A semicircular arched stone bridge of Chinese origin. The name was originally written with Chinese characters (偃月, read engetsu in Japanese) meaning "half moon," but these are sometimes replaced with the characters for "full moon" (円月, having the same Japanese pronunciation), as the bridge forms a full moon in combination with its reflection in the water. It was introduced into the Japanese garden in the Edo period. The one in Kōrakuen garden at Koishikawa in Tokyo is well known.
Japanese Garden Dictionary: A Glossary for Japanese Gardens and Their History
(C) 2010 by Ono Kenkichi and Walter Edwards. All rights reserved.
