Emperor of the Seas: Kublai Khan and the Making of China
How Kublai Khan beat Song China and then lost to Japan, told through the sea rather than the steppe.
Jack Weatherford follows the grandson of Genghis as he turns a horse empire into a naval one, conquers southern China, and then breaks his fleets against Japan. The maritime angle is the point: Weatherford argues the Mongol turn to the sea reshaped East Asian trade long after the dynasty itself fell. The account ranges widely, the Ainu included.
Recommended by 1 Person
Tyler Cowen
Jack Weatherford, Emperor of the Seas: Kublai Khan and the Making of China. A fun and good book, think of it as explaining how Kublai Khan beat Song China but subsequently lost to Japan. The Ainu play a role in a wide-ranging and still historically relevant story.
Source · January 2026
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