Battle of Bun'ei

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Battle of Bun'ei
Part of the Mongol invasions of Japan
Japanese samurai defending the stone barrier at Hakata.[1]
Date November 4–19, 1274 Location Hakata Bay, near present-day Fukuoka, Kyūshū Result Japanese victory
Belligerents
Kamakura shogunate	Yuan dynasty Goryeo
Commanders and leaders
Shōni Sukeyoshi [ja] Ōtomo Yoriyasu [ja] Kikuchi Takefusa Takezaki Suenaga	Hindun [zh] Liu Fuheng [zh] Kim Bang-gyeong
Strength
~10,000	40,000
Casualties and losses
Light[2]	Light (before the typhoon)

The Battle of Bun'ei (文永の役, Bun'ei no eki),^[3] or Bun'ei Campaign, also known as the First Battle of Hakata Bay, was the first attempt by the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty of China to invade Japan. After conquering the Japanese settlements on Tsushima and Iki islands, Kublai Khan's fleet moved on to Japan proper and landed at Hakata Bay, a short distance from Kyūshū's administrative capital of Dazaifu. Despite the superior weapons and tactics of the Yuan forces, those that disembarked at Hakata Bay were grossly outnumbered by the samurai force; the Japanese had been preparing, mobilizing warriors and reinforcing defenses since they heard of the defeats at Tsushima and Iki. The Japanese defenders were aided by major storms which sunk a sizable portion of the Yuan fleets. Ultimately, the invasion attempt was decisively repulsed shortly after the initial landings.

The Yuan troops withdrew and took refuge on their ships after only one day of fighting. A typhoon that night, said to be divinely conjured wind, threatened their ships, persuading them to return to Korea. Many of the returning ships sank that night due to the storm.^[4]