banchi ばん池

Also called hanchi 畔池 written with the character ばん池, to indicate a 'halved pond.' Lit. levee pond. A type of garden pond divided into halves by a bridge, and often a central island, nakajima 中島. Banchi are often used in temple gardens, placed between the gate and the main hall to provide a symbolic approach over water. Large-scale banchi with wooden bridges and earthen islands are found at Mōtsūji 毛越寺 in Iwate Prefecture, and Eihōji 永保寺 in Gifu Prefecture. More common are the smaller banchi with stone bridges traversing shallow tanks as found at Myōshinji 妙心寺 and Tenryūji 天龍寺 in Kyoto. Banchi, likely Chinese in origin, were introduced to Japan in the Heian period.