Ask John: What Is the Bamboo Water Fountain Often Seen in Anime?

Question:
I’ve noticed over & over in many different anime series that they show, in someone’s backyard, a little bamboo stick which is placed in a stream of water; water enters one side of the stick, moves across it creating a see-saw effect and that clacking noise. What’s the significance of this? Is it simply a transition image?

Answer:
The bamboo stick that fills with water until it tips over is called a “shishi odoshi” (deer surpriser). Traditionally it’s a type of scarecrow. The sound of the water filled bamboo tipping over and hitting a stone was supposed to scare off deer and other wild animals, preventing them from eating the vegetation surrounding a Japanese home or garden. The modern shikaodoshi is intended to summon an image of tranquility. In anime, it’s simply used as a transitional image.