Thanks to everyone who asked about our Patreon. I'll put out a full video when I get the time, but for those who want to jump the gun and get on board from the start, here's the link: www.patreon.com/rareearth It means a huge deal that so many have asked us to start an account. I never thought anyone would watch these videos, let alone support them.
lol.. you know the day that the planned invasion of Japan would have happened Japan had a massive typhoons with 145 MPH winds www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2015/07/16/how-typhoons-at-the-end-of-world-war-ii-swamped-u-s-ships-and-nearly-saved-japan-from-defeat/?.f5e6b0e30b9c
Your videos are well done and appreciated. But concerning your closing remarks concerning the Kamikaze "Divine Wind": YOU are wrong. Divine Wind means Spirit, and Spirit protects you when you are aligned with It. However, Japan was NOT aligned with Spirit during WWII, just as the United States is NOT aligned with Spirit today, with its satanic president Trump and his work to begin World War III. And the chickens are coming home to roost. Americans are going to suffer heavily their arrogance and lack of empathy as war will come to its shores in a very big way. "Hear me now and believe me later," as Hans and Frans would say! A teacher and prophet of God has spoken.
This is why the Americans are in trouble now, Donald Trump was deferred from service because of bone spurs in his feet, simple operation, if he had served, he may be a better president than he is now.
You're saying the only good president is the president who served the military? So Obama was worse for just wanting to join the Army? He didn't actually serve. America is fine, despite what media outlets put out. Educate yourself, don't just let people think for you.
"DULCE ET DECORUM EST PRO PATRIA MORI" (It is sweet and honorable to die for the fatherland) has always been propagated by those, who sit way behind the front in warm and cosy houses with good food and beverages.
I'm always bothered that these videos don't have more views. This is the kind of stuff we don't learn in school, even the parts that are relevant to US history. I can't thank you enough for making and posting these videos!
L as in L Views as a concept are misunderstood I think. What I want are people who care and enjoy. I'd take 10k who genuinely like the content over 100k who are just passing through. I appreciate all of you!
My mum told me that when she was a college student and was sitting in a train in Tokyo, an drunk old man sitting next to her suddenly started talking to her that he was a member of a kamikaze units and that he lost many of his friends in the name of kamikaze. The only reason he ended up not committing the kamikaze attack was that he came from a good university which was rare at the time. Higher-ranked officers deprioritized the life of young men with little educational background and made them do the attacks. While he was telling his story he began to shed tears saying that life is not equal.
I was in the Canadian military, the same as Col. Hadfield, Evan's dad was, but while he joined in 1978, I was already in West Germany with the Canadian NATO Forces, and already had my introduction briefing, " Welcome to CFB Europe, if anything happens, your life expectancy is 3 weeks, do not expect re-enforcements. " So basically like the Kamikaze, we were Cold War Suicide Soldiers. We were very lucky that the American commanders didn't decide to use battlefield nuclear weapons first, and we are all old men. Strange how things turn out, now we are back in The Cold War 3.0, I hope we survive.
It's a way to look at it, but you can include tons of stuff in it, then. For example, pre-WW1 tensions could be described as a cold war too, then. Or is the concept limited to the US and the russians ? Personally, I define cold war as tensions that can't be solved through war, because of nukes. So there's only the post-ww2 cold war, and maybe the current one with China that could be called 2.0. But really, it's more a paradigm shift in general than anything else. As long as nukes aren't obsolete, or at least reasonably counterable, the big boys's war will stay cold.
The end credits are always a blast to read. Thanks for keeping a sense of humor around, even with the most serious of topics. And nice shout out to CrashCourse. I've already watch all of their episodes, so I guess I'm stuck with you to keep my casual education going.
My Japanese friend told me about the 'volunteer' thing while we were watching movie at home. It was never a voluntary thing. Young men pick up from poor region (which is her family region, Tohoku) and if they refuse they are shot to dead. That was another side of the story.
Permsuk Amporncharat umm im sorry but as a japanese i can tell you that your half wrong and half right and your friend didn't lie to you. a lot of them did volunteered because they thought if they didn't join the kamikaze the Americans will invade Japan and their loved ones will be raped and killed.(atleast thats what the military back then said to them in order to convince them to join.and if you see the USSR ocupation of Germany you can see where thats coming from) also im not denying that a lot of them didn't want to go... but if your country is in need and if your loved ones will die if you dont go then who is going to refuse that? sry for my bad english but i hope you can somewhat understand why these men went on a suicide mission back in ww2.
