Metochion of the Russian Orthodox Church in Tokyo. Where should an Orthodox believer go in Tokyo? The Japanese and Orthodoxy
The first seeds of faith on Japanese soil were sown by hieromonk (later archbishop) Nikolai (Kasatkin), who came to Japan in 1861 as rector of the church at the Russian consulate in Hakodate.
For more than 50 years, Saint Nicholas worked in Japan in the field of Christ, enlightening the Japanese with the light of Truth. His services as the founder and first Primate of the Japanese Orthodox Church are widely known not only in Japan and Russia, but throughout the world.
The blessed death of Archbishop Nicholas followed on February 16, 1912, and in 1970 he was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church with the title “equal to the apostles.”
Archbishop Nicholas was succeeded by Metropolitan Sergius (Tikhomirov), who was sent to Japan by the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1908. The fate of Metropolitan Sergius was full of sorrows: in 1940, in connection with the entry into force of the “Law on Religious Organizations”, according to which foreigners could not stand at the head of a religious organization, he was removed from the post of Primate of the Japanese Orthodox Church, and a few months before his His death, which followed on August 10, 1945, Metropolitan Sergius was accused of espionage by the Japanese authorities without any reason and spent about a month in prison.
In November 1946, the Moscow Patriarchate sent two bishops to Japan, but the headquarters of the occupation forces under the command of General MacArthur did not want to let them into Japan and invited a bishop from the American Metropolis.
A group of clergy and laity who disagreed with this separated from Nikolai’s group and created a separate “True Orthodox Church,” headed by Bishop Nikolai Ono and Archpriest Anthony Takai.
There were very few believers in this small Church, but its pride was that it still considered the Russian Orthodox Church to be its Mother Church and kept the Rules of the Church and Sacred Tradition intact.
On September 30, 1957, the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church at its meeting officially recognized this Church as the true Japanese Orthodox Church. It was also decided that it is the successor to the Japanese Orthodox Church, founded by Archbishop Nicholas.
At first, the prayer room of this Church was located on the territory of Nikolai-do (the former Russian school was converted into it), and later it was moved to a separate building in the Shinjuku area. Protopresbyter Anthony Takai became the head of the Church. In 1965, he died at an old age, and his successor was Archbishop (at that time a priest) Nikolai Sayama, who on December 10, 1967 in Leningrad was ordained Bishop of Tokyo and Japan and declared the third Primate of the Japanese Orthodox Church.
In April 1970, the Nikolai-do group returned to the jurisdiction of the Russian Mother Church and began its existence as the Holy Autonomous Japanese Orthodox Church. Bishop Vladimir was appointed Bishop of Tokyo and Japan. Thus, complete reconciliation took place between the two Churches.
In connection with this, by the decision of the Holy Synod, in April 1970, a new stage of activity began for the Japanese Orthodox Church, governed by Bishop Nikolai Sayama, now as a Metochion of the Russian Orthodox Church. Bishop Nikolai Sayama was relieved of his duties as Primate of the Japanese Orthodox Church and Head of the Japanese Mission and appointed rector of the Compound.
May 22, 1979, on the day of the Transfer of the Relics of St. St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, the Compound was registered as a religious legal entity with a change in name from the “Japanese Orthodox Church” to the “Compound of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate in Japan.”
Since July 1991, the rector of the Compound is Archpriest Nikolai Katsuban.
The metochion of the Moscow Patriarchate in Tokyo is the representative office of the Russian Orthodox Church in Japan. Its tasks include the spiritual care of Russian believers who, by the will of fate, find themselves in Japan, and those Orthodox Christians from different countries who are parishioners of the metochion. The functions of the metochion include information intermediation between the Russian Orthodox Church and other Churches, religious communities, public organizations in Japan, as well as organizing pilgrimages of Japanese believers to Russia. Currently, the rector of the metochion maintains close contacts with the Japanese Autonomous Orthodox Church, once a month he concelebrates with the Metropolitan of Tokyo and takes an active part in various events held by the Japanese Church. The monastery is engaged in educational activities only on the territory of the monastery itself and its branches.
