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The Origins of Kamikaze
The tales of divine weather that have inspired Japanese for centuries
In the year 1281CE, the Shinto god of thunder, Raijin, is seen defending the mythical land of Nippon from foreign invaders. Raijin, full of power and fury, sits among the clouds hurling thunderbolts, deadly gales, and arrows at the enemy forces. In the end, Raijin prevails, and the opposing forces perish to the tune of 140,000 drowned or captured.
This is kamikaze, the godly winds.
This legendary depiction of Japan’s supernatural defense in the form of weather is not unique to Japanese culture. Many such examples punctuate the history of the fabled island nation. The term rose to popularity in the 13th century and continued to be a part of the Japanese mythos until the 20th century.
What appears to be blind luck and arbitrary fate to the outside observer became a sacred and divine defense to the eyes of the Japanese. No matter how you choose to look at it, weather events have saved thousands of Japanese lives over the centuries.
The Mongolian invasions
