What were the consequences for Japan of the failure of the Mongol conquest ?
My first reaction is that it was not important it failed; first in 1274, and again in 1281. The Mongol invasions do not play a similar role in Japanese History as in the parts of Asia where the Mongols succeeded. However, on the flip side, the defeat of the Mongols affected Japanese society at the time in significant ways. The Kamakura Bafuku expended considerable resources in developing defenses. Alliances were forged and power redistributed. Bakufu leaders expended a lot of energy in the defense of Japan against the superior Mongol force. Ultimately, such efforts weakened the Kamakura. When I say the Mongol defeat was unimportant, I must qualify that it became important well after the fact. The ways historical information have been used during the twentieth century provides an additional dimension. The defense has been cited as an early incident of Japan as a unified place, where regional lords combined resources to defend Japan as a unit. It becomes a powerful historical moment “pro
