commentary: 飛脚 (hikyaku)

Hiroi Michiaki:        This is, um, called a courier—what do you say nowadays? A postal [worker.] Umm, he takes letters and such.

Janell Landis:        Ahh, yes yes yes. Mm. Mm.

Hiroi:         He holds [his bag] here, and in the past, everyone walked, so the courier does this, [like] a marathon, in a way. He runs off going like this, and delivers [his letters] in various post stations in turn, and goes everywhere in Japan. A postal worker of the old days. When you turn this [part] these legs swing. Then it looks like running legs.

Janell:          Yes yes yes. When you spin it.

Hiroi:          And it spins around here.

***

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