Mahoroba

Mahoroba is an ancient Japanese word describing a far-off land full of bliss and peace. It is roughly comparable to the western concepts of arcadia, a place surrounded by mountains full of harmony and quiet.

Mahoroba is now written only in hiragana as まほろば. The origins of the word are not clear; it is described in a poem in the ancient Kojiki (古事記) as being the perfect place in Yamato:

Poem from the Kojiki
Original Spelling Japanese Romanized version
夜麻登波

久爾能麻本呂婆
多多那豆久
阿袁加岐 夜麻碁母禮流
夜麻登志宇流波斯

大和は

国のまほろば
たたなずく
あおかき山ごもれる
やまとしうるわし。

Yamato wa
Kuni no mahoroba
Tatanazuku
Aokaki-yama gomoreru
Yamato shi uruwashi.

Note that the Kojiki itself did not use hiragana; the above is a modernized version.


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