Japanese History
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Kamikaze – The Divine Winds that Saved Japan
The reason why Mongolians invaded Japan
Following the conquest of China in 1230 and Korea in 1231, Kublai Khan become the first emperor of Mongolia and renamed it the Yuan Dynasty, meaning “first beginning.” Just 100 miles (160 km) away, Japan feared an invasion and they had every reason to. Between 1267 and 1274, Kublai Khan sent numerous messages to the Emperor of Japan demanding that he submit to the Mongols or face invasion. However, the messengers were blocked by Japan’s shogun, the real power behind the throne, and they never reached the Emperor.
Enraged by the lack of response from the Emperor, whom he dismissed as the "ruler of a small country," Kublai Khan pledged to invade Japan. The Mongols began constructing a massive fleet of warships and amassed thousands of soldiers from China and Korea for the campaign.
The Failed Mongol Invasions of Japan
In the Autumn of 1274, the Mongols launched their first invasion on Japan, which has become known as the Battle of Bun'ei. An estimated 500 to 900 vessels and 40,000 warriors, mostly ethnic Chinese and Koreans reached the shores of Hakata Bay where the two forces met. The Mongols devastated the Japanese forces who began to retreat.However, fearing the Japanese were getting ready to return with reinforcements, the Mongols retreated to their ships. That night, the typhoon struck as the ships lay at anchor in Hakata Bay. By daybreak, only a few ships remained. The rest were destroyed, taking the lives of thousands of Mongols with them.
While the Japanese had a lucky escape in 1274, it was not over yet. The Mongols were now more determined than ever to conquer Japan. They worked hard to rebuilt their fleet and recruit greater numbers of warriors. Meanwhile, Japan built two-meter-high (6.56 ft) walls to protect themselves from future attacks.
Ink and watercolor depiction of the Mongol invasion and the destruction of the Mongol fleet in a typhoon, by Kikuchi Yoosai.
Seven years later, the Mongols returned with an enormous fleet of 4,400 ships and an estimated 70,000 to 140,000 soldiers to enact their second Mongol invasion of Japan. One set of forces set out from Korea, while another set sail from southern China, converging near Hakata Bay in August, 1281. Unable to find any suitable landing beaches due to the walls, the fleet stayed afloat for months and depleted their supplies as they searched for an area to land.
On August 15, the Mongols prepared to launch their assault on the much smaller Japanese forces defending the island. However, once again, a massive typhoon hit, wrecking the Mongol fleet and once again foiling the invasion attempt. Contemporary Japanese accounts indicate that over 4,000 ships were destroyed and 80 percent of the soldiers either drowned or were killed by samurai on the beaches in what became one of the largest and most disastrous attempts at a naval invasion in history. The Mongols never attacked Japan again.
The Second Mongol Invasion of Japan. Mongols who survived the typhoon were slaughtered by Japanese samurai warriors at the water’s edge.
Raijin and the Divine Wind - Kamikaze as Metaphor in the Modern World
Sculpture of Raijin from Sanjūsangen-dō temple in Kyoto.
According to Japanese legend, the Kamikaze (divine wind) was created by Raijin, god of lightning, thunder, and storms, to protect Japan against the Mongols. One of the oldest Japanese deities, Raijin is an original Shinto god, also known as kaminari (from kami “spirit” or “deity” and nari “thunder"). He is typically depicted as a demon-looking spirit beating drums to create thunder. Another variations of the legend, says that the Kamikaze typhoons were created by Fujin (the wind god).
In the 1980s, experts discovered the presence of shipwrecks off the coast of Takashima Island in southern Japan. These were then located again in the 1990s by a team of Japanese archaeologists. Other shipwrecks have since been found since 2011, after years of searching by he Kyushu Okinawa Society for Underwater Archaeology.
Considering the timing of the two typhoons, which exactly coincided with the two attempted invasions of Japan, it is easy to see why these massive storms were viewed as gifts from the gods. If it were not for the two ‘kamikaze’ typhoons, it is highly likely that Japan would have been conquered by the Mongols, creating what would have been a very different future.
