日本の建築は寿命が短いが、これは木造自体の耐久性から決まるのではない。木造建築でも百年や二百年は持つ。千年以上持たせることも可能である。しかし、構造部材（注1）のメンテナンスが必要なので耐久性を考えると大材（注2）を用いたほうが良い。しかし、城郭（注3）や宮殿、館、寺院仏閣（注4）の類でないとなかなか大材を用いることができない。入手も難しいし加工にも手間暇（注5）がかかる。また、一般的に木造建築は火事や地震で失われることも少なくない。
日本人は白木の新しい建物を愛したが、時が経つと木の表面が黒ずんでくる。そこで、余裕がある者は、地震や火災に遭った時は勿論、ある程度老朽化してくると建て直し、周囲はその建て主のことを「甲斐性がある」（注6）といって褒め称えた。しかし、建て直すと言っても、大まかにいえばもとと同じものが建つ。勿論少し大きくなったり小さくなったり間取りが変わったりするが見た目に大差がない。そこで、街並みや風景は長期にわたって維持される。しかも木材はリユース（注7）、リサイクルされた。
これは、日本独特の更新の文化と呼んでも良い。この典型が伊勢神宮である。二十年ごとに隣合う敷地に交互に建て直されるが、建てられるものは全く同じである。建物を更新するためには、木材が必要であり、樹木も植林によって更新される。若木のほうが二酸化炭素の吸収能力が優れているから、若木への更新は環境上も評価できる。同時に職人技術も更新される。更新は環境に優しく、人々に仕事を与え、ゆっくりとした変化をもたらす木の国の優れた文化である。
（小西敏正『平成日本らしき宣言』による）
（注1）構造部材：建物に加わる力を支える材料（例えば、柱）
（注2）大材：ここでは、長期の使用に耐える大きな木材
（注3）城郭：城とその外側の囲い
（注4）仏閣：寺の建物
（注5）手間暇：労力と時間
（注6）甲斐性がある：ここでは、何かを行う経済力があって立派だ
（注7）リユース：再使用
AI translation, cross-checked between two models.
Japanese buildings have short lifespans, but this is not determined by the durability of wooden construction itself. Even wooden buildings can last for one or two hundred years. It is even possible to make them last for more than a thousand years. However, because structural components require maintenance, it is better from the standpoint of durability to use large timbers.（注1）（注2） Yet unless the building is something like a castle, palace, mansion, temple, or shrine, it is difficult to use such large timbers.（注3）（注4） Such timber is difficult to obtain and also requires a great deal of time and effort to process.（注5） In addition, wooden buildings are quite often lost to fires and earthquakes.
Japanese people loved new buildings with fresh, unfinished wood, but as time passed, the surface of the wood would darken. Thus, those who could afford it would rebuild not only after an earthquake or fire but also when the building had deteriorated to a certain extent, and the people around them would praise the owner as being “capable and well provided for.”（注6） Yet even though it was rebuilt, broadly speaking, what was constructed was essentially the same as before. Of course, it might be slightly larger or smaller, or the floor plan might change, but there was little difference in outward appearance. As a result, streetscapes and scenery were preserved over long periods. Moreover, the timber was reused and recycled.（注7）
This could be called a uniquely Japanese culture of renewal. A typical example is Ise Jingu. Every twenty years, it is rebuilt alternately on adjacent sites, but what is constructed is exactly the same. Renewing the buildings requires timber, and the trees themselves are also renewed through reforestation. Because younger trees have a greater capacity to absorb carbon dioxide, renewing forests with young trees can also be viewed positively from an environmental standpoint. At the same time, the skills of craftsmen are renewed as well. Renewal is an excellent culture of this land of wood: it is environmentally friendly, provides people with work, and brings about gradual change.
(From Konishi Toshimasa, “A Declaration of Heisei-Style Japan”)
(Note 1) Structural component: a material that supports forces acting on a building, such as a pillar
(Note 2) Large timber: here, large pieces of wood capable of withstanding long-term use
(Note 3) Castle complex: a castle and the enclosure surrounding it
(Note 4) Buddhist temple building: a building within a temple
(Note 5) Time and effort: labor and time
(Note 6) Capable and well provided for: here, admirable for having the financial means to carry something out
(Note 7) Reuse: using something again
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