Thanks for those keywords, Jay! Most references I find to Japanese joinery are the elaborate temple-style stuff, which isn't very practical for a pedestrian job like a house (or very easy to understand, for that matter). This stuff seems more ground-level from what I can see.

I also think I understand what you describe as far as flexibility. Many of these joints seem arranged so as to be at their most flexible when in the 'nominal' position (like a horizontal beam passing through a mortise --Nuki, right?-- which is most 'loose' while the structure is square, but will react with a fairly strong moment as the structure flexes. True locked-in triangular braces will only flex as much as the wood fibers in compression/tension (i.e. not much). I can see how one is good for dealing with earthquakes, but one may be better at resisting heavy snow loads or high winds without deformation (i.e. damage to infill or windows).

Almost seems like the difference between ye olde school riveted bar steel truss structures vs. more modern welded-beam forms; one is a heck of a lot 'looser' than the other, though both are capable of being plenty strong, and standing up straight (and lasting a good long time)

This is central Texas, though, so seismic concerns are, well, less of concern than in the Ring of Fire (or Oklahoma these days, for that matter). There's a big fault here, but it's pretty stable and expected to remain so. The real issue is drought moving soil around beneath a foundation, but that's more on the foundation that the walls to deal with correctly.

I did notice a long diagonal stiffening frame in many of the structures linked, which is at least visually similar to the Germanic forms and reminiscent of what I posted above. However, it is hard to see exactly how/where it attaches; it looks to jut straight into the corner between post & lintel. Are these usually fitted to the horizontal plate, or into the post beneath the plate joint (or both)? It would seem that terminating the diagonals on either side to a splice put through the post would be a sort of best of both worlds.

I'll also look into Spaniard timber framing schemes a bit; I didn't realize they had a unique tradition of their own (as opposed to borrowed French or Moorish forms). When I traveled to the mid/western portion years ago, it seemed that sand stone was the preferred material, even down to melted-looking ruins of ancient farm huts out in the country. Granted, tall straight trees were uncommon vs oaks, there weren't many of either, and sand stone is pretty easy stuff to quarry & shape into block. Spain's a big place, and I'm sure the more North/Eastern portions are into timber.

Any keywords I should home in on?

TCB