From ancient steppes to global history — projects that reveal Mongolia’s connections to the wider world.
From prehistoric societies to imperial networks, these projects examine Mongolia’s role in the making of Eurasian and global history.
KAMIKAZE: THE ENDLESS END follows the final maritime ambitions of the Mongol Yuan Empire and the 1281 expedition across the eastern seas. Through war, loyalty, prophecy, and human ambition, the novel explores the enduring relationship between destiny, nature, and the limits of human power
Heavenly Wind 750 is a historical-philosophical maritime chronicle exploring the final oceanic ambitions of the Монголын Юань гүрэн. Amid storm, war, and prophecy, fleets from many lands crossed the eastern seas beneath one imperial destiny, where the boundary between divine judgment and human ambition dissolved into wind and water.
Khubilai Khaan was the founder of the Монголын Юань гүрэн and one of the greatest imperial rulers of the medieval world. A grandson of Chinggis Khaan, he transformed the Mongol Empire from a dominion of the steppe into a vast Eurasian state connected by trade, administration, military power, and maritime ambition. Under his reign, the empire expanded its influence across East Asia and toward the eastern seas, where fleets, soldiers, scholars, and merchants from many nations moved beneath the authority of the Great Khaan.
From the banners of many nations to the fury of the blackened sea, these chronicles follow the final maritime visions of the Монголын Юань гүрэн under Khubilai Khaan. Mongols, Han, Goryeo Koreans, Central Asian horsemen, sailors, and countless others crossed the eastern seas beneath one imperial command, carrying the ambition of an empire that sought to unite land and ocean alike. Yet beyond the fleets and the armies stood a greater force — the sea itself. Storms shattered ships, thunder consumed horizons, and the waves became the final judge of imperial destiny. Together, these scenes tell the story of unity, ambition, catastrophe, and memory at the edge of the medieval world.
- Massive Force: Following the failed 1274 attempt, the Yuan Dynasty sent two massive fleets from Korea and the recently conquered Song China, aiming for Kyushu.
- Japanese Defenses: The Japanese, led by samurai, built a 20-kilometer stone defensive wall (shakujibi) at Hakata Bay.
- The Standstill: The samurai used small, nimble boats to attack the large, cumbersome Mongol ships at night, preventing them from establishing a strong beachhead for nearly two months.
- The Kamikaze: A massive typhoon, or “divine wind,” struck on August 15, 1281, obliterating the Mongol fleet and drowning or forcing the surrender of over half the troops.
- Consequences: The failed invasion preserved Japanese independence, severely weakened the Yuan dynasty’s naval resources, and fostered the idea of Japan as a protected divine nation. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]