noun
that country; that land
Refers to a country or land that is distant from both speaker and listener, often with a literary or poetic feel. Used in contrast to この国 (this country).
かの国では、こんな習慣はないだろう。
In that country, such a custom probably doesn't exist.
かの国から来た手紙を読んだ。
I read a letter that came from that distant land.
noun
nirvana; the Pure Land
Archaic Buddhist term referring to the enlightened state or the Pure Land (浄土). Rare in modern usage outside classical or religious contexts.
かの国に往生することを願う。
I pray to be reborn in that Pure Land.
Means 'this country', referring to a place near the speaker. かの国 is its distant counterpart.
Also means 'that country', but あの国 is more common in modern spoken Japanese. かの国 is more literary and archaic-sounding.
From か (distant demonstrative) + の (possessive particle) + 国 (country). The archaic Buddhist sense is a semantic extension referring to the distant Pure Land.