膝ひざ栗くり毛げ

noun

travelling on foot; journeying on foot; hiking

A somewhat old-fashioned or literary term for traveling on foot, often with a lighthearted or rustic feel. The expression comes from the image of one's knees (膝) being the 'chestnut horse' (栗毛) that carries you.

• 昔むかしの旅たび人びとは膝ひざ栗くり毛げで江え戸どから京きょう都とまで歩あるいた。

  Travelers in the old days walked from Edo to Kyoto on foot.

• 膝ひざ栗くり毛げで山やま道みちをゆくのも悪わるくない。

  It's not bad to go along the mountain path on foot.