Читать книгу Complete Aikido. Aikido Kyohan: The Definitive Guide to the Way of Harmony онлайн

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Angry and humiliated, Khubilai Kahn spent the next seven years assembling what remained until modern times the largest sea-borne invasion force in history. In June of 1281, the Kahn tried again, with ten times the troops. On June 23, the Mongols landed at several spots along Kyushu’s northwest coast, mounting a series of relentless attacks in an attempt to penetrate the island’s coastal defenses. However, though boasting superior weaponry and proven tactics, the forces of the Kahn were no match for the legions of samurai once again awaiting them.

Some of the most fierce fighting took place outside the walled city of Hakata, overlooking Hakata Bay. Over the next fifty days the samurai, brandishing their cherished, razor-edged tachi (swords), held the Mongols to within a few miles of the coast. On the shore, samurai boldly boarded the lumbering enemy warships in daring “mosquito raids,” cutting down the crew before slipping away in their small skiffs to attack anew. By the end of August, the valor of the samurai, with help from a massive typhoon (known from that day on as kamikaze, or “divine wind”), which splintered and sank the Mongol fleet, the Japanese had once again successfully repelled the forces of the Kahn.