omg google: You're correct that *Japanese stupidly believed the Americans would kill, rape, and pillage... just because that's the "normal" stuff Japanese armies did in Asia.* Even their infantry education says it's a *"divine right of Japanese men to pillage."* So they were very scared because of what they themselves did. *Just like Nazis who burned and tortured Russians and Eastern Europeans ran to the US forces and surrendered, because they feared what would be done to them in Russian hands.*
+CrabTastingMan there is something wrong with you. come out from your own darkness, not everyone is like that. US did the same thing before; some soldier did, even though there are military rules in place. no offence intended. But your "Bolded" words kind of make it sounds like you're triggered -_-
+Bull55 I am not sure who you are replying to, but if it's to me; than I know you pretty much don't get the idea of what I am refering to. "Not every one is the same"
Evan is so much better of a presenter than Chris, and it's really shown through this series. The channel used to just be something in my inbox, but now I look forward to the next upload. Always learn something new, and it's told in such a creative and personal way that it feels like I'm being read a storybook rather than a historical lesson. Awesome job, keep these up. You've got me hooked.
Great video but I have one important question. In the opening, how the hell did your photographer walk backward on that boulder breakwall without falling on his ass? I saw some rather significant seams between the rocks!
Another great video! Always looking forward to the next one. This channel's comment section is rare earth. A youtube comment section with mostly fans instead of trolls.
This series is amazing! Even though some series have fancy drone and CG cinematography, this one proves you don't need this if you're committed to your goals!
"If anyone asks you to *volunteer to die* please ask them to *volunteer to go first* " Very profound. Also it's a given that The Mongols were the exception!
@6:32 That's a Brewster Buffalo in (probably) British markings, and the man saluting on the left is saluting in the British manner... which means the happily saluting men before the aircraft are probably Chinese pilots rather than Japanese. The curious thing to me is that the Buffalo sports a tiger marking on the tail which looks similar to the AVG markings, though the Flying Tigers (also known as the American Volunteer Group, or AVG) did not fly Buffs; at that time they were flown by the British 67 Squadron who flew as allies of the Tigers, and possibly by provisional Chinese forces (not sure about that) when the Buffalo began to be replaced with the more modern Hawker Hurricane. Rare Earth, if you have source information for this photo would you please post? An aircraft number, location & date, pilot name, or just a larger version of the photo would be of particular interest. If you have access to the photo, perhaps there's something written on the back? Keep up the good work.
While I was studying for my diploma back in 1998, my friend Andrew went to Japan. Some mountain-biking thing. He returned with gifts: hachimaki (headbands) for Noi (Thai), Makiko (Japanese), and me (Kiwi). As each was revealed, Makiko instantly translated, and I got 'kamikaze'. I groaned. The word meant 'suicidally reckless' in my culture. Probably still does. But it seemed appropriate. But instantly Makiko jumped in and told us all the real story of kamikaze (a lot faster than you!). My eyes were opened to Japanese culture - and never closed again. The word was to become the first kanji I learnt to recognise, and later write. But more than that - I quickly converted the entire scene into a live-storytelling sequence and added it to my storytelling show. I still perform, and I still have Andy's gift. & I wear it with pride!
The japanese didnt invent the Katana in 6 years. It was a process refined over many years, by many people. The katana we know came after the mongol wars.
One thing that I would like to add about the first Mongolian invasion is that the Mongolians didn't exactly decide to just head home. A Japanese Soldier spotted the Mongolian general just sitting in the open, so he took a near by bow and arrow, strung it and shot him. This caused to Mongolian forces to route back to the ships where instead of regrouping at a nearby Island and pressing the attack which would have most likely worked and forced back the Japanese, they retreated all the way back to china (or at least they would have if it weren't for the storm that stopped them from returning
I love the Crash Course reference. I've done a lot of writing for Crash Course and that made me happy. :D (I do, however, think people should watch that AND this, not choose between them!) Also, excellent advice to young men (and young women too). Thank you for saying that.
Discovered your channel short ago, and I'm watching all your Rare Earth videos from oldest to newest, and I'm loving them. Fun fact, watching this video a couple of days after the game Ghost of Tsushima is released, a game about the Mongol invasion of Japan. That's coincidence XD
"And they weren't the barbarian horsemen that you might imagine...Kublai was one of the most intelligent and modernizing leaders of human history..." ¿Por que no los dos? :P I think both statements were actually possibly true of him
Chris Hadfield's Rare Earth I shall start re starting my router for that sweet non static ip refresh goodness. It might take me 6 months of restarts and clicks though so keep making awesome videos in the mean time. Thanks Evan and the team. (Inter)Stellar work.
Excellent video and really informative. Finally someone retelling the history of that 1st invasion that includes the Yuan/Mongol invaders making landfall. I've been it Fukuoka/Hakata a few times and toured those same sites. Several of the Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples have plaques which clearly state they were rebuilt after being torched and destroyed by invaders. So much of the popular historical retelling is summarized as the invaders all drowned because of the typhoons and the survivors returned back to China. An amazing historical incident and a combination of factors were definitely on the Japanese side. Thanks for sharing - excellent channel!
