noun
Hyogo (prefecture)
Only with reading ひょうご
Refers to Hyogo Prefecture in Japan. The reading へいこ is not used for this sense.
兵庫県は関西地方にあります。
Hyogo Prefecture is in the Kansai region.
noun
Historical term for a weapons storehouse or arsenal. The reading へいこ is possible but rare; ひょうご is more common.
江戸時代、各藩は兵庫に武器を保管していた。
In the Edo period, each domain stored weapons in its armory.
Kana spelling is common in everyday writing, especially for the prefecture name.
The kanji 兵 (soldier, weapon) and 庫 (warehouse) combine to mean 'weapons storehouse'. The prefecture name derives from the historical port and arsenal area.