noun
Yamato province
Poetic name for the ancient Yamato province, used in classical Japanese poetry and literature.
See also: 大和
敷島の大和の国は、言霊の幸はふ国とぞ古語にも言へる。
The land of Yamato, called Shikishima, is said in ancient words to be a land blessed by the spirit of language.
noun
Poetic name for Japan as a whole, often used in classical poetry to evoke a sense of national identity or beauty.
敷島のやまと心を人問はば、朝日に匂ふ山桜花。
If one asks about the spirit of Japan, Shikishima, it is the mountain cherry blossoms fragrant in the morning sun.
noun
classical Japanese poetry
Abbreviation of 敷島の道, referring to the tradition of waka or classical Japanese poetry. Poetic and literary term.
See also: 敷島の道
敷島の道を究めるために、古歌を読み解く。
To master the way of classical Japanese poetry, one reads and interprets ancient poems.
大和 is the standard name for the ancient Yamato region and also a poetic name for Japan, but 敷島 is a more exclusively poetic and classical variant.
The origin of 敷島 as a name for Japan is uncertain; it appears in ancient poetry and may derive from a place name or a metaphorical expression. The kanji 敷 (spread) and 島 (island) are likely ateji.