The meaning of the Japanese metochion of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Orthodox encyclopedia tree. Metochion of the Russian Orthodox Church in Japan Metochion of the Russian Orthodox Church in Tokyo
According to the diplomat, the victims now need support, “because what is happening here cannot be described in words.”
N. Smirnov was one of the consulate employees sent to the area most affected by the disaster - Miyagi Prefecture - to find out the fate of Russian citizens. As of March 15, only one Russian citizen was injured as a result of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. This is a member of the crew of a fishing boat that ran aground in the port of Ofunato. “Everything is fine with him, he has already undergone a medical examination and was taken to Vladivostok,” the vice-consul said.
The northeastern part of Japan suffered the most as a result of the earthquake. A number of churches in the Sendai diocese of the Japanese Autonomous Orthodox Church suffered significant damage. The Orthodox Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the village of Yamada (Iwate Prefecture) was destroyed. N. Smirnov said that he contacted the rector of the temple by phone. In response to the offer of humanitarian aid, the rector said that the parishioners were provided with everything they needed. As for the Russian community of the village, everyone who wished to evacuate left the village using the transport corridor organized by the embassy. In general, the village, according to the consulate employee, is a disaster zone: there are rubbles everywhere, there are interruptions in the supply of food, and there is no electricity supply.
The consulate staff does not have accurate information about the situation in the city of Ishinomaki, where the wooden church in the name of John the Evangelist could have been damaged. Due to communication problems, it took more than four days just to search for Russian citizens in this city.
According to the rector of the metochion of the Russian Orthodox Church in Tokyo, Archpriest Nikolai Katsuban, churches in the Japanese capital were not damaged. He also noted that the fate of one parish of the Japanese Autonomous Orthodox Church in the Sendai diocese, and one priest, the rector of the temple in Ishinomaki, Priest Vasily Taguchi, remains unknown, with whom it is not yet possible to establish contact. There is no exact information yet about lay casualties.
Bishop Seraphim of Sendai said in a letter to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill yesterday that he also does not have accurate information about the casualties among parishioners. “Despite the fact that aid is being sent to the victims from all over the country, the full picture of what happened is still unclear due to the fact that roads and telecommunication networks have been destroyed,” Bishop Seraphim noted.
The distance from Sendai to Tokyo is about 300 kilometers. On the first day, according to Father Nikolai Katsuban, transport in Tokyo was also paralyzed and there was no electricity. “The city has provided schools for overnight accommodation for those who come to work from other cities. Now everything is more or less getting better, but there is still no gasoline at gas stations, and the electricity goes out for 3-4 hours every day. Today, background radiation in Tokyo is 8-10 times higher than normal. In this regard, citizens were asked not to leave their homes and to do wet cleaning at home. If anyone goes outside, they wear hats and protective masks. When entering the house, shoes and outerwear are left outside,” said Father Nikolai Katsuban.
He added that on March 16, the Patriarchal Compound in Japan opens its accounts to raise funds to provide assistance to the victims. All money collected will be transferred to an account specially opened by the Japanese government to collect aid. Father Nikolai was contacted from the Vladivostok diocese, where, on behalf of the ruling bishop, a certain amount has already been collected to help the victims.
When asked what kind of help the victims need, Father Nikolai replied that local television is distributing information about collecting funds, and it is noted that clothes and other things are not required.
The Synodal Department for Church Charity and Social Service is collecting funds and has opened accounts to transfer donations for victims in Japan.
His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' sent condolences to the leadership of Japan and the Hierarchy of the Japanese Orthodox Church, who also expressed hope that “Russia’s participation in providing assistance to Japan” could contribute to the reconciliation of our peoples.
An earthquake of magnitude 9.1, the epicenter of which was 373 kilometers northeast of Tokyo. occurred on March 11, which caused a tsunami with a wave height of about ten meters. On March 15, several more powerful earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.0 occurred in the same area. The total number of dead and missing exceeded 10 thousand people, more than 2 thousand were injured. After the earthquake, due to the failure of cooling systems, an emergency regime was introduced at the Fukushima-1 and Fukushima-2 nuclear power plants located in the affected area. Since Saturday, explosions have occurred at several power units at the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant. The population within a radius of 20 km from the nuclear power plant was evacuated.
