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 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | Romanized version | |
| 大和は 国のまほろば |
Yamato wa |
|
Note that the Kojiki itself did not use hiragana; the above is a modernized version.