Katsura Fencing       This fence, made of living bamboo, has been skillfully woven together by Japanese gardeners in such a way as to appear to have grown into this shape on its own.  It is the first thing one sees in approaching Katsura and serves as an ideal introduction to some of the design principles that will be observed throughout the compound. Note how the natural look of the bamboo is retained while gently nudging it into the shape of a fence.  There is a distinct harmony between the natural and the artificial.  This is unlike what one would find in most western Estates, where the trees are all forced into artificial patters.  The western gardener often attempted to dominate and control nature.  The Japanese gardener wanted to conform, or at least seem to conform with nature.  Structures such as this bamboo fence, commonly referred to as Katsura Fencing, display the subtle artistry of the Japanese designer who did not take a natural form and bend it to his will, but rather, almost created a form of nature that complimented his aesthetic ideals.  The final result being a flawless blending of the natural with the artificial that is at times so perfect as to make it difficult to determine where one might end and the other begin.
 

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