Where The Word “Kamikaze” Comes From
The Mongol invasion of Japan wasn’t deterred by the Samurai — it was deterred by the weather
When you hear the word Kamikaze, you think about Japanese suicide bombers during World War II. Kamikaze bombers flew their planes into enemy bases and ships, sacrificing their own lives in the process.
According to the National Geographic, the Japanese Empire started deploying Kamikaze bombers in the latter stages of World War II, in October of 1944. It was a desperate policy meant to turn around the tide of the war — around 3,000 Kamikaze pilots killed around 7,000 casualties, and it was used first during a Naval battle near the Phillippines.
So contrary to popular opinion, Kamikaze pilots were a last resort rather than the go-to option for the Japanese military. And while they achieved some minor victories, they didn’t turn the tide of the war.
But in Japanese, Kamikaze actually means “divine wind,” as “kami” means god and “kaze” means wind. And the origin of the word came from the Mongol invasion of Japan when the Mongol fleet was almost entirely destroyed by a ferocious wind, rather…