Story
The Patriarchal metochion in Japan originates from the Japanese parishes that were under the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate during the separation of the Japanese Orthodox flock between and the year.
Although the majority of Japanese Orthodox accepted Bishop Benjamin (Basalyga) from America at the beginning of the year and entered the jurisdiction of the “American Metropolis,” the few who remained faithful to the Moscow Patriarchate organized True Orthodox Church of Japan and were headed by Bishop Nicholas (Ono) and Archpriest Anthony Takai. On April 24 of the year, Bishop Nicholas and most of the clergy also came under the jurisdiction of the American Metropolis, after which Father Anthony took charge of the remaining parishes.
Following the visit to Japan by Bishop Juvenal of Zaraisk in September-October of the year, on October 7 of that year the Holy Synod decided to transform the deanery into Orthodox spiritual mission in Japan. Archpastoral care remained with Bishop Juvenaly, but at the same time, on December 10 of that year, Father Nicholas (Sayama) was ordained Bishop of Tokyo and Japan and declared the third primate of the Japanese Orthodox Church.
Abbots
- earlier see the section on the primates of the Japanese Church
- Nicholas (Sayama) (April 10, 1970 - July 29, 1986) bishop. Mozhaisky
- Nikolay Dmitriev (July 29, 1986 - February 26, 1987)
- Arkady Tyshchuk (February 26, 1987 - October 25, 1990)
- Nikolai Katsyuban (since July 1991) prot.
The first seeds of faith on Japanese soil were sown by the hieromonk (later archbishop) Nikolai(Kasatkin), who came to Japan in 1861 as rector of the church at the Russian Consulate in Hakodate.
For more than 50 years, Saint Nicholas worked in Japan in the field of Christ, enlightening the Japanese with the light of Truth. His services as the founder and first Primate of the Japanese Orthodox Church are widely known not only in Japan and Russia, but throughout the world.
The blessed death of Archbishop Nicholas followed February 16, 1912, A in 1970 he was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church with the title “equal to the apostles.”
The Metropolitan became the successor of Archbishop Nicholas Sergius(Tikhomirov), who was sent to Japan by the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1908. The fate of Metropolitan Sergius was filled with sorrows: in 1940, in connection with the entry into force of the “Law on Religious Organizations”, according to which foreigners could not stand at the head of a religious organization, he was removed from the post of Primate of the Japanese Orthodox Church, and a few months before his death, which followed August 10, 1945, Metropolitan Sergius was accused of espionage by the Japanese authorities without any reason and spent about a month in prison.
In November 1946 The Moscow Patriarchate sent two bishops to Japan, but the headquarters of the occupation forces under the command of General MacArthur did not want to let them into Japan and invited a bishop from the American Metropolis.
A group of clergy and laity who disagreed with this separated from the Nikolai group and created a separate “True Orthodox Church”, headed by a bishop Nikolai Ono and archpriest Anthony Takai.
There were very few believers in this small Church, but its pride was that it still considered the Russian Orthodox Church to be its Mother Church and kept the Rules of the Church and Sacred Tradition intact.
September 30, 1957 The Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church at its meeting officially recognized this Church as the true Japanese Orthodox Church. It was also decided that it is the successor to the Japanese Orthodox Church, founded by Archbishop Nicholas.
At first, the prayer room of this Church was located on the territory of Nikolai-do (the former Russian school was converted into it), and later it was moved to a separate building in the Shinjuku area. The head of the Church was the protopresbyter Anthony Takai. In 1965 he died at an old age and was succeeded by the archbishop (at that time a priest) Nikolai Sayama, which December 10, 1967 in Leningrad he was ordained Bishop of Tokyo and Japan and declared the third Primate of the Japanese Orthodox Church.
In April 1970 The Nikolai-do group returned to the jurisdiction of the Russian Mother Church and began its existence as the Holy Autonomous Japanese Orthodox Church. Bishop Vladimir was appointed Bishop of Tokyo and Japan. Thus, complete reconciliation took place between the two Churches.
