Earliest European Mention of Japan // Marco Polo Describes Mongol Invasion of 'Chipangu' (1281)

Chipangu is an island towards the east in the high seas, 1,500 miles distant from the continent, and a very great island it is. The people are white, civilised and well-favoured. They are idolaters and are dependent on nobody. And I can tell you, the quantity of gold they have is endless, for they find it in their own islands. And the king does not allow it to be exported. Moreover, few merchants visit the country, because it is so far from the main land, and thus it comes to pass that their gold is abundant, beyond all measure. I will tell you a wonderful thing about the palace of the lord of that island. You must know that he hath a great palace, which is entirely roofed with fine gold, just as our churches are roofed with lead, insomuch that it would scarcely be possible to estimate its value. Moreover, all the pavements of the palace and the floors of its chambers are entirely of gold, in plates like slabs of stone, a good two fingers thick, and the windows also are of gold, so that altogether the richness of this palace is past all bounds and belief. They have also pearls in abundance, which are of a rose colour, but fine, big and round, and quite as valuable as the white ones. In this island, some of the dead are buried, and others are burnt. When a body is burnt, they put one of these pearls in the mouth, for such is their custom. They have also quantities of other precious stones. Kublai the grand khan, who now reigns, having heard much of the immense wealth that was in this island, formed a plan to get possession of it. For this purpose he sent two of his barons with a great navy, and a great force of horse and foot. These barons were able and valiant men, one of them called Abakan, and the other Vonsainchin, and they wade with all their company from the ports of Zayton and Kinze, and put out to sea. They sailed until they reached the island of Forsaid, and there they landed, and occupied the open country and the villages, but did not succeed in getting possession of any city or castle. And so a disaster befell them, as I shall now relate. You must know that there was much ill will between these two barons, so that one would do nothing to help the other. And it came to pass that there arose a north wind, which blew with great fury and caused great damage along the coasts of that island, for its harbours were few. It blew so hard that the great khan's fleet could not stand against it, and when the chiefs saw that, they came to the conclusion that if the ships remained where they were, the whole navy would perish. So they all got on board and made sail to leave the country. But when they had gone about four miles, they came to a small island on which they were driven ashore in spite of all they could do, and a large part of the fleet was wrecked, and a great multitude of the force perished, so that there escaped only some thirty thousand men, who took refuge on this island. These held themselves for dead men, for they were without food and knew not what to do, and they were in great despair when they saw that such of the ships as had escaped the storm were making full sail for their own country, without the slightest sign of turning back to help them. And this was because of the bitter hatred between the two barons in command of the force, for the baron who escaped never showed the slightest desire to return to his colleague, who was left upon the island in the way you have heard, though he might easily have done so after the storm ceased, and it endured not long. He did nothing of the kind however, but made straight for home, and you must know that the island to which the soldiers had escaped was uninhabited, there was not a creature upon it but themselves. Now I will tell you what befell those who escaped on the fleet, and also those who were left upon the island. You see, those who were left upon the island, some thirty thousand souls as I have said, did hold themselves for dead men, for they saw no possible means of escape. And when the king of the great island got news that one part of the was scattered and fled, he was right glad, and he gathered together all the ships of his territory and proceeded with them, the sea now being calm, to the little isle, and landed his troops all around it. And when the Tartars saw them thus arrive, and the whole force landed, without any guard having been left on board the ships, the active men, very little acquainted with such work, they had the wisdom to feign flight. Now the island was very high in the middle, and whilst the enemy were hastening after them by one road, they fetched a compass by another, and in this way managed to reach the enemy's ships and get aboard of them. This they did easily enough, for they encountered no opposition. Once they were on board, they got underway immediately for the great island, and landed there, carrying with them the standards and banners of the king of the island, and in this way they advanced to the capital. The garrison of the city, suspecting nothing wrong, when they saw their own banners advancing, supposed that it was their own host returning, and so gave them admittance. The Tartars, as soon as they had got in, seized all the bulwarks and drove out all who were in the place, except the pretty women, and these they kept for themselves. In this way the great Khan's people got possession of the city. When the king of the great island and his army perceived that both fleet and city were lost, they were greatly cast down. However, they got away to the great island on board some of the ships which had not been carried off, and the king then gathered all his host to the siege of the city, and invested it so straightly that no one could go in or come out. Those who were within held their place for seven months, and strove by all means to send word to the great Khan, but it was all in vain. They could never get the intelligence carried to him. So, when they saw they could hold out no longer, they gave themselves up, on condition that their lives should be spared, but still that they should never leave the island. And this befell in the year of our lord 1279. The great Khan ordered the baron who had fled so disgracefully to lose his head, and afterwards he caused the other also who had been left on the island to be put to death, for he had never behaved as a good soldier ought to do. Oh, but I must tell you a wonderful thing that I had forgotten which happened on this expedition. You see, at the beginning of the told you, they stormed a tower belonging to some of the islanders who refused to surrender, and they cut off the heads of all the garrison, except eight. On these eight they found it impossible to inflict any wound. Now, this was by virtue of certain stones which they had in their arms inserted between the skin and the flesh, with such skill as to not show at all externally. And the charm and virtue of these stones was such that those who wore them could never perish by steel. So, when the barons learnt this, they ordered the men to be beaten to death with clubs, and after their death the stones were extracted from the bodies of all and were greatly prized. Now the story of the discomfiture of the great Khan's folk came to pass as I have told you, but let us done with that matter.