The rector of the metochion of the Russian Orthodox Church in Japan, Archpriest Nikolai Katsuban, answers the questions of a CV correspondent.
- In our memory, the name and missionary works of St. Nicholas (Kasatkin) are firmly connected with Japan. What is the current situation of the Russian Orthodox Church in Japan?
The heir to the missionary works of St. Nicholas and his successor, Metropolitan Sergius (Tikhomirov) on the spiritual enlightenment of Japan is the Autonomous Japanese Orthodox Church. Today, the mission of the representative office of the Russian Orthodox Church in Japan is to spiritually nourish our compatriots who, by the will of fate, find themselves in Japan, and those Orthodox Christians from different countries who are parishioners of the metochion. Our monastery is engaged in educational activities only on the territory of the monastery itself and its branches, which include the monastery of St. Sofia in the village of Matsuo, Chiba Prefecture, chapel in honor of St. Nicholas Equal to the Apostles at the Russian cemetery in Nagasaki and the parish in
Hitachi city. In addition, 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.
- Tell us about the history of the temple in which you serve.
The history of the St. Nicholas Church of the Metochion is as follows. Archbishop Nicholas's successor, Metropolitan Sergius (Tikhomirov), was sent to Japan in 1908. The fate of Metropolitan Sergius was full of sorrows: in 1940, after the adoption in Japan of the “Law on Religious Organizations”, according to which foreigners could not head 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 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 the group of followers of Archbishop Nicholas and created a separate “True Orthodox Church,” headed by Bishop Nicholas 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. 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 1970, complete reconciliation took place between the two groups of Orthodox Christians in Japan and the Autonomous Japanese Orthodox Church was formed. In this regard, by the decision of the Holy Synod, on April 10, 1970, a new stage of activity began for the Japanese Orthodox Church, governed by Bishop Nicholas 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 metochion. Unfortunately, the compound still does not have its own permanent temple and rents territory and premises belonging to the Russian Embassy in Japan for this purpose. 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.” Currently, the rector of the metochion maintains close contacts with the Japanese Autonomous Orthodox Church, once a month he concelebrates with the head of the Japanese Church, Metropolitan Daniel, and takes an active part in various events held by the Japanese Church.
-Who carries out pastoral service with you? Who are your parishioners and how does the community live today?
Pastoral obedience at the metochion is carried out by the clergy Archpriest John Nagaya, Protodeacon Vladimir Tsudzi and Deacon Yakov Nagaya.
The national composition of the parishioners is very diverse - Russians, Japanese, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Greeks, Georgians, Bulgarians, Serbs.
Divine services are regularly held in the church of the metochion: all-night vigils on the eve of Sundays and holidays, Divine liturgies are celebrated on Sundays, on the twelfth holidays and days of especially revered saints. Every Sunday, akathists are read, conversations are held with parishioners, and Orthodox videos are watched together.
- What are the features of pastoral ministry in Japan?
The peculiarities of pastoral service in Japan include the fact that Japan is fundamentally a country in which a materialistic worldview dominates and various sects are very active. Such a difficult situation imposes a special responsibility on the pastor.
- How are your relations with the Japanese, and how do they generally relate to Orthodoxy?
Since the Japanese are very inquisitive, they naturally show interest in Orthodoxy, visit churches, and are interested in the content of services, icons and the history of Orthodoxy. My personal relations with the Japanese are quite friendly. From time to time I speak at meetings held by the Japanese-Russian Friendship Society.
Prepared by Maria Vinogradova
Topic continued on page 11
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.
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.
“Orthodoxy in Japan has Russian roots,” - the vicar of the Vladivostok diocese, Bishop Innokenty of Ussuri, shares his impressions of a recent trip to Japan with the readers of Primorsky Blagovest.
– The trip took place from September 26 to 30, 2014 and was connected, first of all, with the need for the presence of a representative of the Russian Orthodox Church at the celebrations dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the first imperial consul in Japan, Joseph Antonovich Goshkevich. In this regard, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' blessed me to represent the Church at these events, which took place with the direct participation of the Russian Embassy in Japan and Rossotrudnichestvo.