In this regard, by the decision of the Holy Synod since April 1970 for the Japanese Orthodox Church, led by Bishop Nicholas Sayama, a new stage of activity began, now as Compounds Russian Orthodox Church. Bishop Nikolai Sayama was relieved of his duties as Primate of the Japanese Orthodox Church and Head of the Japanese Mission and appointed rector of the Compound.
May 22, 1979, on the day of the Transfer of the Relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, the Compound was registered as a religious legal entity with the name changed from "Japanese Orthodox Church" to "Metochion of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate in Japan".
Since July 1991, the rector of the Compound is Archpriest Nikolai Katsuban.
Japanese Orthodox Church and Russian Orthodox Church in Japan.
If you inquire about the Orthodox Church in Tokyo, the first thing they will tell you about is the Church of St. Nicholas (or Nikorai-do, as it is called). This temple of Russian-Byzantine architecture of the late 19th century is located on Surugadai Hill at Ochanomizu Station, and stands out sharply from the rest of the buildings, although it cannot be said that it contradicts the surrounding landscape, and one might even say that it blends harmoniously into it. It is impossible not to find it; the signs will lead you straight from the station. Officially called the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ, the temple is the cathedral of the Tokyo diocese, and its primate is the Archbishop of Tokyo, Metropolitan of All Japan Daniel (Ikuo Nushiro). Built at the end of the 19th century by Nicholas of Japan, the first missionary of Orthodoxy to Japan, the temple was destroyed during the Kanto earthquake of 1923 and restored, and now it can be called the main temple of the Japanese Autonomous Orthodox Church. In total, there are 70 Orthodox churches and about 36 thousand Orthodox believers in Japan. Services in the Church of St. Nicholas are held strictly according to schedule and in accordance with Orthodox customs. However, anyone can attend the liturgy, regardless of nationality and religion.
How is the service conducted in the Japanese Orthodox Church and is it very different from the service in the Russian one? Let's try to describe this using the example of the Church of St. Nicholas in Tokyo.
It should be noted that the difference is evident immediately upon entering the temple. And not just in the eyes. The interior decoration of a huge temple with white walls with a relatively small number of icons (which is already unusual) dazzles with the brilliance of golden frames, grandeur and splendor, the chairs arranged in rows involuntarily remind of the Catholic Church, the candles seem not quite the “right” size and also smell something “ wrong". In a word, the atmosphere in the temple is different. If we can talk about an “Orthodox atmosphere,” then it is quite Orthodox (except for the fact that half of the parishioners do not cover their heads, and some come in trousers), but it is different. This is the specific atmosphere of the Japanese Orthodox Church. The parishioners are mostly Japanese. Among the attendants, only one Russian face could be seen. In addition to Japanese and Russian parishioners, believers from Africa and Arab countries also attend the service.
The large choir consists of Japanese and stands, as expected, in the right front part of the church, in front of a huge music stand and under the direction of a conductor. He sings harmoniously and harmoniously, which is further emphasized by the excellent acoustics of the temple. The singing of the church ministers from the altar, as if in response to the choir, also sounds amazingly beautiful.
The service follows the established order, with reading of the Bible in Japanese (which, by the way, is distributed in Russian), with joint prayers and a sermon at the end. With the exception of small inserts, everything happens in Japanese, which became possible thanks to Nicholas of Japan, who translated most of the texts into Japanese, which is as correlated with modern as modern Russian is with Old Church Slavonic. Despite the fact that there are chairs in the church, no one sits on them during the service. Before the service begins, Archbishop Daniel is vested in the central part of the church while the choir sings.
The service leaves a bright and joyful feeling, as it should be, but does not leave a feeling of some alienation. Maybe because the service is in Japanese, maybe the slightly different environment influences this. Be that as it may, there is no need to be upset, because in Tokyo there is also a Russian Orthodox Church, preserved without any changes. It is called the Compound of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate in Japan and is located in the northern part of central Tokyo in a quiet side street. The church does not have its own premises, and it huddles in a building provided by the Russian Embassy in Japan. 
