Tosando Circuit Provinces
8 entries — explore the kanji meanings and true etymologies.
近江
Province
Tosando
Omi Province
近江国 (おうみ)
Literal: "Near Lake"
The name means 'near lake' (近, near + 江, lake/inlet). Lake Biwa, Japan's largest lake, is the defining feature. The prov…
美濃
Province
Tosando
Mino Province
美濃国 (みの)
Literal: "Beautiful Thick/Dense"
The characters mean 'beautiful' (美) and 'dense/thick' (濃). The name may describe the lush, fertile valleys of the Nobi P…
飛騨
Province
Tosando
Hida Province
飛騨国 (ひだ)
Literal: "Flying Horseman"
The characters mean 'flying' (飛) and 'horseman/cavalryman' (騨). These are likely phonetic, though the imagery of flying …
信濃
Province
Tosando
Shinano Province
信濃国 (しなの)
Literal: "Faithful Dense Land"
The characters mean 'faithful/trust' (信) and 'dense/thick' (濃). These are phonetic, and 'Shinano' predates the character…
上野
Province
Tosando
Kozuke Province
上野国 (こうずけ)
Literal: "Upper Field/Plain"
The name derives from ancient 'Ke' or 'Kenu' Province, divided into Upper Kenu (上毛野, Kōzuke) and Lower Kenu (下毛野, Shimot…
下野
Province
Tosando
Shimotsuke Province
下野国 (しもつけ)
Literal: "Lower Field/Plain"
The counterpart to Kōzuke (Upper Field), Shimotsuke means 'Lower Kenu/Ke,' the downstream or southern portion of the anc…
出羽
Province
Tosando
Dewa Province
出羽国 (でわ)
Literal: "Emerging Feathers"
The characters mean 'emerging' or 'going out' (出) and 'feathers' (羽). The origin is debated. One theory connects the nam…
陸奥
Province
Tosando
Mutsu Province
陸奥国 (むつ)
Literal: "Deep Interior Land"
The name means 'land' (陸) and 'interior/deep' (奥), literally 'deep inland territory.' It was the largest province in Jap…