The Mongol Invasions and the Shogunate's Turmoil

In the latter half of the 13th century, the Mongol Empire (Yuan), which had swept across Eurasia, invaded Japan. The Mongol invasions led the Kamakura Shogunate to victory, but they were also an "ironic victory" that ultimately triggered the shogunate's decline.

Basic Knowledge

Kublai Khan, the fifth emperor of the Mongol Empire, conquered China, named his dynasty the Yuan, and demanded Japan's submission. Regent Hojo Tokimune refused.
In 1274, a Yuan army of about 30,000 soldiers landed in Hakata Bay after passing through Tsushima and Iki (the First Mongol Invasion). The Japanese struggled against the Yuan army's mass tactics and teppo (gunpowder weapons), but the army withdrew during the night (possibly because of a storm).
In 1281, the Yuan invaded again with a huge army of about 140,000 soldiers (the Second Mongol Invasion). The shogunate strengthened its defenses by building a stone wall along Hakata Bay, and after two months of fighting, a storm (later called the "divine wind") destroyed the Yuan army.
Although Japan won, this was a defensive war in which no territory was gained, so the gokenin did not receive sufficient rewards, and dissatisfaction increased. In 1297, the Eininn Tokusei Edict was issued to help impoverished gokenin, but its effect was limited and it only disrupted the economy.

Further Study (Background and Effects)

The Mongol invasions had serious effects. The gokenin armed themselves at their own expense and received almost no compensation for fighting, so they became impoverished by pawning or selling their estates. Meanwhile, the custom of dividing inheritances caused estates to become smaller with each generation, destroying the gokenin's economic foundation.
The Eininn Tokusei Edict required land surrendered by gokenin to be returned to them without payment. As a result, the belief spread that "money lent to gokenin would never be repaid," and finance became dysfunctional. The number of akuto (warriors who resisted the shogunate, mainly in the Kinai region) increased, raising social unrest. These developments eventually led to Emperor Go-Daigo's movement to overthrow the shogunate.

Points to Note (Easily Confused)

① Be sure to remember the years and order of the First Mongol Invasion (1274) and the Second Mongol Invasion (1281).
② Do not confuse Hojo Tokimune (regent during the Mongol invasions) with Hojo Yasutoki (the Goseibai Shikimoku).
③ "Divine wind" generally refers to the storm during the Second Invasion, but there is also a theory that a storm affected the First Invasion.
④ The Eininn Tokusei Edict was intended to help gokenin, but it disrupted the economy and weakened confidence in the shogunate.

Practice

1. Name the regent at the time of the Mongol invasions and the emperor of the Yuan.
2. Give the years of the First and Second Mongol Invasions.
3. What was the name of the edict issued in 1297 to help impoverished gokenin?