745-year-old Mongol shipwreck discovered was the first ‘kamikaze’ mission in history

They thought it was divine intervention.

Excavations off Japan have uncovered the wreck of a Mongol ship linked to the 13th century invasion of the island that was thwarted by a typhoon.

Found in Imari Bay near Takashima Island, the newly-excavated vessel reportedly contained a sword still in its sheath, arrows, and a pair of engraved metal chopsticks, Popular Mechanics reported.

The shipwreck (pictured) was the third such vessel discovered in 15 years. Getty Images/500px

The ship was reportedly found in 2023 using acoustic seabed scanning by a team from the Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties and Kokugakuin University in Tokyo, per a study published in the journal Yearbook Japan.

The discovery marked the third such shipwreck found in the region in the last 15 years; the other two were uncovered in 2014 and 2011 respectively. All three were situated 65 feet down and approximately three feet below the ocean floor, covered by layers of sediment.

By putting these pieces together, researchers were able to glean more insight into Mongol leader Kublai Khan’s fated attempt to take Japan by sea in 1281.

During the ill-fated invasion, dubbed the Koan War, the warlord reportedly dispatched a fleet of 4,400 vessels as well as some 140,000 soldiers and mariners to Hakata Bay in Kyushu.

An artist’s depiction of one of Kublai Khan’s naval invasions of Japan during the latter half of the 13th century. Pictures From History/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

With only 40,000 samurai and other fighting men defending the aisle, their victory seemed assured.

However, a massive typhoon struck the invading forces, destroying the entire mongol armada — save for a hundred ships — and wiping out most of the warriors. Most of the survivors were hunted down and dispatched by samurai over the following days.

To add insult to injury, this was the second time a storm had foiled a Mongolian invasion in less than ten years.

The first occurred in 1274 when Kublai Khan sent a force of 30,000 to 40,000 men an estimated 500 to 900 vessels, also to Hakata Bay, only to have a typhoon sink one-third of their navy, causing 13,000 to drown.

The storm has come to be known as kamikaze, or “divine wind” — a term that was later used to refer to the Japanese suicide pilots during WW2.

While these winds left few survivors, analysis of ship number 3 has allowed us to paint a picture of the time period, with radiocarbon dating revealing the timber used in the ship.

Meanwhile, the nature of the construction and artifacts found aboard suggested it belonged to the Jiangnan Army, the vassals of the Mongols during the Yuan Dynasty.

The wrecks also harbored a treasure trove of weapons and other items, including iron helmets, stone cannonballs, bronze Buddhist statues and mirrors, and everyday utensils.

“The archaeological finds from Takashima Island represent an important source of information about the naval history of the region, the technological level of shipbuilding, and the dynamic interaction of the peoples of East Asia in the early second millennium,” the authors wrote.

They team hopes that by analyzing a soil sample from the hull’s lower planks — which contained fish bones from galley meals along with leather and other accessories — they’ll be able to reconstruct what life was like aboard the warship before its journey to the bottom of the sea.