I've Just discovered Rare Earth (by lucky mistake), and I Love all your reports so informative. I did already know the story of the Kamikaze having worked in Japan, however I still enjoyed your telling of the story....
Very impressive, keep up the thoughtful contemplative socio commentary. I love what you do, going to exotic locales and getting a gritty, down to rare earth hd video for all of us. I want to do the same adventure but am too selfish and lazy. Jet lag really sucks.
Thank you for not going with the current trend of ending you video with any begging about subscribing or hitting the like button! Interesting history and analysis.
there's a caveat to your point though: when a lie's been propagated long & loud enough, it becomes accepted history. ancient & medieval history is full of examples
1:11 never heard of Willem van Ruysbroeck, so I had to look it up. Turns out he is a Belgian monk making a similar trip like Marco Polo -> en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_of_Rubruck Fascinating!
I love the way you do these videos. Keep it up man. One of the greatest threats to an enemy is the local environment and poor timing. The Mongoles learned it, and so too did the French when they tried to invade Russia. We in a way marginalize nature, but nature always has a way to humble us.
If you liked this, read the book "Kamikaze: A Japanese Pilot's Own Spectacular Story of the Famous Suicide Squadrons". Although it is historically not 100% accurate by the most recent studies, the author gives a unique insight into how Japanese pilots were trained and how he avoided his faith by accident. Moral of the story: base your important judgements on science and leave faith/religion for private matters.
True, and also technical and navigation failures. The Kamikaze airplanes were outdated types, with worn-out engines and not very well equipped either. There is a story in that book about a pilot that landed on an island due to engine failure. He was accused of cowardice, which was extremely confusing and showed the cruel nature of wasting people for nothing. What else should he have done than landing, in hopes of repair? In another story, the Kamikazes' had to fly in bad weather to penetrate the U.S. fighter screen around the ships, but they got lost and returned. Except one, who thought he found a ship finally, and crashed into it immediately with his bombs. Only the others saw in time that it was a small island, not a ship. An utter waste of resources in wartime scarcity.
Error: Mongolian armors at that time (aside from the ever-predominant textile armor) were usually made of lacquered rawhide, not leather. Throughout history, leather was mostly used for ceremonial or sparring armor, not battle gear. The whole point of leather is that it remains flexible and soft when dry, while rawhide becomes hard and rigid when dry, hence why rawhide is superior to leather for armoring purposes. Tanning is counter-productive for this. Besides, tanning was very expensive until the industrial revolution. Leather was _not_ cheap, it was a luxury material that was pretty much only used for things that needed to be both flexible and resistant to friction (leather is good against friction, but it is _not_ good against cutting and piercing, that's rawhide's job).
Actually fun fact in 1945 the united states was setting up an invasion force of 3500 ships in phillpines. A huge storm hit after the atomic bombs were droped few days later. A very very powerful typhoon damaged most of the ships that were going to be used fpr the invasion. And it set back the USA invasion of japan for 3 months.
A good video, but I have to nitpick the history a bit. At this point, historians seem to think the Japanese were actually repelling both invasions before the kamikaze. Although certainly less prepared the first time through, the typhoon(s) were probably just salt in the wounds of a losing army. Additionally, the “1 on 1 duel” form of combat is a narrative. It’s really quite unlikely this ever really happened on the battlefield. For one thing, samurai were primarily mounted archers, anyway. And although I’d need to double check, this makes me question the validity of developing the katana to fight the mongols. Swords were, at best, like a soldier’s side arm today - a last ditch effort. Finally, the kamikaze narrative definitely came from the shrines though I’m doubtful it had to do with any kind of “conversion”. The religious beliefs on the archipelago are almost inherent, to be Japanese to be linked to Shinto. However, the shrines and temples were asked to pray for the nation’s salvation. The kamikaze was a useful tool to claim that the gods had saved the nation, not the warriors. In this way, the shrines and temples would receive the bulk of the rewards.
"There's no such thing as the Divine Wind", well except for the one that struck twice but whatever. Shintoism and Buddhism were tied together pretty heavily to the point they were almost indistinguishable from each other. Don't think he was trying to convert them from Shinto.
Tbh Kublai Khan had the worst luck with naval invasions this happened to him in Taiwan too and his troops also suffered mass disease there which spread back to the mainland
I just realize the best part of the video is the end credits. It states the following: "Please note that Evan is often kind of an idiot. DON'T EVER TAKE HIS WORD FOR IT. Always research what you see on TH-cam. Don't let anyone think for you; Most people can barely think for themselves.
I Mean WWII era Japan did have its Divine Wind a couple times actually Halsey's Typhoons and Typhoon Louise. One of which struck the US Pacific Fleet the other tracked across Okinawa and had Downfall been given the go-ahead would have struck and smashed building chock-full of supplies and troops. However, considering what the Army Corp of engineers had managed to pull and the strength of American industry and the state of Japan both of those did little more than two nusiance the American Giant
TL;DR: the mongols came over ready for war and died in a tornado. But, they tried again and had a nice time fighting with the Japanese but then died in a tornado.