Source: https://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-asia/kamikaze-001995
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The Boshin War: A forgotten war of Japan
The Boshin war or to be more adept the Japanese "civil war" is a forgotten war of Japan. Lasting for just a year, from 1868 to 1869, the war directly affected Japan's development in the early 20th century. The consequences of this war can be stretched all the way to the Second World War.
The background to this war is what's even more important. The Tokugawa shogunate ruled Japan for almost two centuries now, in which it enforced a strict rule of isolationism. However, in 1854, as part of United State's gunboat diplomacy, Commodore Perry's expedition to Japan forced the Tokugawa Shogunate to open trade with foreign powers now, under humiliating terms. This led to the movement of Sonno Joi, a movement by disgruntled samurai who wanted a rule that would enforce the Emperor's will and Expel the Barbarians. The imperial Court sympathized with the Sonno Joi movement, mainly pushed by the leaders in the rebellious Domains (shogunate administrational division for a province, ruled by a Daimyo, who is the leader of the clan who rules the domain) of Satsuma and Choshu. Note that when Tokugawa Ieyasu won the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, he expelled the defeated clans to rule the southern domains, and Satsuma and Choshu domains were ruled by the clans who were defeated then.
Not surprisingly enough, Emperor Komei issued an edict to expel barbarians. The Shogunate never intended to enforce the edict, but the rebellious samurai of Satsuma and Choshu attacked foreigners and sometimes the shogunate forces themselves. The shogunate was forced to pay for these acts to the foreign powers, and the foreign powers themselves led a multinational campaign against the Choshu domain. The Shogunate itself also led a punitive campaign against Choshu domain, in which the Choshu domain surrendered without any major fighting. This led the sonno joi movement to subside, but the Tokugawa were unable to assert full control even after this.
The transformation of then Japanese military
The Satsuma domain, who were bombarded during the multinational expedition, surprisingly grew more close to the British. The British were keen to support Satsuma, as they wanted an unified imperial rule of Japan, and mainly wanted to counter the French, who provided assistance for the Shogunate. The Choshu, who formed a secret alliance with Satsuma, also got their forces upgraded with western military equipment. After the Anglo-Satsuma conflict, The Satsuma were even more keen to modernize, since they saw their troops failed at being combat effective. Both Satsuma and Choshu, in a break of tradition, also started enlisting peasants into their military force, which was a domain purely held by the samurai.
(Troops of Choshu domain (upper row) and Troops of Satsuma domain (lower row). main distinction between troops of both domains were their hats)
The Shogunate troops also did modernize to some degree, but they did not do it at a rapid pace, so most of the shogunate forces were a mix of western and samurai equipment. However, the shogunate forces mainly depended on its allies, who were not modernized enough to be of much effect.
The Satsuma domain continously purchased British ships, modernizing their navy to a western standard. The shogunate, on the other hand barely got a few French ships.
(note: the troops featured here mostly belonged to modernized units, which were not in large numbers. this was not standard issue of all shogunate troops)
Breaking out of Hostilities
Following a coup in Choshu, the extremist factions now returned to power. The shogunate decided to do another punitive expedition to Choshu. The Choshu, who were now allied with Satsuma, defeated shogunate troops, leading to a considerable loss of authority for the shogunate. But by this time, both Emperor Komei and Shogun Tokugawa Iemochi died, and now succeeded by Emperor Meiji and Tokugawa Yoshinobu.
Yoshinobu initially resigned his position, and proclaiming himself to be an instrument in carrying out imperial orders. This technically ended the shogunate, but the shogunate system was still in place, with the Tokugawa family still holding considerable power. Yoshinobu met with a body of daimyos, in the hopes this body would restore him, however this was intolerable for the hardliners in Satsuma and Choshu. On January 3,1868, these elements forced then 15yr old Emperor Meiji to issue a Restoration of Imperial rule. Although Yoshinobu initially agreed, he then later refused this order, and prepared to attack the imperial capital of Kyoto with his troops from his base at Osaka castle.
