The Mongol Invasion of Iki Island

Click Here to Read More About the Mongol Invasion of Tsushima

From Ghenko, the Mongol Invasion of Japan by Nakaba Yamada, 1916.

Note: This article has been excerpted from a larger work in the public domain and shared here due to its historical value. It may contain outdated ideas and language that do not reflect TOTA’s opinions and beliefs.

The next isle the Mongol armada went to attack was situated less than fifty miles southward, and less than half the distance northward from the upper coast of Kiushu.

As a matter of course, the Isle of Iki seemed just like a prey in sight of an eagle that soars high in the heavens. The governor of the isle was called Sayemon-no-Jo Kagetaka. He loved his subjects as if they were his children. Informed of what had happened at Tsushima, he despatched a quick boat to Dazai-fu in Kiushu to report the Mongol attack on Tsushima, and urgently asked for reinforcements to be sent. At the same time he called all his men to arms.

The natives of the isle were mostly fishermen or sailors; but they who were told of the Mongols' invasion of their sister isle, and of the brutal actions in which their brethren had met their end, went almost panic-stricken; but in the end their extreme fear aroused a despairing courage in the men, so that they resolved to fight with the enemy to the last drop of their blood, rather than be enslaved or murdered by the barbarians of the north.

Their will being determined thus at this assembly, they came to the governor's palace and volunteered for every service of the battle, assuring him that they were ready to sacrifice themselves utterly for their country's sake.

Great was Kagetaka's joy upon hearing this gallant determination of his subjects. At once he issued instructions to the crowd of people who assembled in front of his castle-gate, holding old hunting spears, rusted blades, poles, sticks and bats, stones and pebbles in sacks, or whatever else they could lay hands on.

"A victory depends neither upon the sharpness nor the perfectness of the weapons nor upon the odds of troops, but merely upon the unity of the fighters' hearts. I am now going to keep all your parents, wives and children within this castle in order to remove your anxiety for them, and they shall be perfectly protected. So, you brave and loyal men! Let us guard this Mikado's isle with all our might. We are his sons, to whom he bequeathed his name, his heroic name. Let us keep it by our deeds, our loyal deeds."

The governor's speech greatly stimulated the volunteers, whose spirit of vengeance arose so high that even the governor's troops secretly determined not to be behind those brave volunteers in checking the enemy's attack.

The great armada that had overthrown Tsushima crossed the channel with a fair wind, and early in the morning of the 14th October it came within sight of the sentinels on the hills. Ere long more or less severe fighting, such as the Tsushima men had before experienced, took place between the invaders and the defenders; and, after the stubborn fighting on the beach, the enemy came advancing over the meadows that margined the long field between the coast and the towns. There is no need to explain how heavy the losses on the Japanese side were: the greater the defenders' effort in checking the enemy, who were just like clouds spreading in the air, the larger the loss of the Japanese fighters; and the death-roll was particularly heavy among the volunteers, who had nothing to protect themselves from clouds of shafts and spears. The foresighted Kagetaka was compelled to order all his soldiers as well as the volunteers to retreat into his castle, and to check the enemy by the ramparts, until the reinforcements from Dazai-fu should arrive.

Frequently the defenders even had their retreat cut off by the over-spreading foes; but dusk came to cover all the surroundings, so the remnant of the defenders succeeded in withdrawing into their castle, by the pale light of the moon that shone on their way through the evening haze. Meanwhile, no more noise of battle was heard. The whole garrison, save for unnumbered corpses lying on the moors, had withdrawn into their shelter. The great power of Nature had for a little while lulled the human conflict. While the helpless defenders had strongly barred their castle gates, their unimpeded enemies had surrounded the castle with their enormous forces and had set their camps around the walls. This state of siege was an aspect that was not seen at the battle of Tsushima.

Awakened from their midnight dream, the besieged were greatly frightened to find outside hundreds of blood-red flags waving in the morning breeze over enemies so thickly encamped that even an ant would not have been able to creep out of the besiegers' ranks.

No sooner had the first sunbeam shone on the field than the clangour of trumpets and the

din of drums resounded all over the camps of the besiegers, and like lions awakened from a dream, the whole army suddenly arose and, without choice of spot, stormed the walls, ramparts and the gates of the fortress. The foundations of the earth seemed to quiver at the horrible noise of battle. The garrison confronted the ferocious charge with arrows, spears, halberds, stones and rods, by their first low parapets, at the foot of which they killed every assailant who reached it. The ramparts were, for the defenders, only the barrier of death and life, and by means of it they repelled the fiercest attacks until the evening of that day. Still their defence was as if they shot at the moon; for the overflowing ranks of the enemies pressed one after another with fresh force, rushing onward like tidal waves.

