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 br

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…