About the First Mongol Invasion (Bun'ei Campaign)
The First Mongol Invasion (Bun'ei Campaign) was fought in 1274 (20th day of the 10th month, Bun'ei 11) at Hakata Bay, Chikuzen Province. Some 30,000 Yuan and Goryeo troops descend on Hakata Bay in a fleet said to number 900 ships. The warriors of Kyushu meet them, hard pressed by exploding tetsuhau bombs and massed tactics, and fall back to the Mizuki embankment, but overnight the invaders return to their ships and sail away. The first Mongol invasion of Japan.
- Year
- 127420th day of the 10th month, Bun'ei 11
- Place
- Hakata Bay, Chikuzen Province
- Era
- Kamakura period
The two armies
Troop strengthTotal of the units shown in 3D
Fought 5,405
Fought 32,300
Japanese forcesBy troop strength
- Shōni Kagesuke 少弐景資 Commander-in-chief 3,000
- Ōtomo Yoriyasu 大友頼泰 2,000
- Kikuchi Takefusa 菊池武房 300
- Shiraishi Michiyasu 白石通泰 100
- Takezaki Suenaga 竹崎季長 5
Yuan–Goryeo forcesBy troop strength
- Hindu (Xindu) 忻都 Commander-in-chief 10,000
- Kim Bang-gyeong 金方慶 5,600
- Yuan–Goryeo fleet (off Momochibaru) 元・高麗の船団(百道原沖) 4,700
- Hong Dagu 洪茶丘 4,000
- Liu Fuheng 劉復亨 4,000
- Yuan–Goryeo fleet (off Imazu) 元・高麗の船団(今津沖) 2,000
- Yuan vanguard 元軍の先手 2,000
How the battle unfoldedTimes follow the 3D clock
- 6:15 AMCh. 1
FleetA Great Fleet Enters Hakata Bay
Kublai, emperor of the Mongols, renamed his realm Yuan and sent letters demanding that Japan submit. Hōjō Tokimune, regent of the Kamakura shogunate, refused. In the 10th month of Bun'ei 11, some 30,000 Yuan and Goryeo troops crossed the sea in a fleet said to number 900 ships. They ravaged Tsushima and Iki, and on the 19th appeared in Hakata Bay.
- 7:30 AMCh. 2
LandLanding at Momochibaru
On the morning of the 20th the Yuan–Goryeo army landed at Momochibaru, Imazu and other points on the west of the bay, and made camp on the hill of Sohara. Facing them were the vassal warriors of Kyushu under Shōni Kagesuke, son of Shōni Sukeyoshi of Dazaifu, who gathered on the Okinohama shore at Hakata to await the enemy.
- 9:30 AMCh. 3
ClashKikuchi Takefusa Rides to Akasaka
Kikuchi Takefusa of Higo fell on the enemy camped in the pines of Akasaka and scattered them. The Mōko Shūrai Ekotoba scrolls show his men riding back with the heads they had taken. The enemy fell back toward the Torikai tidal flats and Sohara.
- 11:30 AMCh. 4
ChargeTakezaki Suenaga Leads the Charge
Takezaki Suenaga, a vassal warrior of Higo, pursued the retreating enemy with just five riders and was the first to strike at the Torikai flats. To lead the charge was the highest honour a warrior could win. Amid exploding tetsuhau bombs his horse was shot and he himself wounded, until a band under Shiraishi Michiyasu of Hizen rode up and drove the enemy back.
- 1:30 PMCh. 5
BombsTetsuhau and Massed Tactics
Moving in close formation to the beat of drums and gongs, the Yuan–Goryeo troops attacked with poisoned arrows and tetsuhau, iron shells that burst with a roar and a cloud of smoke. Warriors who rode out announcing their names are said to have suffered badly. The town of Hakata and Hakozaki Shrine were burned. Liu Fuheng, a Yuan deputy commander, was wounded by an arrow as he pursued; tradition says it was loosed by Shōni Kagesuke.
- 4:30 PMCh. 6
MizukiFalling Back to Mizuki
At dusk the Japanese abandoned Hakata and fell back to Mizuki, the embankment guarding Dazaifu. Mizuki had been raised some six hundred years earlier, after the Battle of Baekgang, against an invasion by Tang and Silla. The Yuan–Goryeo army pursued no further, and night fell.
- 8:00 PMCh. 7
GoneThe Vanished Fleet
That night the Yuan–Goryeo army returned to its ships, and by morning had vanished from Hakata Bay. Yuan and Goryeo records say it withdrew because the troops were exhausted, arrows were running short and Japanese reinforcements were feared, and that a storm wrecked many ships the same night. Later ages spoke of a "divine wind," but how great the storm was is still debated.
FAQ
What was the First Mongol Invasion (Bun'ei Campaign)?
Some 30,000 Yuan and Goryeo troops descend on Hakata Bay in a fleet said to number 900 ships. The warriors of Kyushu meet them, hard pressed by exploding tetsuhau bombs and massed tactics, and fall back to the Mizuki embankment, but overnight the invaders return to their ships and sail away. The first Mongol invasion of Japan.
When and where did the First Mongol Invasion (Bun'ei Campaign) take place?
It took place in 1274 at Hakata Bay, Chikuzen Province (20th day of the 10th month, Bun'ei 11).
Who fought in the First Mongol Invasion (Bun'ei Campaign)?
Shōni Kagesuke of the Japanese forces, Hindu (Xindu) of the Yuan–Goryeo forces were among the commanders.
Can I watch the First Mongol Invasion (Bun'ei Campaign) in 3D?
Yes. This page plays a free three-minute 3D animated overview showing the deployments, the movements of each army and how the battle was decided.