There is a story that after the Mongol invasions, every now and then crabs would be caught in the area that had a pattern on their shell that resembled a Japanese soldier's armor. Being superstitious, the locals threw them back. Apparently, over time all the crabs in the area came to have the pattern on their shells. Not sure if it's true, but an interesting story...
I've heard that after we took over Japan while our fleet was docked a hurricane hit and did a lot of damage to it. But I think this was like 6 months after the surrender. Its possible they might have been able to hold off long enough for that to impact the war, but probably not.
In a way, the WW2 Kamikaze DID save Japan. They convinced Truman that a invasion of Japan would result in massive damage and casualities, and he decided to use the atom bombs instead to cut the blood down.
Ah yes, the 1274 and 1281 Mongol Invasions, which I learned of during a Japanese history course. What made this conflict interesting was the Hakata Bay invasion site, and the drain it put on the Kamakura Shogunate under the Hojo clan. As for the 20th century Kamikaze, the aerial wave failed to stop the Allied forces. However, I've read about the out-of-season Typhoon that ravaged the Allied fleet as had the one that humbled the Yuan dynasty. www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/p/pacific-typhoon-october-1945.html
Tsss, a good lie can be the solid foundation of an Empire. And a semi-skilled liar is unlikely to be ever exposed. There should be a word for the kind of naivity, that truth is always revealed.
Thanks to everyone who asked about our Patreon. I'll put out a full video when I get the time, but for those who want to jump the gun and get on board from the start, here's the link: www.patreon.com/rareearth
It means a huge deal that so many have asked us to start an account. I never thought anyone would watch these videos, let alone support them.
lol.. you know the day that the planned invasion of Japan would have happened Japan had a massive typhoons with 145 MPH winds www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2015/07/16/how-typhoons-at-the-end-of-world-war-ii-swamped-u-s-ships-and-nearly-saved-japan-from-defeat/?.f5e6b0e30b9c
woah rare earth the music reminded me of secureteam10 he has a similar music in the back round in older videos but its really nice and calm
Your videos are well done and appreciated. But concerning your closing remarks concerning the Kamikaze "Divine Wind": YOU are wrong. Divine Wind means Spirit, and Spirit protects you when you are aligned with It. However, Japan was NOT aligned with Spirit during WWII, just as the United States is NOT aligned with Spirit today, with its satanic president Trump and his work to begin World War III. And the chickens are coming home to roost. Americans are going to suffer heavily their arrogance and lack of empathy as war will come to its shores in a very big way. "Hear me now and believe me later," as Hans and Frans would say! A teacher and prophet of God has spoken.
Gangis Khan sent his ons to university in Poland. I don't know if his grandson Kubla Khan, but probably had some sort of formal education.
So this is what Bill Wurtz was talking about when he said the Mongolians died in a tornado, twice.
MythicalRedFox lol, I was thinking that the whole time.
Glad I'm not the only one who thought of that
MythicalRedFox holy shit.
At least during the second time they had a nice time fighting with the Japanese before subsequently dying in a tornado.
MythicalRedFox P
"DEAR YOUNG MEN if anyone asks you to VOLUNTEER TO DIE please ask them to VOLUNTEER TO GO FIRST" I got a good chuckle out of that one.
This is why the Americans are in trouble now, Donald Trump was deferred from service because of bone spurs in his feet, simple operation, if he had served, he may be a better president than he is now.
You're saying the only good president is the president who served the military? So Obama was worse for just wanting to join the Army? He didn't actually serve. America is fine, despite what media outlets put out. Educate yourself, don't just let people think for you.
"DULCE ET DECORUM EST PRO PATRIA MORI" (It is sweet and honorable to die for the fatherland) has always been propagated by those, who sit way behind the front in warm and cosy houses with good food and beverages.
Cyrus McDugan I believe they are called the "armchair patriots". I am greatly enjoying this series and can't wait to see where it goes next.
iipedro123 Before they were armchair patriots, people called them chickenhawks. Nothing new under the sun.
I'm always bothered that these videos don't have more views. This is the kind of stuff we don't learn in school, even the parts that are relevant to US history. I can't thank you enough for making and posting these videos!
L as in L Views as a concept are misunderstood I think. What I want are people who care and enjoy. I'd take 10k who genuinely like the content over 100k who are just passing through.
I appreciate all of you!
I genuinely appreciate the content. great show man.
Thank you Colin!
L as in L it also bothers me when mathematics is prioritized over history
ya i am concerned too, i mean rare earth publishes good videos, n what the hell just 2K TO 4K views!
