九州 (Jiǔ zhōu) is a proper noun with three main referents. First, it is a poetic and classical name for China, evoking the ancient mythical division of the land into nine provinces by Emperor Yu. Second, it refers historically to those nine ancient administrative divisions themselves. Third, it is the Chinese name for Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan's four main islands, written with the same characters. In modern usage, the poetic sense appears in literary and cultural contexts, while the Japanese place name is used in geography and travel.