked Japan when demanding a tribute to be sent to them.
Kublai Khan sent a letter to the emperor of Japan, adressing him as the leader of a small country.
The emperor of Japan was offended by this. Kublai Khan was trying to communicate in a professional manner but really messed up.
When Kublai Khan later sent messengers, the japanese shogun would not even allow them to land on the main island.
The main reason the Mongolians attacked was because of Kublai Khan. He had conquered the Song dynasty and declared himself ruler. He was overconfident, greedy, and impatient, which led to him feeling the need to attack Japan.
Sources
Bibliography
"Mongol Invasions of Japan." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Apr. 2014. Web. 18 Apr. 2014.
"Mongol Invasions of Japan by Kublai Khan." About.com Asian History. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2014.