T , nHE medieval Japanese narrative Yuriwaka Daijin ('The Great Lord Yuriwaka') is a fictional elaboration of the historical account of the Mongol invasion of Japan in the thirteenth century. The hero of the story is a young nobleman by the name of Yuriwaka-or Yurikusawaka, the probable original pronunciation.I Yuriwaka is selected by the gods of Japan to command the Japanese forces in the war against the Mongols. He sets sail with a mighty fleet and, after a threeyear stalemate at sea midway between Japan and the Asian continent, destroys the Mongol fleet in a sudden battle in which Shinto and Buddhist deities come to his aid. On the return voyage, Yuriwaka stops at a bleak, uninhabited island far off the coast of Japan. While he is in a death-like sleep his deputy, Beppu, sails away with the fleet, abandoning him there to die of starvation. But Yuriwaka survives, and three years later the gods intercede and enable him to return to Japan. He is so changed in appearance that not even his most devoted servants recognize him. Beppu meanwhile not only has usurped the position of lord of the province but also has been insinuating his affections on Yuriwaka's wife, a woman of great beauty. But he is informed that she may not remarry until she fulfills her vow to transcribe a sacred Buddhist text one thousand times. Yuriwaka, who has