My mum told me that when she was a college student and was sitting in a train in Tokyo, an drunk old man sitting next to her suddenly started talking to her that he was a member of a kamikaze units and that he lost many of his friends in the name of kamikaze. The only reason he ended up not committing the kamikaze attack was that he came from a good university which was rare at the time. Higher-ranked officers deprioritized the life of young men with little educational background and made them do the attacks. While he was telling his story he began to shed tears saying that life is not equal.
I was in the Canadian military, the same as Col. Hadfield, Evan's dad was, but while he joined in 1978, I was already in West Germany with the Canadian NATO Forces, and already had my introduction briefing, " Welcome to CFB Europe, if anything happens, your life expectancy is 3 weeks, do not expect re-enforcements. " So basically like the Kamikaze, we were Cold War Suicide Soldiers. We were very lucky that the American commanders didn't decide to use battlefield nuclear weapons first, and we are all old men. Strange how things turn out, now we are back in The Cold War 3.0, I hope we survive.
Charles Damery Thankfully we all didn’t burn in nuclear fire because of the Cold War.
3.0?
What's 2.0 ?
It's a way to look at it, but you can include tons of stuff in it, then. For example, pre-WW1 tensions could be described as a cold war too, then. Or is the concept limited to the US and the russians ?
Personally, I define cold war as tensions that can't be solved through war, because of nukes. So there's only the post-ww2 cold war, and maybe the current one with China that could be called 2.0. But really, it's more a paradigm shift in general than anything else.
As long as nukes aren't obsolete, or at least reasonably counterable, the big boys's war will stay cold.
thank you for your service
The end credits are always a blast to read. Thanks for keeping a sense of humor around, even with the most serious of topics. And nice shout out to CrashCourse. I've already watch all of their episodes, so I guess I'm stuck with you to keep my casual education going.
Crash Course reference! :D Also, Evan, Chris, Francesco and everyone else involved, you are doing a great job. You seem to be smart and kind people.
My Japanese friend told me about the 'volunteer' thing while we were watching movie at home. It was never a voluntary thing. Young men pick up from poor region (which is her family region, Tohoku) and if they refuse they are shot to dead. That was another side of the story.
Your friend told you a lie
th-cam.com/video/RvcgnVxa3d0/w-d-xo.html
Permsuk Amporncharat umm im sorry but as a japanese i can tell you that your half wrong and half right and your friend didn't lie to you.
a lot of them did volunteered because they thought if they didn't join the kamikaze the Americans will invade Japan and their loved ones will be raped and killed.(atleast thats what the military back then said to them in order to convince them to join.and if you see the USSR ocupation of Germany you can see where thats coming from)
also im not denying that a lot of them didn't want to go... but if your country is in need and if your loved ones will die if you dont go then who is going to refuse that? sry for my bad english but i hope you can somewhat understand why these men went on a suicide mission back in ww2.
omg google: You're correct that *Japanese stupidly believed the Americans would kill, rape, and pillage... just because that's the "normal" stuff Japanese armies did in Asia.* Even their infantry education says it's a *"divine right of Japanese men to pillage."* So they were very scared because of what they themselves did.
*Just like Nazis who burned and tortured Russians and Eastern Europeans ran to the US forces and surrendered, because they feared what would be done to them in Russian hands.*
+CrabTastingMan
there is something wrong with you. come out from your own darkness, not everyone is like that.
US did the same thing before; some soldier did, even though there are military rules in place.
no offence intended. But your "Bolded" words kind of make it sounds like you're triggered -_-
+Bull55
I am not sure who you are replying to, but if it's to me; than I know you pretty much don't get the idea of what I am refering to.
"Not every one is the same"
Evan is so much better of a presenter than Chris, and it's really shown through this series. The channel used to just be something in my inbox, but now I look forward to the next upload. Always learn something new, and it's told in such a creative and personal way that it feels like I'm being read a storybook rather than a historical lesson.
Awesome job, keep these up. You've got me hooked.
Great video but I have one important question. In the opening, how the hell did your photographer walk backward on that boulder breakwall without falling on his ass? I saw some rather significant seams between the rocks!
MRJiri Haha. We planned the route and did it a few times. We broll over stumbles. He'll be happy for the shout out.
that is the funniest comment. Good point, cudos camera man
So nicely told and very well done! I really wish you had more people watching your videos because they are excellent!
Loved the crash course reference. Both channels are mandatory
Another great video! Always looking forward to the next one.
This channel's comment section is rare earth. A youtube comment section with mostly fans instead of trolls.
I cant even explain how much I love these series. Each episode is written like poetry
This series is amazing! Even though some series have fancy drone and CG cinematography, this one proves you don't need this if you're committed to your goals!
The Mongols
Mike Theory *que music*
Have invaded china.
*died in a tornado*
conan263
And the last time They team up with china but still get ass kick
I'm a simple man, I see a new Rare Earth video, I like it.
