Microsoft Teams: https://go.um.edu.mo/rx3pei7o   Abstract Properties inscribed under the UNESCO World Heritage Convention face a persistent ethical challenge: reconciling internationally mandated conservation standards with diverse cultural ontologies. This article explores this tension through a comparative analysis of Japan’s Hōryū-ji Temple Complex and Norway’s Urnes Stave Church, two wooden religious structures preserved through different methods rooted in distinct cultures. At Hōryū-ji, cyclical reconstruction embodies the Buddhist principle of impermanence, challenging the Venice Charter’s emphasis on material authenticity. Conversely, Urnes prioritises minimal intervention and the preservation of original fabric, reflecting a Nordic ethic of material authenticity that complicates the Nara Document’s focus on living heritage. Drawing on Wittgenstein’s concept of “family resemblances” and François Jullien’s critique of homogenized universality, this paper underlines […]