Wood Country

…It is surrounded by the sea on three sides and has a long coastline, but is mountainous and lacks flat land. It was originally written as Kinokuni, but during the Wadou era, it was changed to Kii Province by using two more favorable characters. Since ancient times, it has produced good quality timber, and according to a legend in the Nihon Shoki, Susanoo no Mikoto's son Itakeru no Mikoto brought tree seeds from Korea and sowed them in this province, and according to the Kogo Shūi, it was inhabited by Inbe, who gathered timber for the construction of the palace. These are the origins of the name Kinokuni. …

*Some of the terminology that refers to "Kokuni" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…三方を海に囲まれ，長い海岸線を有するが，山がちで平地に乏しい。もと木国（きのくに）と表記したが，和銅年間に好字二字をあてて紀伊国と改めた。古来，良材を産し，素戔嗚尊（すさのおのみこと）の子五十猛命（いたけるのみこと）が韓（から）より木種をもたらしこの国に播種したという《日本書紀》一書の所伝や，宮殿造営のための採材の忌部（いんべ）が住んだという《古語拾遺》の説は，木国の名の由来を物語るものである。…

※「木国」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報