expression
Literary expression for times gone by, often with a nostalgic or reflective tone. Related to 来し方 (こしかた).
See also: 来し方
過ぎ来し方を振り返ると、懐かしい思い出がよみがえる。
Looking back on the past, fond memories come to mind.
expression
the path one has traveled; the direction one came from
Literary or poetic use for the physical or metaphorical route one has taken to arrive at the present. Less common than the temporal sense.
彼は過ぎ来し方を指さして、「あの山を越えてきた」と言った。
He pointed to the way he had come and said, 'I crossed that mountain.'
来し方 is a shorter, more common literary term for 'the past' or 'the way one came'. 過ぎ来し方 adds 過ぎ (passing) for emphasis on the passage of time or distance.
Compound of 過ぎ (sugi, 'passing') + 来し方 (koshikata, 'the past' or 'the way one came'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it follows a classical Japanese pattern of combining verb stems with 来し方.