往年

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 往年 is read as おうねん and is a noun for bygone years, especially a former period when a person or thing was prominent.
• Basic usage: Use 往年の名選手 for a person famous in years past and 往年の人気 for an object's former popularity.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Difference from a general past
  • Unlike broad 昔, it often evokes a heyday or a period of former renown.
• Distance from the present
  • 往年の does not say that the same fame continues now; it locates the prominence in earlier years.