| [ Editor's Pick ] | Posted 8th May 1997 |
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"Kamikaze" By Bill Fish (Editor's note: - two years ago Fukuoka hosted the World Student Games.) Universiade athletes may well represent the largest contingent of unarmed foreigners ever to touch land in Fukuoka. As such, you, the athletes, are already making local history. In this context, it would do well to remember that the impression you leave will likely have a profound effect upon the future course of the city. Already having heard talk of the "hordes" coming to this city on the bay (And I mean ON the bay. Athletes Village is entirely set upon reclaimed sea), it seems to be a propitious time to bring up those original hordes that landed here from Mongolia. If you look at most maps of Fukuoka, you'll see the jagged line indicating the Mongolian wall in the western part of town. It looks more impressive on the map, being hastily assembled stones of no particular cohesive contstruction. They were put there following a barely repelled invasion engineered by Kublai Khan in 1274, in preparation for an expected second attempt. Those days being leisurely ones, it was 7 years before the next attack came. In those years, the Khan's stinging over the first loss, and his great desire for the rumoured abundance of gold and pearls in Japan (or Zipangu, as it was then called), had inspired him to assemble a massive force led by two commanders named Abaka-khan, a Mongol, and Vang San Chin, a Chinese. Unfortunately for this expedition, these two commanders had a rather contemptuous rivalry going and set about trying to undermine each other's efforts. Thus this overwhelming force was only able to break through one fortified area. While that small victory may have sated the invading force with a few mass beheadings, the strategic advantage provided was negligible. About this time, typhoon winds were picking up, and the commanders pulled the ships out away from land to weather the storm. This typhoon, though, was particularly nasty. Several ships sank or foundered, and the remaining fleet hightailed it back to the Grand Khan. This typhoon brought the famed Kamikaze, or winds of the Gods, that Japanese history teaches as being a sort of divine intervention on Japan's behalf. The story, though, doesn't end there. Several thousand Mongol warriors managed to beach themselves on an essentially uninhabited island about a mile offshore. Abandoned by their leaders, lacking both arms and provisions, the future looked bleak for this lot. It didn't look any better when a large force of Japanese took to a fleet of boats and set out to the island after them. The Mongols retreated to higher ground for cover and watched the Japanese land. The Japanese force then set off around the island in search of the Mongols, not only ignoring the highlands but, surprisingly, ignoring their own boats. The Mongols simply slipped around from the side of the island opposite the search and helped themselves to the transportation. As the boats were still flying the Japanese colors, they were able to sail into the nearest village unchallenged. Resistance in any case would have been inconsequential, as most of the inhabitants were women, the hapless menfolk being stranded on the island. The Mongols took full advantage of their sudden turn in fortune, driving out the few inhabitants they didn't care to keep around, and grabbing the women for themselves. While the Mongols were busy passing on genes, other Japanese forces arrived to take matters in their hands. The entire village was sealed off, and a siege began which would draw out over six months. The Mongols, to their credit, fought well. The stand-off was costly to the local Japanese, who could hardly afford to lose too many troops when their own, not entirely friendly neighbors were yet to be considered. The siege was even more disheartening to the Mongols, who had by that point spent 6 months with the not entirely friendly women. An agreement was reached that spared the Mongol's lives in return for their surrender, whereupon they turned in their arms and joined the populace, though doubtlessly in a less than regal capacity. What eventually became of these Mongols isn't completely clear, though the present caste system in Japan may have some relation to these early invaders. The contentious commanders, meanwhile, patched things up well enough to concoct a plausible story for the Khan. That story held up for a few years, in fact, until Kublai heard the details of their squabbling over credit while they lost Japan. The Khan was pretty dependable when it came to punishment. Time-off for good behavior wasn't something he would consider. The luckier of the two commanders was beheaded. The other was stitched tightly into a wet buffalo skin, which slowly contracted as it dried. He may have become one of history's first rugby balls. Still, things may have been worse for them had they been trapped in Japan with their troops. To quote from Marco Polo's account: "When (the Japanese) seize the person of an enemy who has not the means of effecting his ransom for money, (they) invite to their house all their relations and friends, and putting their prisoner to death, dress and eat the body in a convivial manner.." Of course, Marco was never lucky enough to actually make it to these fair shores, and might have been susceptible to sour grapes. Either that, or the invading troops looked suspiciously like catfish. In any case, being a foreigner in Kyushu today means being able to feast in delights that the great Kublai Khan himself could only dream of. (May not be reprinted without written permission) |
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