In the sixth century, architectural techniques came from China to Japan. The Chinese built braces by piling a number of small wooden members between posts and beams to give strength against wind and earthquakes. The system, though, was much too bulky for use in residential buildings. The braces were used only in large temples and pagodas. The design of such a pliant structure demonstrates the Japanese attitude toward nature.
Most Western architecture is of a rigid-structure type in which braces provide reinforcement.
Japanese buildings, operating on the principle that it is better to bend with the wind than break, use a structure that moves with the forces of nature.