At length, one gate at which the garrison had become excessively fatigued was broken in by a heavy charge. The news of this serious failure soon came to Kagetaka, who, without loss of time, hurried to the broken barrier some hundred troops. With a lion's rage he and his staff cut their way into the invading army. So quick and invincible was the counter-charge that none of the opposing force could withstand it, and the dangerous point was once more taken by the defenders. Now the light brigade and their valiant chief, having strengthened the broken gate, turned their steps toward the other, when, all at once, a tremendous volley was heard, and instantly, in the direction of the main castle, a serious fire broke out as the result of the enemy's shot. The fate of the castle was sealed.

The enemy being strengthened and the garrison now weakened, the first field of defence in the castle had become the enemy's ground, mainly because the fire disconcerted the defending party.

The only stronghold untrodden by the assailants remained like a spot of land slightly raised above the evening tide.

Kagetaka watched the miserable state of the defence and, thinking it had now entirely failed, exclaimed to his men: "Gentlemen, none can turn this defeat to good account; no means is possible to keep the castle longer than this moment; so we will die a brave death all together in this fort, which has so long been the abode of our fathers."

Then anxiously turning his face to one Sozaburo, a trusted retainer of his, he said: "You, Sozaburo, I command you to inform Dazai-fu of this grave event, and also to carry away my daughter Katsura Hime, whose life must be spared at any cost, because she is the only one who can keep on our family line for our Mikado's sake."

"It is a great honour for me, my lord," said his faithful retainer, "but I beg you will entrust the mission to someone else ; for my mind is resolved to die at the foot of your banner."

"Listen, Sozaburo," returned the master in grave tones, "death itself means nothing, but the effect of it is far-reaching. The effect of your death under my banner is, in the present case, less than the fulfilment of my mission. Do not trouble about us. Go with my orders."

Instructed in this way, Sozaburo accepted the important order, and assured him of his effort in this honourable task.

While his master was drinking a cup of farewell with the others the commissioned knight left his master's side for the chamber of Katsura Hime. Full of deep emotion as if departing for ever from his folks at home, he came near her room, when a most thrilling sound of dialogue reached his ears from within the barrier. Said one voice: "Dear Katsura, it kills my heart to part from you, particularly on such a dangerous occasion; still your life has to be valued above all our grief; it is for the sake of our country, so that our family may for ever be as loyal as on this day to our great

Mikado and his empire; what we owe to him is as fathomless as the sea below. Therefore I shall say no more of my sorrow; but I strongly advise you to quit us bravely with a knight who will come here soon."

The other voice answered to this in the saddest tone: "Dear mother, I cannot bear to leave you here to die whilst I alone escape to live. My life may be prolonged, but my heart is dead." Before the other went on to speak to the sobbing daughter, the door was abruptly opened by the knight, who, repressing his tears, came in and humbly advised them that no more time should be spent, as the enemy was pressing to the palace-gate, and that the young lady should be entrusted to him according to his master's order. No human tragedy seemed greater than this final scene. Firmly resolved, however, the mother and her daughter brought to an end every preparation for the journey. One stood still by the door and the other passed the doorway for an unknown fate.

Guarded by the faithful knight, and voluntarily followed by one of her loyal maids, Umegaye, who came to bid her mistress farewell on the beach, Katsura Hime left her castle through a secret passage for the sea shore. As soon as the small party arrived at the shore, where a small boat had been tied by a pine-tree root.

Umegaye, who wore a coat of mail and held a halberd in her right hand, courteously saluted Katsura Hime and said: "Young mistress, now allow me to say ’Good-bye' to you and to your loyal knight. Before the enemy cut off the way home I must return to the palace to fight." "I thank you, indeed, from my heart's core, my loyal maid," said Katsura Hime, hesitating greatly to enter the boat. "I greatly appreciate your kindness in having come as far as here; but how terrible it is that we have to separate now! I fear, too, that your homeward way may be threatened by the enemy." Replying to the young lady's words, the knight said to the brave maid: "Certainly your way home is blocked. Hear that war-cry; you well deserve to accompany our mistress to Dazai-fu. I strongly recommend you to do so."