"If anyone asks you to *volunteer to die* please ask them to *volunteer to go first* "
Very profound. Also it's a given that The Mongols were the exception!
@6:32 That's a Brewster Buffalo in (probably) British markings, and the man saluting on the left is saluting in the British manner... which means the happily saluting men before the aircraft are probably Chinese pilots rather than Japanese. The curious thing to me is that the Buffalo sports a tiger marking on the tail which looks similar to the AVG markings, though the Flying Tigers (also known as the American Volunteer Group, or AVG) did not fly Buffs; at that time they were flown by the British 67 Squadron who flew as allies of the Tigers, and possibly by provisional Chinese forces (not sure about that) when the Buffalo began to be replaced with the more modern Hawker Hurricane.
Rare Earth, if you have source information for this photo would you please post? An aircraft number, location & date, pilot name, or just a larger version of the photo would be of particular interest. If you have access to the photo, perhaps there's something written on the back?
Keep up the good work.
I am really appreciating this series. You guys are doing a wonderful job presenting the information. Thank you!
While I was studying for my diploma back in 1998, my friend Andrew went to Japan. Some mountain-biking thing.
He returned with gifts: hachimaki (headbands) for Noi (Thai), Makiko (Japanese), and me (Kiwi). As each was revealed, Makiko instantly translated, and I got 'kamikaze'. I groaned. The word meant 'suicidally reckless' in my culture. Probably still does. But it seemed appropriate.
But instantly Makiko jumped in and told us all the real story of kamikaze (a lot faster than you!). My eyes were opened to Japanese culture - and never closed again. The word was to become the first kanji I learnt to recognise, and later write.
But more than that - I quickly converted the entire scene into a live-storytelling sequence and added it to my storytelling show. I still perform, and I still have Andy's gift.
& I wear it with pride!
The japanese didnt invent the Katana in 6 years. It was a process refined over many years, by many people. The katana we know came after the mongol wars.
The closing remarks were amazing.
One thing that I would like to add about the first Mongolian invasion is that the Mongolians didn't exactly decide to just head home. A Japanese Soldier spotted the Mongolian general just sitting in the open, so he took a near by bow and arrow, strung it and shot him. This caused to Mongolian forces to route back to the ships where instead of regrouping at a nearby Island and pressing the attack which would have most likely worked and forced back the Japanese, they retreated all the way back to china (or at least they would have if it weren't for the storm that stopped them from returning
Hey man, I've only just discovered your channel. It's fantastic! Your videos are powerful, thought provoking and deeply relevant.
Great presentation, coupled with a great topic, this is the recipe for great documentaries... keep doing what you do Evan.
I immediately realized that this was about the Mongolians when you said "the first time Japan was invaded...". Awesome intro.
I love the Crash Course reference. I've done a lot of writing for Crash Course and that made me happy. :D (I do, however, think people should watch that AND this, not choose between them!)
Also, excellent advice to young men (and young women too). Thank you for saying that.
I found your channel the other day and I’ve almost watched every single episode of rare earth. keep up the good content Evan !
Rare Earth, Just found out about your channel a few weeks ago, and I absolutely love it. Keep it up.
Discovered your channel short ago, and I'm watching all your Rare Earth videos from oldest to newest, and I'm loving them. Fun fact, watching this video a couple of days after the game Ghost of Tsushima is released, a game about the Mongol invasion of Japan. That's coincidence XD
visited the Chiran Kamikaze Museum in Kyushu last year. It was a very humbling experiences. Leaders start wars, ordinary people fight them.
"And they weren't the barbarian horsemen that you might imagine...Kublai was one of the most intelligent and modernizing leaders of human history..."
¿Por que no los dos? :P I think both statements were actually possibly true of him
Come on Evan, now your walking him backwards over rocks!! Thats pro photography right there.. ps. We up to 100k views yet ;)
Ben Hewitson 100k per video. Not even close.
Chris Hadfield's Rare Earth I shall start re starting my router for that sweet non static ip refresh goodness. It might take me 6 months of restarts and clicks though so keep making awesome videos in the mean time. Thanks Evan and the team. (Inter)Stellar work.
Ben Hewitson I filmed you a video today. Should come out in a few months. :)
Overzealous, response deleted. Many thanks Evan, you are the best. Look forward to it.
How do you know so much about Japan's history? Your presentations are so fascinating!
Excellent video and really informative. Finally someone retelling the history of that 1st invasion that includes the Yuan/Mongol invaders making landfall. I've been it Fukuoka/Hakata a few times and toured those same sites. Several of the Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples have plaques which clearly state they were rebuilt after being torched and destroyed by invaders. So much of the popular historical retelling is summarized as the invaders all drowned because of the typhoons and the survivors returned back to China. An amazing historical incident and a combination of factors were definitely on the Japanese side. Thanks for sharing - excellent channel!
