The rise of the Mongol empire in the twelfth and thirteen centuries brought profound political, social, and cultural changes to the East Asian world order. Between 1274 and 1281, the Mongols launched two major military campaigns to subjugate Japan, but their armies met with unexpected defeat on Japan's beaches. This article provides some new answers for the question, "Why the Mongol invasions of Japan?" By examining primary sources from the Mongol, Korean, and Japanese sides, I argue that the military attack was only one of many options that Mongols sought to use to deal with Japan. Kublai sent envoys to Japan many times, both before and after the first battles took place. However, the complicated power dynamics and different agendas that the Mongols, Korean, and Japanese had, together with the ambiguity and misunderstanding that occurred in diplomatic exchanges, eventually led to military confrontation. These diplomatic exchanges between the Mongols, Korea, and Japan demand our attention not only because they marked the emergence of new international relations in East Asia, but also because they illustrate the advantages of moving beyond nation-state narratives to understand East Asian history by examining communications and negotiations in changing transnational circumstances.

This talk will be via Zoom. Please contact Joan Piggott for details.