In this church you can meet mainly Russian parishioners, because this is a Russian Orthodox Church, only in Japan, and its rector is also Russian - Archpriest Nikolai Katsuban, who maintains active cooperation with the Japanese Orthodox Church. The main activity of the Compound is aimed at our compatriots - Orthodox believers, temporarily or permanently residing in Japan. The church carries out educational activities only within its own borders, and as a representative of the Russian Orthodox Church in Japan, the Compound carries out information intermediation between the Russian Orthodox Church and other Churches, religious communities, public organizations in Japan, as well as organizing pilgrimages of Japanese believers to Russia. The metochion originated from Japanese parishes administered by the Moscow Patriarchate during the formation of the Orthodox Church in Japan.
At first glance, it is difficult to make out that this is a church: a small house, a very ordinary gate, no domes in sight. But then you notice that there is a cross above the entrance, that compatriots are crowding around, a women’s choir is quietly practicing chants, and when you go inside, you immediately understand: here it is, that same atmosphere, and the candles are the right size, and that smell, and the icons seem to be more familiar. The atmosphere in this small church can be said to be homely: the priest knows all the parishioners by name, and the parishioners know each other, actively participate in the life of the church and sing in the choir, headed by two Japanese women, who, however, speak and sing in Russian . The service is held in Russian with small Japanese inserts. The clergy are both Russian and Japanese, while the Japanese priest freely reads sermons in Russian. The metochion collects money for the construction of the temple: after all, a church should be a church not only inside, but also outside, even if it is on foreign soil.
So the Japanese Orthodox Church and the Russian Orthodox Church in Japan are two different institutions, which, however, cooperate and participate in joint events. God willing, our church will soon build a worthy church and unite even more Russian Orthodox believers who are cut off from home.
Nikolai-do (lit. "Nicholas Temple") - the Orthodox Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ, is one of the most famous attractions of Tokyo.
Not a single local guide will fail to draw the attention of his companions to the greenish dome, which differs from the usual examples of traditional Japanese architecture, but nevertheless fits perfectly into the urban landscape of the Japanese capital.
Link to St. Nikolai is understandable. After all, both the very idea of building this Orthodox church in Tokyo and the concerns of putting it into practice are connected with St. Nicholas (in the world Ivan Dmitrievich Kasatkin), who headed at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries. Russian spiritual mission in Japan.
Father Nikolai looked around, and then, having collected the necessary amount, bought a plot of land on the top of the Suruga-dai hill in the Kanda region. There, during the Middle Ages, there was a fire tower, which also served as a kind of lighthouse for ships entering the port of Edo. It was decided to build an Orthodox cathedral on this hill.
The initial sketch of the future temple was developed by the famous St. Petersburg architect, professor A. Shchurupov (1815–1900). It was his idea to build a building resembling a Greek cross in plan, but with domes in the Byzantine style.
However, it was up to someone else to translate the idea into stone and metal. Construction was entrusted to the English architect Joshua Conder (1852–1920), who erected more than 50 buildings in Tokyo between 1878 and 1907. Thus, he was the author of the construction of the Tokyo Imperial Museum (1881), the Rokumeikan Palace (1883), and the building of the Maritime Ministry (1895). And in 1891, Conder presented Archbishop Nicholas with the keys to the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ.
Brick walls surrounded the interior space of the temple of 805 square meters. m. The dome was lined with copper sheets, which over time, having oxidized, lost their original shine and acquired a greenish tint.
Alas, the St. Nicholas Cathedral has not been preserved in its original form. In 1923, the building was seriously damaged by a devastating earthquake. By 1929, the temple was restored by the Japanese builder Shinichiro Okada, who could not resist and made some adjustments to the original appearance of the cathedral. Changes affected the dome, bell tower and part of the interior, but in general the temple retained much of A. Shchurupov’s original ideas.
The Church of the Resurrection of Christ is the cathedral of the autonomous Japanese Orthodox Church, part of the Moscow Patriarchate. The temple has the official status of an important cultural monument of the Japanese state
Now Nikolai-do is somewhat lost among the tall buildings built in recent years in the center of Tokyo. But the place successfully chosen by St. Nicholas allows him to still majestically flaunt over the surrounding area, attracting the views of passers-by and the hearts of believers.