Keywords
Architecture
Gardens
A cascade. A type of garden waterfall in which the water falls at a 90 degree angle. One common type of baku is the dragon's gate cascade *ryūmonbaku 竜門瀑. The character baku 瀑 means violent water, and this type of cascade is distinguished from the more gentle taki 滝 in which the water curves smoothly like the body of a dragon. The two terms, Chinese in origin, were soon confused in Japan, with steep baku cascades often referred to as taki.