Nankido Circuit Provinces
6 entries — explore the kanji meanings and true etymologies.
紀伊
Province
Nankido
Kii Province
紀伊国 (きい)
Literal: "Tree/Record Protector"
The characters mean 'record/tree' (紀) and 'protect/Italy' (伊, used phonetically). 'Ki' in ancient Japanese meant 'tree' …
淡路
Province
Nankido
Awaji Province
淡路国 (あわじ)
Literal: "Light/Pale Road"
The characters mean 'light/pale' (淡) and 'road/path' (路). In Japanese mythology (Kojiki), Awaji Island was the first isl…
阿波
Province
Nankido
Awa Province (Shikoku)
阿波国 (あわ)
Literal: "Foamy Waves"
The characters mean 'foamy/bubbly' (阿, used phonetically as 'a') and 'wave' (波). The name may describe the turbulent, wa…
讃岐
Province
Nankido
Sanuki Province
讃岐国 (さぬき)
Literal: "Praising the Cape"
The characters mean 'to praise/admire' (讃) and 'cape/promontory' (岐). The name may reference a celebrated headland or ca…
伊予
Province
Nankido
Iyo Province
伊予国 (いよ)
Literal: "That Beforehand"
The characters 伊 (that) and 予 (beforehand/I) are phonetic. The name 'Iyo' predates the characters and derives from a pre…
土佐
Province
Nankido
Tosa Province
土佐国 (とさ)
Literal: "Earth Helper"
The characters mean 'earth/soil' (土) and 'help/assist' (佐), but these are phonetic. 'Tosa' is a pre-Yamato name of uncer…