I love these videos. Keep them coming.
Listening to you is soothing. Keep speaking slow. Keep traveling slow. Thanks for the videos, sir!
Your narration is clear and exciting. Love the short story.
One of the coolest and most interesting videos I've seen in while
0:57 where's that background music?
I love your content man.
I've Just discovered Rare Earth (by lucky mistake), and I Love all your reports so informative. I did already know the story of the Kamikaze having worked in Japan, however I still enjoyed your telling of the story....
I love this series. Can't wait till you do other places too!
I love your videos, theyre accurate and interesting, keep it up!!!!
Very accurate story! Just wish these videos got more publicity
Very impressive, keep up the thoughtful contemplative socio commentary. I love what you do, going to exotic locales and getting a gritty, down to rare earth hd video for all of us. I want to do the same adventure but am too selfish and lazy. Jet lag really sucks.
I wish your videos would never end. I need moooooore!
I immediately thought of Crash Course World History when the Mongoltage came up XD So happy to see a shout-out to them in the credits screen!
Thank you for not going with the current trend of ending you video with any begging about subscribing or hitting the like button! Interesting history and analysis.
I just want to make videos. If people watch them, that's on them.
I totally did think of Crash Course. People should still absolutely go watch it though.
there's a caveat to your point though: when a lie's been propagated long & loud enough, it becomes accepted history. ancient & medieval history is full of examples
These videos are always interesting and informative
the story telling.. wow..
1:11 never heard of Willem van Ruysbroeck, so I had to look it up. Turns out he is a Belgian monk making a similar trip like Marco Polo -> en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_of_Rubruck Fascinating!
Willem van de Beek Great eye for detail. :)
I love the way you do these videos. Keep it up man.
One of the greatest threats to an enemy is the local environment and poor timing. The Mongoles learned it, and so too did the French when they tried to invade Russia.
We in a way marginalize nature, but nature always has a way to humble us.
You have a truly unique documentation style and story selection. But Im sure you have been told that many times by now.
If you liked this, read the book "Kamikaze: A Japanese Pilot's Own Spectacular Story of the Famous Suicide Squadrons". Although it is historically not 100% accurate by the most recent studies, the author gives a unique insight into how Japanese pilots were trained and how he avoided his faith by accident.
Moral of the story: base your important judgements on science and leave faith/religion for private matters.
True, and also technical and navigation failures. The Kamikaze airplanes were outdated types, with worn-out engines and not very well equipped either. There is a story in that book about a pilot that landed on an island due to engine failure. He was accused of cowardice, which was extremely confusing and showed the cruel nature of wasting people for nothing. What else should he have done than landing, in hopes of repair? In another story, the Kamikazes' had to fly in bad weather to penetrate the U.S. fighter screen around the ships, but they got lost and returned. Except one, who thought he found a ship finally, and crashed into it immediately with his bombs. Only the others saw in time that it was a small island, not a ship. An utter waste of resources in wartime scarcity.
+Magánpilóta - Private Pilot N. Zoltán
So by definition, it's written by a *FAILED* Kamikaze pilot?
:-/
Awesome stuff. Did you use to be apart of another channel?
Ben Lee Nope. I used to produce/write the videos for this channel, though.
"If you watched the Mongol footage and didn't immediately think of Crash Course" totally did, APWH for the win
Error: Mongolian armors at that time (aside from the ever-predominant textile armor) were usually made of lacquered rawhide, not leather. Throughout history, leather was mostly used for ceremonial or sparring armor, not battle gear. The whole point of leather is that it remains flexible and soft when dry, while rawhide becomes hard and rigid when dry, hence why rawhide is superior to leather for armoring purposes.
Tanning is counter-productive for this.
Besides, tanning was very expensive until the industrial revolution. Leather was _not_ cheap, it was a luxury material that was pretty much only used for things that needed to be both flexible and resistant to friction (leather is good against friction, but it is _not_ good against cutting and piercing, that's rawhide's job).
I love this series on Japan SO MUCH
Actually fun fact in 1945 the united states was setting up an invasion force of 3500 ships in phillpines. A huge storm hit after the atomic bombs were droped few days later. A very very powerful typhoon damaged most of the ships that were going to be used fpr the invasion. And it set back the USA invasion of japan for 3 months.
Thank you for saving this video from the click-bait it was pushing for.
Always wearing the best t shirts
"Ba-to man" But I had a hell of a job reading it. Stylisted katakana always do my head in.
A good video, but I have to nitpick the history a bit.
At this point, historians seem to think the Japanese were actually repelling both invasions before the kamikaze. Although certainly less prepared the first time through, the typhoon(s) were probably just salt in the wounds of a losing army.
