What happened during the conquest of Japan during the Mongol invasion? Did the Japanese and Mongols have any conflicts (maybe on Tsushima Island?)
1 Answer
There were two Mongol invasions of Japan, one in 1274 and the other in 1281. Both resulted in Mongol defeats.
Explanation:
There were several small land battles during both invasions. The small islands of Tsushima, Iki, Hirado, and others were invaded by the Mongols. During the 1274 invasion the small Japanese garrisons of most of these islands were defeated. There were two land battles on Honshu island, at Akasaka and Torikai-Gata, both of which the Japanese won. The Mongol commander decided to withdraw to mainland China, and during this operation a typhoon wrecked most of the Mongol fleet.
During the invasion of 1281 several battles were fought, for the same small islands as before: Tsushima, Iki, and Hirado. However, most of these battles ended with Japanese victories. The Japanese then attacked and defeated the Mongol fleet, and the Mongol commanders decided to leave the invasion. Some thousands of Mongol soldiers were left stranded without leaders, and the Japanese forces attacked and soundly defeated them.
These invasions were some of the few times that the Samurai armies fought foreign soldiers instead of each other.
