Myth of the Kamikaze: The “Divine Winds” of the Mongol Invasion and Wartime Propaganda

Measuring 800 meters in circumference, Daija Pond is separated from the sea by a small strip of sand. (Courtesy Amakusa Municipal Department of Culture)

Sites Indicating a Typhoon During the Battle of Kōan

A giant plaque reading Tekikoku kōfuku hangs on the rōmon of Hakozaki Shrine. (© Mochida Jōji)

A page from a 1943 elementary school history textbook with a highlighted section describing warriors sacrificing their lives in defending the country, stirring the gods to summon the winds and waves in their defense. (Courtesy National Diet Library)

Female workers wear headbands printed with the word “kamikaze” in a photo printing in wartime propaganda magazine Shashin Shūhō. (Courtesy Hattori Hideo)