The name of a province in ancient Japan, this appears in the oldest records of the 600s,[1] and again later in the Kojiki of 712 CE,[2] as 三野国(Mino no kuni, literally “three + farm/field + 's + province”),[1] apparently because the region had three large farms. This shifted to 御野国(Mino no kuni, literally “honorable + farm/field + 's + province”), by roughly 702 CE,[1] then a few years later in roughly 708 CE the spelling was officially changed to 美濃国(Mino no kuni, literally “beautiful + rich/concentrated + 's + province”),[1] with this spelling then later becoming the only one.