also: せきじん
noun
people of the past; ancients; previous generations
Refers to people who lived in earlier times, often with a sense of nostalgia or respect. The reading せきじん is rare and literary.
昔人は自然と共に生きていた。
People of the past lived in harmony with nature.
この祭りは昔人から伝わるものだ。
This festival has been handed down from the ancients.
Compound of 昔 (mukashi, 'old times') and 人 (hito, 'person'), with rendaku voicing. The on'yomi reading せきじん is a Sino-Japanese reading of the same characters.