The Origins of the Lost Fleet of the Mongol Empire (Ed Rachal Foundation Nautical Archaeology Series) - Hardcover

Sasaki, Randall James

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1623491940 ISBN 13: 9781623491949

Publisher: Texas A&M University Press, 2015

Synopsis

In The Origins of the Lost Fleet of the Mongol Empire, Randall Sasaki provides a starting point for understanding the technology of the failed Mongol invasion of Japan in 1281 CE, as well as the history of shipbuilding in East Asia. He has created a timber category database, analyzed methods of joinery, and studied contemporary approaches to shipbuilding in order to ascertain the origins and types of vessels that composed the Mongol fleet.

Although no conclusive statements can be made regarding the origins of the vessels, it appears that historical documents and archaeological evidence correspond well to each other, and that many of the remains analyzed were from smaller vessels built in China's Yangtze River Valley. Large, V-shaped cargo ships and the Korean vessels probably represent a small portion of the timbers raised at the Takashima shipwreck site.

About this title

About the Author

Randall J. Sasaki is a PhD candidate in nautical archaeology at Texas A&M University, USA. His previously published work has focused on the Battle of Bach Dang near Hai Phong, in northern Vietnam.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

The Origins of the Lost Fleet of the Mongol Empire

By Randall J. Sasaki

Texas A&M University Press

Copyright © 2015 Randall J. Sasaki
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-62349-194-9

Contents

Preface, 
Chapter 1. How the Story Starts, 
Chapter 2. History, 
Chapter 3. Naval Organization, 
Chapter 4. Artifacts, 
Chapter 5. Timber Category Database, 
Chapter 6. Miscellaneous Timbers, 
Chapter 7. Species Analysis, 
Chapter 8. Joinery Analysis, 
Chapter 9. Questions, 
Conclusion, 
Appendix A. Time Line of Events, 
Appendix B. Timber Database, 
Notes, 
References, 
Index, 

CHAPTER 1

How the Story Starts

BEFORE DISCUSING the details of my research—which is the analysis of the remains of hull timbers from the second Mongol invasion of Japan in 1281 CE, discovered at the Takashima underwater site—it is imperative to describe the site itself, how I got involved with the project, and the methods I used for my study at Takashima. Without this information, the simple descriptions of results may appear insignificant. In other words, this chapter gives an overall meaning to my research by providing some background to the discoveries and my personal account of how everything started.

The History of Research at Takashima

From historical documents, the island of Takashima in Imari Bay in western Japan was known as the place where the Mongolian fleet from the second invasion met its end (fig. 3). It was not until the 1970s, however, that Nenko Koga, a local historian, first voiced the possibility of finding the lost Mongolian fleet underwater along the shores of Takashima. He studied the Genko, or the Mongol invasion, for many years and realized that the quickest way to know more about the battle and the ships was to find their remains and study them by observing and analyzing directly. He noted that fishermen from Takashima Island often found Chinese ceramic pots and also that there was an unconfirmed account of a sword snagged in their nets. Furthermore, a copper statue of Amitabha Tathagata (sitting Buddha), made in a style found in the Goryeo dynasty (918–1392 CE) of Korea, was raised from the sea in the late nineteenth century. This statue is about 77 cm in height and is currently enshrined at a temple in Takashima. Considering these accounts, Koga believed that the potential of finding an actual vessel was high, and he proposed that underwater investigations of the bay be conducted. Although the study of maritime archaeology was gaining momentum in the western world at this time, no archaeologists in Japan had imagined themselves diving and conducting excavation underwater. Many Japanese archaeologists thought that it was impossible to find artifacts from a naval battle that took place over seven hundred years ago and that any effort to search for ephemeral remains would be a waste of resources. It was Torao Mozai, a marine engineer, who answered the call.

