noun
white sandbar; white sandbank
A natural geographical feature: a sandbar or sandbank with white sand, often found in rivers or coastal areas.
河口に美しい白州が広がっている。
A beautiful white sandbar stretches out at the river mouth.
noun
white sand or pebble area in a garden or entrance
Refers to a traditional Japanese garden feature or the entrance area of a house covered with white sand or small pebbles, often for aesthetic or practical purposes.
玄関先の白州に水を打って涼をとる。
We sprinkle water on the white pebble area at the entrance to cool down.
noun
gravel area separating a noh stage from the audience
In Noh theater, the white gravel space between the stage and the audience seating; also called 白洲 in this context.
能舞台と客席の間には白州が敷かれている。
White gravel is laid between the Noh stage and the audience seats.
noun
Edo-period court of law with white sand
Archaic term for a courtroom in the Edo period where litigants sat on white sand; often referred to as お白州.
See also: お白州
時代劇でお白州の場面を見たことがある。
I've seen scenes of the white sand court in period dramas.
Compound of 白 (しら, 'white') and 州 (す, 'sandbank' or 'shoal'). The kanji 州 originally means a sandbank in a river, and by extension came to refer to areas covered with white sand or pebbles in various contexts.