The main events took place on the northern island of Hokkaido in the city of Hakodate, where I flew via Tokyo. This is not an administrative center, but a small Japanese city with a population of approximately 250 thousand people. In the 19th century, when Japan became more open to foreigners thanks to new laws, foreign diplomats were able to arrive there, including the Russian consul I. A. Goshkevich. From the middle of the 19th century. this city began to play an important role in building relations with European countries. A Russian consulate was opened here, since Hakodate is located closest to the Russian coast. At that time, Russia itself indicated its presence in the Pacific Ocean. The development of the Far East, the development of ports and territories began. It is noteworthy that Vladivostok was founded in 1860, and the consulate in Hakodate opened a little earlier - in 1858. In terms of time, all these processes are closely related and occurred approximately in the same period of time.
Joseph Goshkevich and the first temple
Joseph Antonovich was a man of outstanding abilities. Before the diplomatic mission in Japan, he worked for more than 10 years in Beijing at the Russian Spiritual Mission, where he translated into Chinese, including Orthodox texts. An experienced, comprehensively developed, gifted man, he knew several languages. Once in Japan, the first thing he planned was to found a Russian Orthodox church in Hakodate.
Interestingly, the first Russian Orthodox prayer room opened in Hakodate on the territory of a Buddhist temple - in this regard, Buddhists are friendly. And when a plot of land was acquired, the opportunity arose to open our own temple. It was made of wood. Priest Hieromonk Filaret arrived at the temple, then priest Vasily Makhov, but they did not stay in Japan for long. And so Ivan Kasatkin, a young graduate of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, tonsured a monk in 1860, the future Saint Equal-to-the-Apostles Nicholas of Japan, was sent to Japan to follow them. I. A. Goshkevich himself contributed to the fact that an educated and capable priest was sent to Hakodate.
By God's call and the blessing of the Synod, Hieromonk Nikolai (Kasatkin) arrived in Hakodate in 1861. The activities of the young priest were supported in every possible way by the works of the first Russian consul in Japan. Therefore, our participation in the celebration of the 200th anniversary of I. A. Goshkevich was completely justified and necessary. Let us also note that the beginning of the activity of St. Nicholas coincides with the founding of Vladivostok and its first church.
The Japanese and Orthodoxy
The Japanese Orthodox Church, speaking about its flock, puts the figure at more than 30 thousand believers. Consists of three dioceses: Tokyo, Eastern and Western. The Eastern diocese is headed by Archbishop Seraphim of Sendai. The central one is Metropolitan Daniel, who also temporarily controls the Western diocese. It has its own seminary. In general, there are about 150 Orthodox parishes throughout Japan.
Hakodate is part of the Eastern Diocese. Bishop Seraphim arrived here for the celebrations as the ruling one, and we took part in the events together, served the liturgy together, and attended events together. This communication had an important aspect, since our churches are two neighboring churches. The Japanese Church is autonomous, but maintains close ties with the Moscow Patriarchate, because for the Orthodox Japanese the Russian Church is the Mother Church. His Holiness Patriarch Kirill visited Japan in 2012.
The rector of the temple in Hakodate is a Russian priest - Archpriest Nikolai Dmitriev, but he is a cleric of the Japanese Church, knows the Japanese language very well and acted as a translator.
The Orthodox Church in Hakodate is today one of the oldest in Japan. The existing building was built after a fire in 1916 on the historical site of the ministry and preaching of St. Nicholas (Kasatkin). The Orthodox community consists almost exclusively of Japanese. There is a wonderful choir here. The rector's mother, baptized Svetlana, graduated from the regency class at the St. Petersburg Theological Academy and speaks Russian well. She managed to gather a group of singers. During services, they can perform some moments in Church Slavonic, which for a Russian person immediately creates a feeling of closeness of faith. Despite the fact that we are so different, but, on the other hand, in Orthodoxy we become close.
Saint Nicholas translated the New Testament into Japanese. Thus, he was able to convey the good news to the hearts of the Japanese. And although Orthodoxy is not the largest denomination in Japan, there are more Catholics and Protestants there, but, in the words of St. Nicholas of Japan, Orthodoxy for the Japanese is a faith that makes it possible to think. And the Japanese are very observant people, for them Orthodoxy is an opening to the Heavenly world.