Battle of Toba-Fushimi
The shogunate and the Satsuma-Choshu troops clashed with each other at Toba-Fushimi, on the outskirts of Kyoto, on 27 January 1868. The Shogunate troops numbered 15,000 while the Satsuma-Choshu troops were only 5,000 strong. However these troops were fully modernized, the Gatling guns, Armstrong artillery and rifles. The Choshu troops were the most modernized, while the Satsuma troops still fielded some samurai. On the shogunate's side, the troops were made up of official shogunate troops and troops from domains who were loyal to the Shogun. However, the shogunate domains were scantly equipped, with most of the frontline troops still samurai. The official shogunate troops however came second to the Choshu troops in terms of equipment. Satsuma came third, while the rest of the Shogunate loyal domains came at the bottom.
The British, who by then supported Satsuma and Choshu, also had a slight participation in this battle in strategic terms, as a couple of Royal Navy ships anchored near Osaka Bay. This prompted the Shogun to only send few of his own army to Kyoto, maintaining most of his reserves at Osaka. This further reduced the amount of modernized troops in the Shogun's army when they clashed at Toba-Fushimi
The shogunate troops also had empty rifles, as they did not expect a proper fight, or a fight at all. Most of the commanders also lacked motivation or any concrete orders.
When the troops clashed, most of the shogunate frontline troops, who were armed with only pikes and swords, were killed en masse. The shogunate artillery and cavalry were also absent, as they charged against entrenched Satsuma troops, who had support of cannons.
(Troops of the imperial court in Kyoto. These were separate troops from that of Satsuma and Choshu Domains, and although fairly modernized, was still not at the levels of those from Satsuma-Choshu. These units were separately established by the Emperor to act as the guard in Kyoto)
On the second day of the battle, orders were obtained from the imperial court, proclaiming Tokugawa Yoshinobu and his forces as enemies of the court. The Imperial Prince Yoshiaki was proclaimed the commander-in-chief of the Satsuma-Choshu forces, effectively making the army into an imperial one. This worked as a pyschological shock for the shogunate troops.
The shogunate troops retreated after heavy fighting on 28th and regrouped with other Shogunate forces. By this time, the political landscape has vastly changed. Many of the Daimyos now changed sides to the Imperial cause overnight, and this enabled favour to tilt in the side of Imperial forces now.
On the 29th, The regrouped Shogunate troops were again attacked, and from behind the Satsuma-Choshu lines, the Imperial Banners were now raised. There was initial confusion among the two, when messengers were sent to both sides, announcing the news that the Satsuma-Choshu forces are now the Emperor's army. The shogunate forces now retreated in shock, as the emboldened Imperial troops drew their swords and attacked the Shogunate lines. The retreating Shogunate troops reached Yodo castle of the Yodo domain, which neighboured Kyoto. However the daimyo of Yodo domain tactly changed sides to the Imperial cause, and refused to let the shogunate troops in. Yodo castle was a strategic point, with good defences. However the castle gates were closed and the Shogunate troops had to retreat to Osaka castle.
The remaining campaign
Osaka Castle fell after Tokugawa Yoshinobu fled from the castle on his ship to Edo. The demoralized troops retreated, and the castle fell not so soon after. Yoshinobu was distressed that the rebels now had Imperial support, but he still held on to the hope that he was still a legitimate ruler, since the ministers of foreign powers still recognized the Tokugawa Shogunate as the legitimate government of Japan. However days later, they recognized the Imperial government, thus crushing his last hope.
Edo was finally surrounded by Imperial troops, as Yoshinobu refused to attack the Imperial forces when they marched towards Edo. Edo did an unconditional surrender between May-July of 1868. There were those in Edo who resisted the surrender, however they were defeated in Ueno near Edo in July. With the surrender of Edo, The Tokugawa shogunate came to an end after 265 years.
However, the shogunate navy's chief, Enomoto Takeaki, refused to surrender, and with his 8 ships, left Edo to fight against the Imperial troops.
By this time, the northern domains, who were shogunate loyalists, formed an alliance to fight the Imperial troops. The coalition was mostly formed by samurai, who were barely equipped. By october the coalition crumbled, and the remaining troops retreated to Hakodate with Enomoto's ships. The ezo republic was formed, Japan's first republic based on the american system. Ezo force and the Imperial army now fought at Hakodate. Enomoto finally surrendered on June 7, 1869, bringing an end to the war.
