 "Ainu Mosir" literally translates as "The Land Where People (the Ainu) Live", and it was traditionally used to be contrasted with "Kamuy Mosir", "The Land of the Kamuy (spirits)".In 1947, Hokkaido became a full-fledged prefecture, but the "-ken" suffix was never added to its name, so the "-dō" suffix came to be understood to mean "prefecture".