The legacy of Mozai is a key to understanding the later development of maritime archaeology in Japan. In the early 1980s Mozai and his team began the search for the sunken fleet in Imari Bay using a color sonar system that he developed. This system used ultrasonic waves that enabled large objects buried beneath the ocean floor to be seen. It is a unique system compared with the more common side-scan sonar system used today on many underwater archaeological surveys to find a shipwreck. One drawback of this system was the low resolution of the image; many "anomalies" or "possible buried features" were found, but the images produced were not clear enough to "see" what they were. The only way to identify the "anomalies" was to excavate. Hired divers were sent down to the areas with these features in hopes of finding a shipwreck or two. Against all odds, divers who were sent to investigate the anomalies brought up many artifacts, including storage jars from China, stone anchor stocks, and bricks; these artifacts were most likely related to the Mongol invasion.

The news of the discovery of the possible Mongolian fleet spread quickly. Soon after the public announcement, a local fisherman presented a bronze square seal to Mozai's research team. He had found this seal several years earlier when he was collecting seashells in Takashima's Kozaki Harbor. The seal was engraved with a script he had never seen before, and not knowing the significance of the find, he kept the item in his tackle box (fig. 4). After hearing the news of the discovery of artifacts related to the Genko, he remembered the seal he had found before and decided to show the artifact to the survey team. The seal, including the handle, was 4.4 cm high and weighed 726 g. The seal itself was 6.6 cm square and 1.5 cm thick. The unknown engraving was identified as Phags-pa script, the official Mongolian script used in a Chinese court. Along with the Phags-pa script, a translation in Chinese was engraved on its side that read "guan jun zong ba yin" ([TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]: a seal of commander/officer). The seal was also engraved with a date of 1277 CE. The seal was most likely given to a certain commander in Khubilai's army before the invasion; perhaps the seal was given to the commander by none other than the Khan himself. Simply put, there is no better evidence for the fact that the battle took place here in Takashima—this was the smoking gun that gave the definite proof that the invading forces were here.

The survey was well publicized not only in Japan but all over the world. The announcement that "the lost fleet of the Mongol Empire was discovered in Japan" became an international sensation. However, this breakthrough was not without a blemish. Mozai did not discover a shipwreck, but numerous isolated artifacts most likely related to the invasion; not all artifacts were conclusively from the invasion. To make the discovery controversial, Mozai had little understanding of archaeological research. He raised these artifacts without recording their provenience, donated some to the local museum, and even distributed the rest to the local community. Recording provenience of all artifacts is fundamental to the study of archaeology. For this reason, the survey was viewed by many Japanese archaeologists as not being real scientific archaeology but merely a salvage operation without a scholarly merit. Nonetheless, Mozai's project showed great potential for further investigations. Mozai not only put the location of the "lost fleet" on the map, but he was successful in convincing the government to designate the shoreline of Takashima as a protected archaeological site. The registered area covers 7.5 km of the southern coast of Takashima, extending from the shore 200 m out to the sea. In Japanese law, once a site is registered, a survey and excavation are required prior to any development that may take place. It was also decided that the site would be managed by the Takashima Board of Education for all future projects. In other words, Mozai had laid the foundation upon which to build a great archaeological project in the future.