The Aftermath, and the rippling effects of the war on Japan
The Imperial government abolished the system of having domains and daimyo, and establishing a central Imperial government. Domains were now transferred into prefectures, with a governor selected by the Emperor. The capital was now changed from Kyoto to Edo, which was renamed to Tokyo (eastern capital). A conscript military was now the normal in the Meiji government. The samurai class was abolished, and this led to a rebellion by the samurai of the former Satsuma domain. This rebellion was finally crushed, and thus the curtains fell on the age of the samurai.
The isolationist tendency of Japan now rapidly changed to that of an expansionist one. Several Satsuma leaders in the new Imperial government wanted to conquer Korea, as the Korean Joseon Kingdom refused to accept the legitimacy of the new Imperial government and Emperor Meiji as the head of state, and more especially because the Koreans meted out harsh treatment to Japanese diplomats who tried to establish diplomatic and trade relations.
The earlier anti-foreigner feelings died out quite early in the war. Orders were issued in kyoto and then later across Japan to not harm foreigners, and the Imperials didn't pursue the policy to expel foreign powers. The new slogan was that of "Rich Country, Strong Army".
The Imperial Army's first expeditionary military action was the Taiwan Expedition in 1874, just 5 years after the Boshin War. The imperial forces withdrew after Qing China agreed to pay an indemnity to Japan.
The Boshin war changed the political and military landscape of Japan entirely. In just few years the country went from a medieval country still stuck in time to that of an imperial power, with considerable military might. The military changed from being a coalition of armies of domains under a shogunate and mainly being comprised of samurai to finally transformed into being an uniformed imperial army with conscripts, mainly consisting of peasants. This is one of the unspoken wars, a war not of a great scale but nonetheless changed the direction of a country into a modern empire.
The Boshin war or to be more adept the Japanese "civil war" is a forgotten war of Japan. Lasting for just a year, from 1868 to 1869, the war directly affected Japan's development in the early 20th century. The consequences of this war can be stretched all the way to the Second World War.
The background to this war is what's even more important. The Tokugawa shogunate ruled Japan for almost two centuries now, in which it enforced a strict rule of isolationism. However, in 1854, as part of United State's gunboat diplomacy, Commodore Perry's expedition to Japan forced the Tokugawa Shogunate to open trade with foreign powers now, under humiliating terms. This led to the movement of Sonno Joi, a movement by disgruntled samurai who wanted a rule that would enforce the Emperor's will and Expel the Barbarians. The imperial Court sympathized with the Sonno Joi movement, mainly pushed by the leaders in the rebellious Domains (shogunate administrational division for a province, ruled by a Daimyo, who is the leader of the clan who rules the domain) of Satsuma and Choshu. Note that when Tokugawa Ieyasu won the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, he expelled the defeated clans to rule the southern domains, and Satsuma and Choshu domains were ruled by the clans who were defeated then.
Not surprisingly enough, Emperor Komei issued an edict to expel barbarians. The Shogunate never intended to enforce the edict, but the rebellious samurai of Satsuma and Choshu attacked foreigners and sometimes the shogunate forces themselves. The shogunate was forced to pay for these acts to the foreign powers, and the foreign powers themselves led a multinational campaign against the Choshu domain. The Shogunate itself also led a punitive campaign against Choshu domain, in which the Choshu domain surrendered without any major fighting. This led the sonno joi movement to subside, but the Tokugawa were unable to assert full control even after this.
The transformation of then Japanese military
The Satsuma domain, who were bombarded during the multinational expedition, surprisingly grew more close to the British. The British were keen to support Satsuma, as they wanted an unified imperial rule of Japan, and mainly wanted to counter the French, who provided assistance for the Shogunate. The Choshu, who formed a secret alliance with Satsuma, also got their forces upgraded with western military equipment. After the Anglo-Satsuma conflict, The Satsuma were even more keen to modernize, since they saw their troops failed at being combat effective. Both Satsuma and Choshu, in a break of tradition, also started enlisting peasants into their military force, which was a domain purely held by the samurai.
