'Kamikaze' ('divine wind') is the name given to the typhoon that destroyed the Mongol fleet launched by Kublai Khan against Kyushu in the thirteenth century. Nichiren, a dissident Buddhist priest, had warned the Kamakura Shogunate of the danger of attack, whilst the Emperor Kameyama had prayed for Japan to be saved. The efforts of both men are commemorated in Fukuoka's Higashi Ko-en (East Park), where some of these photos were taken.

Nichiren promoted national defence rather than aggression and maintained that Emperor Ojin, who had been deified as Hachiman, the Shinto god of war, was in fact a re-incarnation of Buddha himself. Hakozaki Shrine, which is dedicated to Hachiman, is just a few minutes' walk from Higashi Ko-en. The sign above its main hall is said to have been written by Kameyama and declares 'Teki koku go buku' ('May enemy nations prostrate themselves in defeat'). Nowadays, people pray here for success in their endeavours, whether in business or in sport - including Fukuoka Daiei Hawks, who went on to win the baseball league in 2003.

The final photo in this gallery was taken at Chiran in southern Kyushu, which was a base for suicide pilots during WWII. Though in the west they are known as 'kamikaze', in Japan they are called the 'Special Attack Peace Force'.