Archaic name for Japan used in Japanese mythology, especially in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki. Refers to the land of the living, as opposed to the heavenly realm or the underworld. Not used in modern Japanese except in historical or mythological contexts.
古事記では、葦原中国は天つ神が治めるべき地とされた。
In the Kojiki, Ashihara no Nakatsukuni was considered the land to be ruled by the heavenly gods.
