Battle of Bun'ei
The Battle of Bun'ei, 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.
Battle
After landing in the bay, the Yuan force quickly overran the town of Hakata, but were engaged by a number of samurai soon afterwards.According to Yuan and Japanese source, the samurai were heavily outmatched; accustomed to smaller scale clan rivalries, they could not match the organization and massed firepower of the invaders. Yuan forces fought with precision, loosing heavy volleys of arrows into the ranks of the Japanese. They also deployed firearms, while their infantry used phalanx-like tactics, advancing with shields and spears to repel the samurai. The Japanese forces suffered heavy casualties and were put to rout.
Throughout the day’s fighting, the Yuan forces drove the Japanese off the beach, pushing them several kilometers inland. As they advanced, they burned Hakata and the Hakozaki Shrine to the ground. By nightfall, a third of the defending forces were dead, and the remaining Japanese were preparing to make a last stand at Mizuki.
Despite their initial victories, the Yuan did not pursue the samurai further inland. The Nihon Ōdai Ichiran explains that the invaders retreated because they lacked arrows.
The Yuan forces, likely intending to conduct a reconnaissance in force rather than launch an immediate invasion, were concerned about troop fatigue and the risk of a nighttime ambush, the commanders ordered a retreat back to their ships to rest. That night, the Yuan lost roughly one-third of their force in a typhoon. They retreated back to Korea, presumably at the prodding of their sailors and captains, rather than regrouping and continuing their attack.
List of Main Battles of Battle of Bun'ei
On November 4, about 1000 soldiers of the Mongol army landed on Komoda Beach. Sō Sukekuni, Shugodai of Tsushima Island was killed in action. Mongolians slaughtered dwellers of Tsushima.On November 13, Taira no Kagetaka, Shugodai of Iki led about 100 soldiers. They were defeated by the Mongolian army, and Shugodai committed suicide in Hinotsume Castle. About 1,000 Japanese soldiers were killed there.
On November 15 to 16, Mongolian army attacked the base of the Sashi clan. Hundreds of Japanese soldiers and Sashi Fusashi, Sashi Tomaru and Sashi Isamu were killed.
Mongolian Army landed on Sawara District and encamped in Akasaka. On seeing this situation, Kikuchi Takefusa surprised the Mongolian army. The Mongols retreated to Sohara and lost approximately 100 soldiers.
Thousands of Mongolian soldiers were waiting in Torikai-gata. Takezaki Suenaga, one of the Japanese commanders, attacked the Mongolian army and engaged it in battle. Soon, reinforcements by Shiraishi Michiyasu arrived there and defeated the Mongolians. The Mongolian casualties of this battle are estimated at around 3,500.
After the defeat at Torikai-Gata, the Yuan army was exhausted and withdrew to their ships. The Japanese forces capitalized on this situation by conducting night attacks, killing many soldiers. Hong Ta-gu decided to withdraw to the Yuan territory. In the midst of the withdrawal, the invasion fleet met a typhoon at sea; most of the invaders' ships sank in the storm, and many soldiers drowned.