white sandbar; white sandbank
A natural geographical feature: a sandbar or sandbank with white sand, often found in rivers or coastal areas.
A beautiful white sandbar stretches out at the river mouth.
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.
We sprinkle water on the white pebble area at the entrance to cool down.
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.
White gravel is laid between the Noh stage and the audience seats.
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
I've seen scenes of the white sand court in period dramas.
Edo-period court of law with white sand
Standard kanji spelling; used in news and common contexts.
Variant kanji spelling; less common but still encountered.
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.