Lit. Chinese fence. Also written 韓垣 meaning a Korean
fence.
1 A generic name for an ancient garden fence composed of stalks of
rushes or bamboo, stems of ivy or bushes woven together. The fence is mentioned
in the NIHON SHOKI 日本書紀 (8c.), causing some scholars to conclude
that it already existed in the Kofun period. The KAOKUZAKKOU
家屋雑考 (1842) states that this type of fence was copied from a Korean fence.
According to the GENPEI SEISUIKI 源平盛衰記 (mid-Kamakura period), the
karagaki is weak and easily damaged by storms and heavy wind. In
the AKI NO YONAGA MONOGATARI 秋の夜長物語 (early Muromchi period)
the characters 韓垣 karagaki were used, but in the TAIHEIKI
太平記 (14c), the fence is identified with the commonly used 唐垣 characters
meaning literally Chinese or beautiful fence.
2 A white-wall fence, shirokabe-no- hei 白壁の塀, dating from
the early Medieval period.
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