Boar fence | Deer fence - Shishigaki

Japanese: 猪垣∥鹿垣 - ししがき

"Shishi" is a general term for large animals whose meat is edible, and since deer and wild boar are representative of such animals, it can refer to either of them. This term refers to facilities that enclose cultivated land with wooden fences, earthworks, stone walls, etc. to prevent the intrusion of wild animals in order to prevent them from eating crops. In mountain villages along the Tenryu River, they were called shishi-gaki, shishi-wachi, shishi-yoke, etc. It seems that facilities to enclose individual cultivated land were already in place in the Middle Ages, but the movement of many villages uniting to defend vast areas and working together to build boar fences became popular from around the middle of the Edo period, from the Kyoho to Horeki era (mid-18th century).

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

〈しし〉は，その動物の肉が食用となる大型獣の総称で，シカとイノシシとはそのような野獣の代表であるから，いずれを指している場合もありうる。これら野獣の農作物食害を防ぐ目的で耕地の周囲を木柵，土塁，石垣などによって囲み，それら野獣の侵入を妨げる設備をこの呼称でよぶ。天竜川流域の山村では，シシガキのほか，シシワチ，シシヨケなどともよんでいた。個々の耕地を囲む設備はすでに中世ころから行われたらしいが，広大な地域を多くの村落が連合して防御しようとして，協力して猪垣を築設するという動きは，江戸時代の中期享保～宝暦(18世紀中期)ころから盛んになる。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

<<: Shishigashira - Shishigashira

>>: Deer Dance - Shishiodori