In 1984 construction of a harbor in the Tokonami area near the southern tip of Takashima was proposed. Because the proposed project was within the zone of Mozai's designated protected site, a survey and excavation followed. The project was organized by the Takashima Board of Education and included experts from many fields of study. From the previous survey, it was known that silt had accumulated up to 3 m above the layer that contained artifacts from the Mongol invasion. Heavy equipment was used to remove the silt overburden. A small amount of modern debris was mixed among the archaeological finds, indicating that some objects lost in the sea tended to migrate through the silt. This project at Tokonami Harbor also produced artifacts related to the invasion, but no substantial remains of a hull were found. Several small-scale excavations followed intermittently for the next decade. There was no such field of study as underwater archaeology in Japan at the time, and no clear guidelines for conducting research, excavating underwater, or conserving artifacts existed. Despite the lack of clear direction, a new leader emerged. Kenzo Hayashida, who studied classical archaeology at the University of Pennsylvania, assembled a group of archaeologists and created the Kyushu Okinawa Society for Underwater Archeology (KOSUWA). Although it began as a small group, its membership increased and it became the county's authority in maritime archaeology. The archaeology that Hayashida and KOSUWA promoted was scientifically as meticulous as "land" archaeology can be; the results of the excavation proved to a larger archaeological community in Japan that excavation could be conducted underwater. Despite reaching a wider audience, as with Mozai, Hayashida and his team did not "hit the jackpot." Some artifacts discovered at Takashima included stone anchor stocks, storage jars known as shijiko ([TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] a jar with four lugs), and small fragments of wood. They were clearly artifacts from the invasion, but they were not groundbreaking discoveries that were able to convince the government officials and universities to support the further surveys and excavations.

In 1994 a major harbor renovation at Kozaki Harbor was proposed. Kozaki Harbor is where the bronze seal mentioned above was discovered. Hayashida realized that this area had to be a key in finding a shipwreck. The north shore of Takashima is rocky, and the prevalent Tsushima current makes the area unfavorable for navigation and safe anchorage. The south side of Takashima, however, has slow currents and moderate waves. Even today, when a typhoon comes near the Kyushu region, many ships find safe harbor in this well-protected bay. It may be assumed that Khubilai's fleet sought a safe harbor inside the protected bay when the Kamikaze struck. The Kozaki area had the highest concentration of recovered artifacts related to the invasion, and in fact, one can collect a handful of broken ceramics just by walking along the shore during a low tide. Kozaki Harbor is, in all probability, situated directly facing the area where the Mongol fleet was riding at anchor during the fateful typhoon. The survey of Kozaki Harbor was organized by KOSUWA and supported by the Takashima Board of Education. A sub-bottom profiler, which is commonly used for identifying buried geographical features, was used to locate possible shipwrecks and learn more about the sedimentation of the bay. This survey equipment lets one see a profile of buried seafloor. Hayashida identified four anomalies, and following this, heavy equipment was used to remove the overlying silt deposit. Several artifacts relating to the Mongol invasion, including bricks and storage jars from southern China, were found during the process. Expecting a major discovery, Hayashida and his team laid a large grid system over the entire area, and archaeologists trained as divers were sent to carefully excavate each square.

Hayashida's expectations fully blossomed. Approximately 100 m offshore, large objects began to emerge from the thick layer of silt. Soon the identities of the large objects were revealed by carefully excavating around the artifacts. Four wooden anchors fitted with stone stocks were found all aligned in the same direction toward the shore (fig. 5). It is not common to find an anchor still stuck inside the mud, as if it were used recently; this is the first time in Japan that a wooden anchor, with all parts, was found in an archaeological context. Furthermore, some of the anchor cables were found stretching straight from the anchors toward the shore. Hayashida realized that these anchors were the most significant finds yet seen at the Takashima underwater site. This was clearly a sign of an undisturbed layer, where anchors were set during the legendary storm to prevent the ships from striking against the shore. The layout of the anchors and the cables indicated that the wind was blowing from the south, which corresponds well with the direction of the approaching typhoon. All four anchors were of different sizes, suggesting a possibility of multiple ships present at the time.

