Saikido Circuit Provinces
9 entries — explore the kanji meanings and true etymologies.
筑前
Province
Saikido
Chikuzen Province
筑前国 (ちくぜん)
Literal: "Front築"
Like Chikugo (behind), Chikuzen (筑前) means 'front Tsuku/Chiku'—the section of the ancient Tsukushi territory closest to …
筑後
Province
Saikido
Chikugo Province
筑後国 (ちくご)
Literal: "Behind築"
Chikugo (筑後) means 'behind Tsuku/Chiku,' the interior section of ancient Tsukushi. The Chikugo River (筑後川), one of Kyush…
豊前
Province
Saikido
Buzen Province
豊前国 (ぶぜん)
Literal: "Front Abundance"
Like Bungo (behind), Buzen (豊前) means 'front Toyo/Bu'—the coastal section of the ancient Toyokuni territory. 'Toyo' (豊) …
豊後
Province
Saikido
Bungo Province
豊後国 (ぶんご)
Literal: "Behind Abundance"
Bungo (豊後) means 'behind Toyo/Bu'—the interior of the ancient Toyokuni territory. Beppu Bay, within Bungo, is famous for…
肥前
Province
Saikido
Hizen Province
肥前国 (ひぜん)
Literal: "Front Fertile"
Like Higo (behind), Hizen (肥前) means 'front Hi/Higo'—the coastal section of the ancient Higo territory. 'Hi' (肥) means '…
肥後
Province
Saikido
Higo Province
肥後国 (ひご)
Literal: "Behind Fertile"
Higo (肥後) means 'behind Hi'—the interior fertile territory of Kyushu. The Kumamoto plain, watered by the Shirakawa River…
日向
Province
Saikido
Hyuga Province
日向国 (ひゅうが)
Literal: "Facing the Sun"
The name means 'facing the sun' (日, sun + 向, facing/toward). The province faces east toward the Pacific Ocean, where the…
大隅
Province
Saikido
Osumi Province
大隅国 (おおすみ)
Literal: "Great Corner"
The characters mean 'great' (大) and 'corner/nook' (隅). The name likely refers to the southeastern corner of Kyushu, the …
薩摩
Province
Saikido
Satsuma Province
薩摩国 (さつま)
Literal: "Thin Cloth"
The characters mean 'thin/fine' (薩) and 'cloth/hemp' (摩), but these are phonetic. 'Satsuma' likely derives from a pre-Ya…