noun
Refers to a narrow path running along or between rice paddies, often raised or grassy. A rural landscape term.
子供の頃、縄手を走って学校に通った。
As a child, I used to run along the footpath between the rice fields to get to school.
縄手を歩いていると、蛙の声が聞こえてきた。
Walking along the path between the paddies, I heard frogs croaking.
あぜ道 is a more common word for a path between rice fields, while 縄手 is a less frequent, somewhat literary alternative.
Compound of 縄 (nawa, 'rope') and 手 (te, 'hand'), possibly from the idea of a path as narrow as a rope. The exact derivation is uncertain.