Kingdom of Kibi

In modern Japanese, 黍 kibi refers to proso millet (Panicum miliaceum).

However, the name of the kingdom of Kibi, which appears in the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki (the oldest written records in Japan), may have a different origin that has been lost to time.

The Chinese characters used for writing the name of the kingdom, which have been in use for over 1200 years, literally mean "lucky, propitious, good" and "to prepare, preparation; ready; complete, perfect; provision, equipment, installation, facility" and probably have been used for their phonetic values.

Archaeological research of many temples and shrine ruins, as well as burial mounds, suggests that the ancient kingdom was possibly as developed and powerful as the Yamato administration that controlled Japan in the eighth century.

The tale may be a metaphor for the conquest of the Kingdom of Kibi, which was destroyed during the reign of Emperor Kōrei.