Additionally, the “1 on 1 duel” form of combat is a narrative. It’s really quite unlikely this ever really happened on the battlefield. For one thing, samurai were primarily mounted archers, anyway. And although I’d need to double check, this makes me question the validity of developing the katana to fight the mongols. Swords were, at best, like a soldier’s side arm today - a last ditch effort.
Finally, the kamikaze narrative definitely came from the shrines though I’m doubtful it had to do with any kind of “conversion”. The religious beliefs on the archipelago are almost inherent, to be Japanese to be linked to Shinto. However, the shrines and temples were asked to pray for the nation’s salvation. The kamikaze was a useful tool to claim that the gods had saved the nation, not the warriors. In this way, the shrines and temples would receive the bulk of the rewards.
"There's no such thing as the Divine Wind", well except for the one that struck twice but whatever.
Shintoism and Buddhism were tied together pretty heavily to the point they were almost indistinguishable from each other. Don't think he was trying to convert them from Shinto.
I've found a major flaw with your series, Evan- there are simply not enough episodes. Keep up the good work!
I didn't know eminem's album can save japan
Tbh Kublai Khan had the worst luck with naval invasions this happened to him in Taiwan too and his troops also suffered mass disease there which spread back to the mainland
I just realize the best part of the video is the end credits. It states the following:
"Please note that Evan is often kind of an idiot. DON'T EVER TAKE HIS WORD FOR IT. Always research what you see on TH-cam. Don't let anyone think for you; Most people can barely think for themselves.
Phew, I don't have to watch any more Crash Course today.
I thought the morale of the story was that you shouldn't attempt a naval invasion with river boats.
i think these videos are brilliant. Why arent there more views!?
Fantastic video! I never knew what the word "Kamikaze" meant.
I Mean WWII era Japan did have its Divine Wind a couple times actually Halsey's Typhoons and Typhoon Louise. One of which struck the US Pacific Fleet the other tracked across Okinawa and had Downfall been given the go-ahead would have struck and smashed building chock-full of supplies and troops. However, considering what the Army Corp of engineers had managed to pull and the strength of American industry and the state of Japan both of those did little more than two nusiance the American Giant
I love that Japanese t-shirt you are wearing. I bet it's a rare find. I hope I find a tshirt as cool as that.
TL;DR: the mongols came over ready for war and died in a tornado. But, they tried again and had a nice time fighting with the Japanese but then died in a tornado.
A typhoon is a Hurricane.
th-cam.com/video/Mh5LY4Mz15o/w-d-xo.htmlm13s
There is a story that after the Mongol invasions, every now and then crabs would be caught in the area that had a pattern on their shell that resembled a Japanese soldier's armor. Being superstitious, the locals threw them back. Apparently, over time all the crabs in the area came to have the pattern on their shells. Not sure if it's true, but an interesting story...
loved that Crash Course World History nod.
I really enjoyed the cheeky crash course reference with the Mongolians
Amazing Channel.
I've heard that after we took over Japan while our fleet was docked a hurricane hit and did a lot of damage to it. But I think this was like 6 months after the surrender. Its possible they might have been able to hold off long enough for that to impact the war, but probably not.
7:48 "I'm just waiting for this wind to stop. Big gust right now."
-Kublai Khan's army
In a way, the WW2 Kamikaze DID save Japan. They convinced Truman that a invasion of Japan would result in massive damage and casualities, and he decided to use the atom bombs instead to cut the blood down.
If you're into this you should go to the south of Kyushu island and visit the kamikaze museum. It's sad and very interesting.
1:45 I laughed at the predetermined portion.
" Test the waters".
You are waiting for that DIVINE wind to stop?!?!?
How could you?
damn, what a strong final point.
Ah yes, the 1274 and 1281 Mongol Invasions, which I learned of during a Japanese history course. What made this conflict interesting was the Hakata Bay invasion site, and the drain it put on the Kamakura Shogunate under the Hojo clan.
As for the 20th century Kamikaze, the aerial wave failed to stop the Allied forces. However, I've read about the out-of-season Typhoon that ravaged the Allied fleet as had the one that humbled the Yuan dynasty. www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/p/pacific-typhoon-october-1945.html
"Dear young men if anyone ask you to volunteer to die please ask them to volunteer to go first" lol
That last clip with the gust of wind is the divine wind
Tsss, a good lie can be the solid foundation of an Empire. And a semi-skilled liar is unlikely to be ever exposed. There should be a word for the kind of naivity, that truth is always revealed.
He's just outside Fukuoka city, I live near there.
Chris Hadfield's Rare Japan
Well japan never did get invaded, they just got flattened then surrendered
greed of one man broke a nation is not an uncommon occurrence unfortunately even if it was for the spread of his faith, he was greedy for influence
特攻(tokkou), the abbreviation of the special attack, is still used in Japan as suicide attack.
Oh shy this I’d like the first one of these I’ve seen that I’d actually learned about in history class beforehand
Kevin Macleod is a youtube hero