Bun'ei (文永) was a Japanese era name (年号, nengō, lit. "year name") after Kōchō and before Kenji. This period spanned the years from February 1264 to April 1275.[1] The reigning emperor was Kameyama-tennō (亀山天皇).[2]
Change of era
1264 Bun'ei gannen (文永元年); 1264: The new era name was created to mark an event or a number of events. The previous era ended and a new one commenced in Kōchō 4.
Events of the Bun'ei era
March 6, 1274 (Bun'ei 11, 26th day of the 1st month): In the 15th year of Kameyama-tennō's reign (亀山天皇15年), the emperor abdicated; and the succession (senso) was received by his cousin.[3]
May 4, 1274 (Bun'ei 11, 26th day of the 3rd month): Emperor Go-Uda is said to have acceded to the throne (sokui).[4] The retired Emperor Kameyama continued to exercise power as cloistered emperor.
Japanese samurai defending the stone barrier -- from the narrative picture scroll Mōko Shūrai Ekotoba, which was painted between 1275 and 1293.
November 19, 1274 (Bun'ei 11, 20th day of the 10th month): Battle of Bun'ei -- Kublai Khan's Mongol forces land at Hakata Bay near Fukuoka in Kyūshū. After landing and some armed skirmishes, the invaders withdraw to spend the night on shipboard. That night, a storm sinks several ships, and the fleet retreats to Korea rather than pressing their initial advantage.[5] In the course of the day's fighting, the Hakozaki Shrine was burned to the ground.[6]Nihon Ōdai Ichiran explains that the invaders were defeated because they lacked arrows.[7]
^Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Bun'ei" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 90, p. 90, at Google Books; n.b., Louis-Frédéric is pseudonym of Louis-Frédéric Nussbaum, see Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Authority File.
^Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). Annales des empereurs du Japon, pp. 253-261, p. 253, at Google Books; Varley, H. Paul. (1980). Jinnō Shōtōki. p. 232-233.
^Titsingh, p. 261, p. 261, at Google Books; Varley, p. 44; a distinct act of senso is unrecognized prior to Emperor Tenji; and all sovereigns except Jitō, Yōzei, Go-Toba, and Fushimi have senso and sokui in the same year until the reign of Emperor Go-Murakami.
^Titsingh, p. 262, p. 262, at Google Books; Varley, p. 44.
^Davis, Paul K. (2001). 100 Decisive Battles: From Ancient Times to the Present, p. 147.
^Turnbull, Stephen R. (2003). Genghis Khan & the Mongol Conquests 1190–1400, p. 66.[permanent dead link]
Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). Nihon Odai Ichiran; ou, Annales des empereurs du Japon. Paris: Royal Asiatic Society, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland. OCLC 5850691
Turnbull, Stephen R. (2003). Genghis Khan & the Mongol Conquests, 1190-1400. London: Routledge. ISBN 9780415968621; ISBN 9780203489505; OCLC 53948747
