How to Read “Going to Edo on your knees”
Hizagashira de Edo e iku
Meaning of “Going to Edo on your knees”
“Going to Edo on your knees” means saving money to achieve your goal by traveling on foot instead of spending money on transportation.
It also describes a simple, frugal journey without spending much money.
This proverb is used when someone achieves a big goal through frugality rather than luxury.
Even when easier options like palanquins or horses were available, choosing to walk on your own feet showed a commitment to avoiding wasteful spending.
It represents the attitude of saving money for what truly matters.
Today, people rarely walk long distances anymore. But the essence of this proverb remains unchanged.
It means achieving big goals by accumulating small daily savings, or proceeding simply without luxury.
People especially use this expression to praise someone who eliminates waste and proceeds steadily toward their goal.
Origin and Etymology
The exact origin of this proverb in historical texts is unclear.
However, it likely emerged from the reality of common people’s travel during the Edo period.
In the Edo period, traveling to Edo was a major event for ordinary people.
Walking was the basic means of transportation back then. Palanquins and horses made travel easier, but their cost was a heavy burden for common folk.
So many people walked to Edo on their own feet.
The word “knees” was likely chosen as a symbol of walking.
Walking long distances makes your knees hurt. Your knees tell the story of the journey’s hardship.
The phrase captures the meaning of using your own knees to walk rather than relying on vehicles.
Travel in the Edo period had organized post stations, like the famous Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido.
But lodging and meals still cost money. Wealthy merchants traveled elegantly in palanquins.
Common people chose to walk to save every penny they could. This practical choice became established as a proverb expressing the spirit of frugality.
For people of that time, walking wasn’t just a symbol of poverty.
It was also a wise choice for achieving their purpose. That spirit is condensed in this proverb.
Usage Examples
- To save money for studying abroad, I’m going to Edo on my knees by making my own lunch every day
- For our honeymoon, we went to Edo on our knees, staying at cheap inns and creating memories
Universal Wisdom
The proverb “Going to Edo on your knees” contains essential wisdom about human goal achievement.
It represents a timeless value: prioritizing purpose over means.
Everyone has the desire to choose the easy path. But at the same time, everyone also wants to obtain something precious or achieve something meaningful.
When these two desires conflict, people face a choice. Do you take immediate comfort, or do you take the bigger future goal?
This proverb has been passed down through generations because many people have experienced this conflict.
They’ve realized the value of choosing frugality. Using easier means certainly brings comfort.
But if that causes you to give up the goal itself, you’ve missed the point entirely.
Our ancestors understood that to obtain what truly matters, you must accept inconvenience and hardship along the way.
Looking deeper, this proverb also expresses the human spirit of creativity and resourcefulness.
It’s the power to find ways to achieve goals with limited resources.
This isn’t mere stinginess. It’s the wisdom to clarify priorities and focus on what’s truly valuable.
Perhaps this wisdom was one of the driving forces that helped humanity overcome difficulties and develop.
When AI Hears This
A person trying to go to Edo on their knees is actually only adjusting one parameter: “amount of effort.”
Donella Meadows, founder of systems thinking, classified intervention effects into 12 levels.
Parameter adjustment ranks as the least effective at number 12.
In other words, increasing only effort without changing the “system structure” of transportation methods won’t dramatically improve efficiency.
What’s interesting is that the human brain tends to focus on “visible variables.”
Distance traveled on knees is measurable. You can see progress with each step.
So people think “if I just try harder.” But the truly effective leverage point is changing the transportation method itself—the system structure.
Switching to walking increases speed tenfold. Using a horse makes it fifty times faster.
The same phenomenon happens in modern companies. For example, responding to labor shortages by “increasing overtime hours” or “hiring more people” is merely parameter adjustment.
They should really intervene at higher leverage points like automating business processes or redesigning organizational structure.
The essence of this proverb isn’t denying effort. It’s about the “direction of effort.”
Effort that only increases quantity without reviewing system structure creates the same inefficiency as trying to reach Edo on your knees.
Lessons for Today
This proverb teaches modern people the importance of discerning what truly matters.
Modern society overflows with convenience and comfort. Products arrive with one click.
Comfortable transportation is readily available. But as payment for that convenience, we spend much money and time.
If you seek convenience in everything, you might not have resources left for the dreams and goals you truly want to achieve.
What matters is judging what to prioritize. By giving up small daily luxuries a little, you can obtain great future joy.
This isn’t just a money-saving technique. It’s a way of life that clarifies your priorities.
Do you have a goal you absolutely want to achieve right now?
If so, try having the resolve to go to Edo on your knees toward that goal.
Small inconveniences along the way are trivial compared to the joy of achieving your goal.
And the path you walked step by step with your own power will bring you far greater satisfaction and confidence than any path someone else carried you along.
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