The historical province of Yamato (now Nara Prefecture in central Honshu) borders Yamashiro Province (now the southern part of Kyoto Prefecture); however, the names of both provinces appear to contain the Japonic etymon "yama", usually meaning "mountain(s)" (but sometimes having a meaning closer to "forest", especially in some Ryukyuan languages). Some other pairs of historical provinces of Japan exhibit similar sharing of one etymological element, such as Kazusa (<*"Kami-tu-Fusa", "Upper Fusa") and Shimōsa (<*"Simo-tu-Fusa", "Lower Fusa") or Kōzuke (<*"Kami-tu-Ke", "Upper Ke") and Shimotsuke (<*"Simo-tu-Ke", "Lower Ke"). In these latter cases, the pairs of provinces with similar names are thought to have been created through the subdivision of an earlier single province in prehistoric or protohistoric times.