Where does the word kamikaze come from?

Answer 1

In the 12th century A.D. the greatly feared Mongols were about to invade Japan by boat. Seeing this and fearing for their lives, the island farmers along the coast of Okinawa fell to their knees and prayed to Kami (God) and Kazi (Wind) for intervention. This "Divine Wind" actually appeared in the form of a monsoon, which sank a large portion of the Mongolian fleet. The remainder returned to China. This was thought to be a legend until about 5 years ago, when Chinese battle helmets and ship wreckage dated around that period began to surface.

Similarly, during WW2 before the attack on Pearl Harbor, the cult of KamiKaze inspired the pilots to again fall to their knees. They prayed to the Divine Wind to see them safely over U.S. battleships where they would drop their bombs and return to their aircraft carrier. They wore white headbands with the "rising sun" and kamikaze symbol on either side. Should their planes be injured in combat, they were directed to fly the planes into the intended target, sacrificing themselves.

Answer 2

It is a Japanese term for "divine wind". During the early 14th Century(or so) the Chinese launched a massive fleet to invade Japan. Just before their fleet arrived on the shores, a typhoon came up and destroyed the Chinese fleet. They named these pilots after the wind that saved their country hundreds of years earlier.