(Troops of Choshu domain (upper row) and Troops of Satsuma domain (lower row). main distinction between troops of both domains were their hats)
The Shogunate troops also did modernize to some degree, but they did not do it at a rapid pace, so most of the shogunate forces were a mix of western and samurai equipment. However, the shogunate forces mainly depended on its allies, who were not modernized enough to be of much effect.
The Satsuma domain continously purchased British ships, modernizing their navy to a western standard. The shogunate, on the other hand barely got a few French ships.
(note: the troops featured here mostly belonged to modernized units, which were not in large numbers. this was not standard issue of all shogunate troops)
Breaking out of Hostilities
Following a coup in Choshu, the extremist factions now returned to power. The shogunate decided to do another punitive expedition to Choshu. The Choshu, who were now allied with Satsuma, defeated shogunate troops, leading to a considerable loss of authority for the shogunate. But by this time, both Emperor Komei and Shogun Tokugawa Iemochi died, and now succeeded by Emperor Meiji and Tokugawa Yoshinobu.
Yoshinobu initially resigned his position, and proclaiming himself to be an instrument in carrying out imperial orders. This technically ended the shogunate, but the shogunate system was still in place, with the Tokugawa family still holding considerable power. Yoshinobu met with a body of daimyos, in the hopes this body would restore him, however this was intolerable for the hardliners in Satsuma and Choshu. On January 3,1868, these elements forced then 15yr old Emperor Meiji to issue a Restoration of Imperial rule. Although Yoshinobu initially agreed, he then later refused this order, and prepared to attack the imperial capital of Kyoto with his troops from his base at Osaka castle.
Battle of Toba-Fushimi
The shogunate and the Satsuma-Choshu troops clashed with each other at Toba-Fushimi, on the outskirts of Kyoto, on 27 January 1868. The Shogunate troops numbered 15,000 while the Satsuma-Choshu troops were only 5,000 strong. However these troops were fully modernized, the Gatling guns, Armstrong artillery and rifles. The Choshu troops were the most modernized, while the Satsuma troops still fielded some samurai. On the shogunate's side, the troops were made up of official shogunate troops and troops from domains who were loyal to the Shogun. However, the shogunate domains were scantly equipped, with most of the frontline troops still samurai. The official shogunate troops however came second to the Choshu troops in terms of equipment. Satsuma came third, while the rest of the Shogunate loyal domains came at the bottom.
The British, who by then supported Satsuma and Choshu, also had a slight participation in this battle in strategic terms, as a couple of Royal Navy ships anchored near Osaka Bay. This prompted the Shogun to only send few of his own army to Kyoto, maintaining most of his reserves at Osaka. This further reduced the amount of modernized troops in the Shogun's army when they clashed at Toba-Fushimi
The shogunate troops also had empty rifles, as they did not expect a proper fight, or a fight at all. Most of the commanders also lacked motivation or any concrete orders.
When the troops clashed, most of the shogunate frontline troops, who were armed with only pikes and swords, were killed en masse. The shogunate artillery and cavalry were also absent, as they charged against entrenched Satsuma troops, who had support of cannons.
(Troops of the imperial court in Kyoto. These were separate troops from that of Satsuma and Choshu Domains, and although fairly modernized, was still not at the levels of those from Satsuma-Choshu. These units were separately established by the Emperor to act as the guard in Kyoto)
On the second day of the battle, orders were obtained from the imperial court, proclaiming Tokugawa Yoshinobu and his forces as enemies of the court. The Imperial Prince Yoshiaki was proclaimed the commander-in-chief of the Satsuma-Choshu forces, effectively making the army into an imperial one. This worked as a pyschological shock for the shogunate troops.
The shogunate troops retreated after heavy fighting on 28th and regrouped with other Shogunate forces. By this time, the political landscape has vastly changed. Many of the Daimyos now changed sides to the Imperial cause overnight, and this enabled favour to tilt in the side of Imperial forces now.