But the reply was: "I thank both of you deeply. I promised, however, my old mistress to return, and my greatest duty at present is to join our court ladies to defend the palace to the last. I must be going as quick as possible to our old lady. So again, farewell to you all, and I pray for your safe voyage!" Before the young mistress had replied, the urgency of time obliged the knight to cut short the parting and cast the boat off.

Embarking on the boat, off went the brave maid, speeding on the sea of danger, the other hurrying back to the land of terror; for by this time the Mongol armada had blockaded the neighbouring seas, and the castle was full of the invaders, who swarmed over its fortifications.

But Katsura Hime, who started her journey with such a tragic scene, ended her course with another tragedy. In the midst of the open sea the refugee's boat came in sight of the enemy's flotilla, which poured a rain of arrows, one of which killed the fair young lady on the spot; but the knight miraculously escaped a mortal wound, and the first mission of Governor Kagetaka was fulfilled at Dazai-fu.

In the Isle of Iki, however, rumour was immediately current that the mission had entirely failed on its way. In the castle of Kagetaka the remnant of the garrison had been divided into two; the male party defended the main gate of the palace, and the females its private entrance.

As soon as Kagetaka had drunk the last drop of his farewell cup to his family and men he chivalrously left his chamber to meet the overflowing enemies in the gate, where, to his extreme surprise, he found in the front rank of the enemy thousands of his poor subjects chained like an enormous rosary made of human bodies, advancing toward the palace gate. In a word, the enemy used their captives as a human shield against which no Japanese could discharge their arrows. This extraordinarily clever ruse of the barbarians evidently cooled even the desperate ardour of the besieged. Amid the mocking shouts of the Mongols against the besieged a heartfelt cry was raised by the poor captives to their lord, who looked down upon them remorsefully:

"Oh pray, master! make no hesitation to discharge your arrows; but shoot us down and kill your enemies by the same shafts." The answer was: "Poor brothers! you are well prepared as Japanese should be, but how can we hurt you with our bows? You shall never be shot; but we will cut our way into your tyrants." The palace gate was instantly opened by his order, and giving up their bows and shafts, all the garrison, brandishing their blades high overhead, rushed into the sea of their foes. Though greatly outnumbered, none the less the charging band was in no way behind the enemy in valour. Not only was the human shield of no use against this counter-charge, but the human bullets that rushed out of the gate made the enemies shrink with terror. The bullets were of human flesh, not of wood or metal.

Meanwhile, the brigade rode back on blood-stained horses toward a chamber of the palace.

They counted only six in number as against three score of men when they started. Through the smoke and blazing fires they rode back to the chamber unburnt, where they had intended to kill themselves apart from the barbarians' hand and to bury their corpses under the fire.

Supporting by his bloody sword his wounded body, Kagetaka entered the chamber, wherein even his strong mind was weakened in finding that his wife and all her female attendants were just preparing to end their lives. Coming in sight of his wife, he was hurriedly approached by her, who as his wife could not be still even at the point of death; much more, he had been wounded in his gallant fight. However, an unexpected voice came from the warrior's lips. "Are you still sitting in awe of death? I say, the enemies are in the garden and the house is fired." "No, my husband," said she, with an emotion of joy and sorrow, "not as a coward left my seat, but simply to care for your wound and to bid you adieu. Now I know what you meant, and so allow me to show the world how a hero's wife can die."

While the outdoor air rang with the horrible sound of the fighters' shouts, the din of their drums and the crackling of the burning houses, a curtain of the utmost tragedy covered the chamber wherein Governor Kagetaka and all his family, about eight in number, calmly turned themselves to ashes with their palace.

Thus the horrible game of the invaders was concluded, and the Isle of Iki was freely played with like a rat in the paws of a cat. Almost all the houses of the island being reduced to ashes, the whole land became the graveyard of the unnumbered people who had been slaughtered by the devilish hand of the northern barbarians. They captured countless natives without choice of men or women, and those were stripped and nailed by their palms along the prows of their battleships.* This example proves with what brutality they treated the defeated isle.

What the Mongols intended in taking this island into their power was probably to have it as the depot of their communications and provisions, so they kept their strong army there no longer than a day or two, but immediately sailed for the Kiushu Island in the heat of their triumph.

Click Here to Read More About the The Mongol Invasion of Kyushu, Pt. 1

Yamada, Nakaba. Ghenko, the Mongol Invasion of Japan. Smith, Elder, & Co., 1916.

Nakaba Yamada

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