 One portion was called , which was translated as "Upper Echigo", due its geographical proximity to the capital city of Kyoto.After the establishment of prefectures throughout Japan, the region name was shortened to .When referring to Jōetsu, it could refer to the actual geographical Jōetsu region, which encompasses the cities of Jōetsu, Myōkō and Itoigawa, or may simply refer to the city of Jōetsu .