On the 29th, The regrouped Shogunate troops were again attacked, and from behind the Satsuma-Choshu lines, the Imperial Banners were now raised. There was initial confusion among the two, when messengers were sent to both sides, announcing the news that the Satsuma-Choshu forces are now the Emperor's army. The shogunate forces now retreated in shock, as the emboldened Imperial troops drew their swords and attacked the Shogunate lines. The retreating Shogunate troops reached Yodo castle of the Yodo domain, which neighboured Kyoto. However the daimyo of Yodo domain tactly changed sides to the Imperial cause, and refused to let the shogunate troops in. Yodo castle was a strategic point, with good defences. However the castle gates were closed and the Shogunate troops had to retreat to Osaka castle.
The remaining campaign
Osaka Castle fell after Tokugawa Yoshinobu fled from the castle on his ship to Edo. The demoralized troops retreated, and the castle fell not so soon after. Yoshinobu was distressed that the rebels now had Imperial support, but he still held on to the hope that he was still a legitimate ruler, since the ministers of foreign powers still recognized the Tokugawa Shogunate as the legitimate government of Japan. However days later, they recognized the Imperial government, thus crushing his last hope.
Edo was finally surrounded by Imperial troops, as Yoshinobu refused to attack the Imperial forces when they marched towards Edo. Edo did an unconditional surrender between May-July of 1868. There were those in Edo who resisted the surrender, however they were defeated in Ueno near Edo in July. With the surrender of Edo, The Tokugawa shogunate came to an end after 265 years.
However, the shogunate navy's chief, Enomoto Takeaki, refused to surrender, and with his 8 ships, left Edo to fight against the Imperial troops.
By this time, the northern domains, who were shogunate loyalists, formed an alliance to fight the Imperial troops. The coalition was mostly formed by samurai, who were barely equipped. By october the coalition crumbled, and the remaining troops retreated to Hakodate with Enomoto's ships. The ezo republic was formed, Japan's first republic based on the american system. Ezo force and the Imperial army now fought at Hakodate. Enomoto finally surrendered on June 7, 1869, bringing an end to the war.
The Aftermath, and the rippling effects of the war on Japan
The Imperial government abolished the system of having domains and daimyo, and establishing a central Imperial government. Domains were now transferred into prefectures, with a governor selected by the Emperor. The capital was now changed from Kyoto to Edo, which was renamed to Tokyo (eastern capital). A conscript military was now the normal in the Meiji government. The samurai class was abolished, and this led to a rebellion by the samurai of the former Satsuma domain. This rebellion was finally crushed, and thus the curtains fell on the age of the samurai.
The isolationist tendency of Japan now rapidly changed to that of an expansionist one. Several Satsuma leaders in the new Imperial government wanted to conquer Korea, as the Korean Joseon Kingdom refused to accept the legitimacy of the new Imperial government and Emperor Meiji as the head of state, and more especially because the Koreans meted out harsh treatment to Japanese diplomats who tried to establish diplomatic and trade relations.
The earlier anti-foreigner feelings died out quite early in the war. Orders were issued in kyoto and then later across Japan to not harm foreigners, and the Imperials didn't pursue the policy to expel foreign powers. The new slogan was that of "Rich Country, Strong Army".
The Imperial Army's first expeditionary military action was the Taiwan Expedition in 1874, just 5 years after the Boshin War. The imperial forces withdrew after Qing China agreed to pay an indemnity to Japan.
The Boshin war changed the political and military landscape of Japan entirely. In just few years the country went from a medieval country still stuck in time to that of an imperial power, with considerable military might. The military changed from being a coalition of armies of domains under a shogunate and mainly being comprised of samurai to finally transformed into being an uniformed imperial army with conscripts, mainly consisting of peasants. This is one of the unspoken wars, a war not of a great scale but nonetheless changed the direction of a country into a modern empire.
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Japan has had a fascinating history! They did not have much of natural resources themselves and learn many things from Korea and China and did them better than both.
Started with Jomon culture way back around 14000 BCE and had neolithic culture by around 5000 BCE. They learn farming and metalworking from Korea during that time and later transition to Yayoi cultur.
https://www.worldhistory.org/Jomon_Period/
Started with Jomon culture way back around 14000 BCE and had neolithic culture by around 5000 BCE. They learn farming and metalworking from Korea during that time and later transition to Yayoi cultur.
https://www.worldhistory.org/Jomon_Period/
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