As well as displaying the Japanese preference towards blending different textures and forms, this gate also displays the concept of framing.  The walls of the gate form something which resembles a picture frame and makes somewhat of a painting out of what can be seen within the frame.  This tendency to create painting like images out of landscape, or more accurately, the way landscape painting influenced garden creation will be seen again in the rest of Katsura and was/is a popular Japanese design tool.  This effect also serves to draw and entice the viewer towards the gate and give them the sensation that they are not merely walking through a door, but entering into a new world; a type of "through the looking glass" experience, if you will.  In this case, the area beyond the gate is called the "Tiger Veranda" because it has a wooden door on which there is a painting of a tiger, attributed to Kanô Eitoku.