Parts of 13th century Mongolian invasion ship found near Nagasaki - The Mainichi Daily News
Parts of 13th century Mongolian invasion ship found near Nagasaki
NAGASAKI -- Large parts of a Mongolian ship thought to have been part of a 13th century invasion fleet have been found on the seabed near Nagasaki, a research team announced at a press conference here on Oct. 24.
The ship parts, buried in mud approximately 20 to 25 meters beneath the surface near Matsuura, Nagasaki Prefecture, were discovered by the research team headed by Yoshifumi Ikeda, professor of archaeology at Okinawa Prefecture's University of the Ryukyus. The team is dedicated to investigating relics related to the two Mongolian invasions of Japan, both of which failed.
The team found an approximately 12-meter-long section of keel with the planks of its flanks, each around one to six meters long, still attached. According to Ikeda, the whole vessel was at least 20 meters long.
Although about 4,000 items related to the ship -- including the ship's anchor and other smaller artifacts -- have been found previously, this is the first time in archaeological history to locate such a large, well preserved section of invasion ship, and it could help researchers identify specific characteristics of the entire vessel.
The discovered parts were surrounded by Chinese pottery and other items identified as coming from the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). Based on the artifacts, Ikeda's team judged the ship to be a Mongolian vessel which sank during the second Mongolian invasion of 1281.
"This discovery was of major importance for our research. We are planning to expand search efforts and find further information that can help us restore the whole ship," Ikeda commented during the press conference.
Researchers suggest that the historical discovery may lead to an understanding of the "kamikaze" (divine wind) story, in which strong winds saved Japan from the second invasion by destroying the Mongolian fleet of some 4,400 vessels off the coast of Takashima in Matsuura.
Meanwhile, Matsuura city officials are hoping that the discovery may turn the area into a tourist hot spot and attract visitors from all over the world.
