Listen ad-free

The Original Kamikaze: The Mongol Invasions of Japan

Dan Snow's History Hit

29-04-2024 • 29 mins

At the height of the Mongol Empire, Kublai Khan set his sights on the island of Japan. He launched two enormous invasions of that nation in 1274 and 1281 - but both of them were defeated, aided by sudden and disastrous storms that tore his fleets apart. The story of these kamikaze, or 'Divine Winds', would become legend in Japan, and inspire the name of the Japanese pilots that launched attacks on Allied forces in the closing months of World War Two.


For the third and final episode in our series on the kamikaze, Dan is joined again by Christopher Harding, a cultural historian of India and Japan and author of 'The Light of Asia'. They talk about these gigantic invasions, the samurai that faced them, and the storms that turned the tide in favour of feudal Japan.


Produced by James Hickmann and edited by Anisha Deva.


Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code DANSNOW sign up at https://historyhit/subscription/


We'd love to hear from you- what do you want to hear an episode on? You can email the podcast at ds.hh@historyhit.com.


You can take part in our listener survey here.

You Might Like

History Daily
History Daily
Airship | Noiser | Wondery
The Ancients
The Ancients
History Hit
Dark History
Dark History
Audioboom Studios
The Rest Is History
The Rest Is History
Goalhanger Podcasts
Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra
Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra
Rachel Maddow, MSNBC
Lore
Lore
Aaron Mahnke
History Extra podcast
History Extra podcast
Immediate Media
Gone Medieval
Gone Medieval
History Hit
Tides of History
Tides of History
Wondery / Patrick Wyman