The discovery of the anchors generated new interest among the public as well as archaeologists in Japan. A new multiyear excavation was planned at Kozaki Harbor beginning in 2000. The following seasons of excavations were a new phase of development at Takashima because the project was partly funded by the national government to continue the search for the sunken remains of the invasion fleet. In 2000 and the following two seasons, an area of approximately 950 m2, or about 30 by 35 m, was excavated. Again, a great discovery was made; a large portion of hull remains was identified along with more than 2,000 artifacts (fig. 6). After two decades from the initial survey at Takashima conducted by Mozai, substantial remains of a hull were revealed for the first time. Along with bulkhead planks of about 6 m in length, a possible mast step, large hull planks, and other large and small timbers were found. Various artifacts ranging from weapons and armor, human and animal bones, and personal items were found. The discovery is considered one of the greatest maritime archaeological discoveries not only in Japan but also in the region, or perhaps even in the world. Only a handful of shipwrecks have been discovered in East Asia, and the study of Asian historical watercraft is far from being a central focus of archaeologists in the region. One of the unique characteristics of Takashima is that it is possible to find various types of vessels from all over Asia. It is said that thousands of ships were buried at the site; these vessels were constructed in either Japan, Korea, or all over China. In other words, a researcher does not have to travel to all those locations to study the ships; those ships came to Japan and were lost (until the recent discovery). In theory, a comprehensive analysis of all types of East Asian watercraft can be conducted just by analyzing a single site. The potential of such a site is highly significant.

Besides the hull remains, one of the most significant artifacts discovered was tetsuhau ([TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] iron bomb), the earliest ordnance ever used in a naval engagement (fig. 7). As mentioned above, many artifacts related to the battle were found, including swords, arrows, and helmets. Shipboard items necessary for the voyage and the military expedition, such as storage jars, ceramic bowls, and bricks (used for ovens on board) were also found. The list of personal items discovered is not short; coins, lacquerware, religious objects, combs, and various miscellaneous objects. Each of the artifacts tells a story; to do so, however, artifacts must be conserved, analyzed, and the results published in detail. This process takes time, sometimes up to a decade or two, and the story is slowly coming out now.

Further excavations were organized to explore the Kozaki Harbor area. Although smaller areas were excavated compared with those of the previous seasons, a large number of artifacts were discovered. KOSUWA, now with increased membership, became the Asian Research Institute for Underwater Archaeology (ARIUA) and continued the search for sunken remains at Takashima as well as at other underwater archaeological sites along Japanese coasts.

Joining the Great Discovery

The research at Takashima began to be noticed in the western literature again in the first decade of the twenty-first century when Delgado, as a host of the National Geographic International Television series The Sea Hunters, visited Takashima in hopes of bringing the story of the Genko and the research at Takashima to a broader audience. When I was first introduced to the discoveries made at the Takashima underwater site, I was just starting my first year of graduate studies at the Nautical Archaeology Program at Texas A&M University. The program was founded by Dr. George Bass, who conducted the first archaeological excavation underwater using the exact same standards set for an excavation on land. He initiated the graduate program for training nautical archaeologists in 1976. Twenty-five years later, in 2002, he was retiring when I was beginning my career. Delgado was one of the speakers at Bass's retirement ceremony. It was Delgado who introduced me to the great discoveries made in Japan. He had just returned from Takashima for filming an episode for The Sea Hunters.

The divine wind and the lost fleet of Khubilai Khan was not a new story to me. I am a Japanese American, born in Yokohama, Japan, and grew up listening to the story of the Kamikaze. I decided to go to the United States to study archaeology and have participated in several excavation projects overseas, including Oman, Yemen, and Turkey, planning to become a specialist in Bronze Age Indian Ocean trade. Through participating in these excavations and conducting my research, I became interested in how people in the past interacted across a long distance using vessels. I had my dream set on becoming a Middle Eastern archaeologist, but when I heard about the discovery that Japanese archaeologists had made at Takashima, my goal was set on deciphering the mystery surrounding the original Kamikaze. After a brief meeting with Delgado, and also encouraged by Bass, I immediately sent an e-mail to Hayashida asking if there was any way I could join the team excavating at Takashima. I patiently waited for a reply. Several days later, I received an answer—"Yes, you are more than welcome to join the project next summer; people in Japan are waiting for you and we would like to know more about the program at Texas A&M."

(Continues...)

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Edition details

• Publisher: Texas A&M University Press
• Publication date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1623491940
• ISBN 13: 9781623491949
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 216