When Genghis Khan’s Grandson Got Schooled by Mother Nature: The Tale of the Mongol Invasions of Japan

The Mongol Empire was the medieval version of a rockstar world tour—unstoppable, heavily armored, and leaving a wake of conquered lands behind. Under Kublai Khan, grandson of the one and only Genghis Khan, the Mongols had an empire so vast you could ride a horse for months without leaving Mongol-controlled territory.

But across the East China Sea sat Japan, an unconquered island nation minding its own business, drinking tea, and writing poetry about cherry blossoms. For Kublai, Japan was the glittering jewel just out of reach—a stubborn sushi roll he couldn’t quite grab with his chopsticks.

So, in the year 1274, Kublai decided to do what Mongols did best: send a polite letter (read: “Surrender, or else”) and prepare a fleet big enough to blot out the horizon.

But little did he know that Japan wasn’t guarded just by samurai with cool swords—it was also guarded by divine meteorological intervention.