ryōanjigaki 龍安寺垣

A type of bamboo fence used at Ryōanji 龍安寺, a Zen temple in Kyoto. It is characterized by thick split bamboo that cross diagonally to form a diamond pattern. These are secured by a base made of two heavy split bamboo pieces and a top rail of split bamboo that has a larger diameter than the cross-members. The rail is crowned with a coping of heavy split bamboo. The fence height varies from between 45.5 cm to 90 cm. The bamboo used is a common type called madake 真竹.