About the Second Mongol Invasion (Kōan Campaign)
The Second Mongol Invasion (Kōan Campaign) was fought in 1281 (Kōan 4) at Hakata Bay, Chikuzen Province, and Takashima, Hizen Province. The Eastern Route and Southern Route Armies, some 140,000 Yuan troops in all, cross the sea once more. Kept from landing by the stone wall around Hakata Bay and harried by Japanese night raids at Shikanoshima, their great fleet gathers off Takashima in Imari Bay, where a typhoon strikes on the first day of the intercalary 7th month. The second Mongol invasion of Japan.
- Year
- 1281Kōan 4
- Place
- Hakata Bay, Chikuzen Province, and Takashima, Hizen Province
- Era
- Kamakura period
The two armies
Troop strengthTotal of the units shown in 3D
Main camp 15,000Fought 6,600Did not fight 8,000
Fought 36,000Did not fight 6,000
Fought 100,000
Japanese forcesBy troop strength
- Shōni Tsunesuke 少弐経資 Commander-in-chief 15,000
- Ōtomo Yoriyasu 大友頼泰 Did not fight 6,000
- Kyushu warriors (Umi-no-Nakamichi) 九州の武士(海の中道) 3,000
- Hizen warriors (Matsura band) 肥前の御家人(松浦党) 3,000
- Kikuchi Takefusa 菊池武房 Did not fight 2,000
- Kōno Michiari 河野通有 500
- Takezaki Suenaga 竹崎季長 100
Eastern Route ArmyBy troop strength
- Eastern Route Army fleet 東路軍の船団 17,000
- Kim Bang-gyeong 金方慶 10,000
- Hindu (Xindu) 忻都 Commander-in-chief 9,000
- Hong Dagu 洪茶丘 Did not fight 6,000
Southern Route ArmyBy troop strength
- Southern Route Army fleet 江南軍の大船団 50,000
- Troops stranded on Takashima 鷹島に残された兵 30,000
- Fan Wenhu 范文虎 Commander-in-chief 20,000
How the battle unfoldedTimes follow the 3D clock
- 5th month, Kōan 4Ch. 1
WallWaiting Behind the Stone Wall
After the Bun'ei campaign, the regent Hōjō Tokimune ordered the vassal warriors of Kyushu to guard Hakata Bay and had them build ishitsuiji, a stone wall running some 20 km around the shore. Yuan envoys who came demanding surrender were beheaded. In Kōan 4 the Yuan sent the Eastern Route Army of some 40,000 from the Korean peninsula and the Southern Route Army of some 100,000 from Jiangnan in China.
- 6th day of the 6th monthCh. 2
FleetThe Wall Bars the Landing
On the 6th day of the 6th month the Eastern Route Army, having ravaged Tsushima and Iki, appeared in Hakata Bay. But the stone wall lined the shore with warriors waiting atop it, and there was no beach to land on. The Eastern Route Army put troops ashore on Shikanoshima and Nokonoshima at the mouth of the bay and moored its ships there.
- 8th day of the 6th monthCh. 3
RaidThe Battle of Shikanoshima
Night after night the Japanese rowed out in small boats to cut their way onto the enemy ships, and they also attacked Shikanoshima along the Umi-no-Nakamichi sandbar. Kōno Michiari of Iyo is said to have boarded an enemy ship and fought on though struck by an arrow. After several days of fierce fighting the Eastern Route Army left Shikanoshima and fell back to Iki.
- Late 6th monthCh. 4
DelayThe Southern Route Army Arrives Late
The Southern Route Army set out late, and only between the end of the 6th month and the 7th month did it reach the waters around Hirado in Hizen. Fighting between the Eastern Route Army and the Japanese went on at Iki, and sickness was spreading aboard the ships. The two armies began to gather their fleets, more than 4,000 ships in all, around Takashima in Imari Bay.
- Late 7th monthCh. 5
GatherThe Great Fleet Gathers off Takashima
Late in the 7th month the combined fleets of the Eastern and Southern Route Armies filled the sea around Takashima, making ready to strike at Hakata and Dazaifu. The warriors of Kyushu held the coast and waited.
- 1st day of the intercalary 7th monthCh. 6
StormThe Great Wind of the Intercalary 7th Month
From the night of the 30th day of the 7th month into the 1st day of the intercalary 7th month, a great storm, a typhoon, struck the waters off Takashima. Ships moored side by side smashed into one another, and many men went down with them. Timbers, weapons and tetsuhau bombs from the Yuan ships are still being found on the seabed off Takashima today.
- 7th day of the intercalary 7th monthCh. 7
Mop-upThe Troops Left on Takashima
After the storm Fan Wenhu, commander of the Southern Route Army, and others withdrew in the ships that had survived, leaving many men stranded on Takashima. On the 7th day of the intercalary 7th month the Japanese attacked the island, and most of those left behind were killed or taken prisoner. The Yuan planned a third expedition, but it never sailed.
FAQ
What was the Second Mongol Invasion (Kōan Campaign)?
The Eastern Route and Southern Route Armies, some 140,000 Yuan troops in all, cross the sea once more. Kept from landing by the stone wall around Hakata Bay and harried by Japanese night raids at Shikanoshima, their great fleet gathers off Takashima in Imari Bay, where a typhoon strikes on the first day of the intercalary 7th month. The second Mongol invasion of Japan.
When and where did the Second Mongol Invasion (Kōan Campaign) take place?
It took place in 1281 at Hakata Bay, Chikuzen Province, and Takashima, Hizen Province (Kōan 4).
Who fought in the Second Mongol Invasion (Kōan Campaign)?
Shōni Tsunesuke of the Japanese forces, Hindu (Xindu) of the Eastern Route Army, Fan Wenhu of the Southern Route Army were among the commanders.
Can I watch the Second Mongol Invasion (Kōan 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.