Many of you may know Kamikaze means wind from the god. In 1274 and 1281, Kublai Khan (忽必烈) tried to conquer the Japanese islands after defeating the Korean army. The situation was particularly critical in the spring of 1281, when the Mongols sent two separate forces with over 4000 ships and 140,000 soldiers altogether. The Japanese army, on the other hand, had no more than 40,000 people.
But, the defence of Kyūshū (九州) was successful: A massive typhoon came at the convenient time and the Mongols lost up to 75% of their troops. Kublai Khan was forced to give up his plan of invasion, and the Japanese regarded the typhoon as a wind from the god that would defend their country.
Alas, it is snowing in Fukushima. If the god is still there, please bring a major snowstorm to the nuclear plant and cool down the reactor.
PS. It is now recognized that the destruction of the Mongol fleet was inevitable even without a typhoon. Most of the invasion force was composed of flat-bottomed ships that were designed for sailing in river. Such ships (unlike ocean-going ones, which have a curved keel to prevent capsizing) were difficult to handle in the sea and would collapse in a modest breeze.
As the old Chinese sayings, men should help themselves before the god could help them. (人必自助，而天助之。)
No comments:
Post a Comment