Kublai Khan’s warship sank in 1281; 745 years later, dice reveal how its crew spent breaks

NewsScience NewsIn 1281, a typhoon sank Kublai Khan’s invasion fleet off Japan; now divers have found 34 gaming pieces, including tiny dice, in the stern of one wreck, suggesting cooks on board played games during breaks In 1281, a typhoon sank Kublai Khan’s invasion fleet off Japan; now divers have found 34 gaming pieces, including tiny dice, in the stern of one wreck, suggesting cooks on board played games during breaks TOI Science Desk / TIMESOFINDIA.COM / Nov 09, 2026, 22:53 IST Kublai Khan, the grandson of Mongol king Genghis Khan conquered China but failed to overtake Japan.

However, his massive invasion fleet of 1281 left behind more than traces of warfare. Archaeologists in Japan were investigating a Mongol invasion ship off the coast of Japan when they discovered 29 gaming pieces and five dice that had been lying there on the seabed for the past 745 years, as per a report by Arkeonews.Announced in October 2026, the discovery marks the first time gaming pieces have been found among the Mongol invasion shipwrecks in the area.

Professor Yoshifumi Ikeda of Kokugakuin University joined researchers from the Matsuura City Board of Education in investigating the wreck off Takashima Island in Japan’s Nagasaki Prefecture.During excavations carried out in October 2026, divers examined the stern of the ship, its wooden compartments, and structural pieces believed to be the keel.

Evaluations of the preserved remains indicate that the ship may have been approximately 30 metres long. If confirmed, this ship could be the largest of the three invasion wrecks identified in the region. While examining the stern of a ship located about 150 metres from the shore at a depth of 18-19 metres, researchers recovered 34 gaming pieces.

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