noun
twenty years
Archaic term for a period of twenty years. In modern Japanese, 二十年 (にじゅうねん) is the standard expression.
古い和歌に「はたとせ」という表現が使われている。
The expression 'hatatose' is used in old waka poetry.
The modern standard word for 'twenty years'. はたとせ is its archaic equivalent.
Derived from はた (twenty) + とせ (years, counter for years). The exact historical derivation of はた is uncertain, but it is an old native Japanese numeral.