Yamato Province
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Map of Japanese provinces with Yamato Province highlighted |
Yamato (大å'Œ) was a
province of
Japan. It covered the part of
Honshu that is present-day
Nara Prefecture. Since the Imperial court rose into power there,
Yamato came to mean the whole of Japan and in that sense is referred to as "Great Yamato".
Yamato Damashi or the Spirit of Yamato is a phrase used colloquially in a nostalgic way by conservative
Japanese to refer to a mysterious Golden Age of Japanese culture when life was simple and people were honest and worked hard. The
Kofun period of
Japanese history and culture is also sometimes called the
Yamato Period by western scholars, since this local chieftainship eventually rose up to become the Imperial Dynasty at the end of the Kofun period. Japanese archaeologists emphasise the fact that in the early half of the Kofun period other regional chieftainships, such as
Kibi near modern day
Okayama were in close contention for the crown.
The
Okinawans sometimes use the name to refer to mainland Japan in contrast to
Okinawa. In the
Okinawan language, Yamato is called "Yamatu".
The province of Yamato was the namesake of
World War II battleship
Yamato.
