Was the kamikaze against the Mongol empire considered a supernatural event in Buddhism? The English language edition's article on the original kamikaze (divine wind) against the Mongol empire (not WWII) refers to Buddhism, though it also mentions Japanese "gods".


  ...1274 and again in 1281.  Due to growth of Zen Buddhism among Samurai at the time, these were the first events where the typhoons were described as "divine wind" as much by their timing as by their force.


This surprised me a little - I thought the "kami" in kamikaze referred to beings from Japan's native shinto belief system, which many Japanese have alongside Buddhism.

Was kamikaze typically regarded as a supernatural event in Buddhism?
I don't think the line between Shinto and Buddhism has been very clear in Japan, just as the line between Hinduism and Buddhism was never very clear in India.

For that matter, whenever any religion travels it is forced to either defeat or integrate its newest cultures. Religion can't take prisoners of war, it has to conquer by assimilation or destruction.

I don't have personal knowledge of this branch of Buddhism, but I've made use of a search engine to find these sources.

Syncretism of Shinto &amp; Buddhism in Japan

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2007/09/04/reference/japans-shinto-buddhist-religious-medley/


  Most in Japan may know Buddhism has something to do with controlling
  lust and anger, and is associated with funerals and graves, while
  Shinto involves venerating nature, and weddings. But many people have
  trouble making theological distinctions between the two or even
  telling a Buddhist temple from a Shinto shrine.
  
  The internationalists in the Japanese court welcomed Buddhism. Others
  saw it as a threat to the status quo, with Buddha nothing more than a
  “jajin,” or devil.
  
  Prince Shotoku (574-622) promoted Buddhism and it took hold. Still,
  Japan would never see a full conversion away from its indigenous
  religion, as occurred to a much greater extent across pagan Europe
  with the introduction of Christianity. Rather, Japanese absorbed
  Buddhism gradually, mixing it with local folk religions.
  
  This process played out in the divine realm, too, with certain Shinto
  gods coming to be seen as protectors of the Buddha. One was Hachiman,
  the Shinto god of war, who legend has it aided the construction of the
  Great Buddha statue in Nara during the Nara Period (710-784). This act
  of kindness won him the name “Great Bodhisattva (Buddhist saint)
  Hachiman” in 781.
  
  Reflecting this meeting of religions, Hachiman was sometimes depicted
  in sculptures as a very unwarlike Buddhist monk.
  
  But what does the eighth century have to do with mixups over temples
  and shrines now?
  
  The syncretism, or weaving together of religions, would continue over
  centuries as Japan went about absorbing Pure Land, Zen and other
  Buddhist sects from China. Over time, cross-pollination between
  Buddhism and Shinto would deepen in a process known as “shin-butsu
  shugo” (Shinto-Buddhism coalescence), or less flatteringly as the
  “shin-butsu konko” (Shinto-Buddhism jumble).
  
  Much of the convergence amounted to Buddhism trying to make a mark on
  the host culture. Buddhist monks felt certain Shinto divinities needed
  salvation. So they chanted sutras in front of shrines that were the
  gods’ sacred homes.
  
  Meanwhile, temples started sprouting up next to Shinto shrines, to be
  called “jingu-ji,” meaning “shrine-temples.” By the 16th century, such
  mixing and matching had become official policy.


Kamis vs Butsus

http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/shinto-deities.html


  In modern Japan, both Shintō and Buddhist practice among the common
  folk has taken on the air of “this-worldly benefits” (concrete rewards
  now; Genze Riyaku). To many Japanese, Shintō and Buddhist
  faith is primarily involved with petitions and prayers for business
  profits, the safety of the household, success on school entrance
  exams, painless child birth, and other concrete rewards now, in this
  life. Shintō deities are called KAMI, SHIN , JIN , SAMA , TENJIN
  , GONGEN , and MYŌJIN  to distinguish them from their Buddhist
  counterparts. The latter are known as BUTSU  and NYORAI (all
  mean Buddha or Tathagata), BOSATSU (meaning Bodhisattva), TEN 
  (meaning Deva), MYŌ-Ō  (meaning Luminescent Kings).