秋津島

There are multiple origins for this term.

The first uses the literal meanings of the kanji to claim it is made of 秋 (aki, “autumn”) +‎ 津 (tsu, “port”) +‎ 島 (shima, “island”), with the "津" being the archaic つ (tsu) genitive affix, causing it to literally mean "island of autumns", referring to prosperous harvests.

The second origin interprets the word as 秋津 (akitsu, “dragonfly”) +‎ 島 (shima, “island”), so the name means "dragonfly island". According to one account in the Nihon Shoki, when Emperor Yuryaku climbed on a mountain at Nara, he observed the lands around it and claimed they were shaped like an enormous dragonfly. That claim was reinforced by another story in the Kojiki that mentioned a dragonfly that bit a horsefly, that in turn bit the Emperor's arm.^[1]

• IPA^(key): [a̠kʲi t͡sɨ ɕima̠]

秋(あき)津(つ)島(しま) • (aki tsu shima) 

1. (historical, poetic, endearing) Japan

   Synonyms: 豐秋津島 (toyo aki tsu shima), 秋津國 (aki tsu kuni)