Which regent led Japan’s defense during the Mongol invasions of 1274 and 1281?

Hōjō Tokimune led Japan’s defense during the Mongol invasions of 1274 and 1281.

Tokimune was regent of the Kamakura shogunate, making him the highest-ranking political authority in Japan during both invasions. Kublai Khan’s Yuan dynasty demanded Japanese submission, but the Kamakura government rejected the demands and organized resistance.

The first invasion, in 1274, reached northern Kyushu. The second, much larger invasion, came in 1281. Japanese defenders built coastal walls and used small-boat raids against enemy ships. A typhoon later devastated much of the invasion fleet, contributing to the Mongol-Yuan forces’ withdrawal.

The storms became known as kamikaze, or “divine wind.” The invasions did not simply end because of weather: Japanese military resistance, defensive preparations, disease, logistics, and storms all mattered.