Many modern Japanese are characterized by pragmatism, religious issues are rather secondary. Orthodoxy is maintained by continuity: first of all, from those older generations who received the faith from St. Nicholas and passed it on to the young. There are also such cases: having visited, for example, America and discovered Orthodoxy there, young Japanese learn about the existence of the Orthodox Church in their homeland. From Russia, understanding of faith is often brought through mixed marriages.
In general, Orthodoxy in Japan has purely Russian roots. Before St. Nicholas of Japan, there were no Orthodox Christians in the Land of the Rising Sun. And attempts by other Orthodox churches to open their missions there were unsuccessful.
Dating through culture
The FEFU branch in the city of Hakodate is already twenty years old, and all this time Japanese youth have been studying Russian here. The educational building is located in the historical zone, from it to the temple - just a stone's throw away. The Russian consulate is also nearby. The branch employs very experienced teachers. One of them is Fedor Derkach, originally from Irkutsk. When I proposed to give a lecture on Orthodox icons, I thought that they would not understand me. But it turned out that they not only happily accepted this idea, but also helped: they translated the captions for the slides into Japanese. I spoke not just about the Orthodox icon, but also about its differences from a painting. They explained to me that in the curriculum there is an opportunity to deviate from regular language classes and get acquainted with Russian culture. This helps students to relax their minds, but, on the other hand, to get closer to the country whose language they are learning. After all, everything is interconnected.
Hakodate, unlike Tokyo, is a quiet provincial town where it is pleasant to live and study. True, young people do not like to stay here (there is little work) and tend to move closer to the center. But the city authorities are relying on domestic tourism (even competing with the ancient Japanese capital of Kyoto). Here the air is always fresh (no matter where you look, there is sea), and the night view from the observation deck has become the hallmark of Hakodate. If you look at the city from above, you can compare it to an open fan. There are hot springs in the city, and an hour's drive away there is a volcano and hot baths right on the seashore. Many Japanese people like to come to Hakodate to enjoy fresh sea fish and seafood: tuna, crab, squid, red caviar, sea urchin roe and much more. All this is caught nearby in the sea and immediately goes to the market and restaurants. How the Japanese eat can be judged by the fact that there are practically no overweight people there! Favorite national soup is seaweed miso with tofu cheese. The food is low-fat and not as spicy as in China or Korea.
Another interesting point. Being polite, the Japanese treat clergymen calmly and with respect if they walk around in religious clothing, for example, cassocks. In Russia, sometimes they will point the finger at such a person.
“I bless you to open doors”
At the Hakodate Temple, Fr. Nikolai Dmitriev is trying to use different forms of working with people, not only liturgical ones. Many tourists in Hakodate go to the temple, walk around, and are interested in the architecture. When entering a church, they take off their shoes at the entrance (an exception may be made for priests). There are carpets or mats everywhere inside. There are chairs for those interested. For those interested, excursions and conversations with answers to questions are organized. Father Nikolai said that people, having visited the Hakodato temple, then in other cities of Japan also begin to look for Orthodox churches — because they liked it there.
There is a playground and a park around the temple. Nearby is a priest's house and a parish house with service premises. On Sundays, classes are organized here for everyone, for example, in coloring Easter eggs. By the way, even non-Orthodox people come to them - the Japanese simply love creative activities.
Bishop Seraphim, in his sermon after the Sunday liturgy, told the parishioners: “Why are the church doors closed? Look how many people are walking around the temple! We are continuers of the work of St. Nicholas and must be open to them! I bless you to keep the doors to the temple open!”
Church - an oasis in the middle of a metropolis
Tokyo. Probably everyone who finds themselves here for the first time is surprised by the orderly movement of transport and cleanliness. Moreover, for a city with a population of millions, the streets are almost perfectly clean. Climbing the Tokyo Tower, you can see with your own eyes that in this metropolis, among the many high-rise buildings made of glass and concrete, islands of that old Tokyo that saw St. Nicholas are still preserved. The Cathedral Church of the Resurrection, unique in its architecture, is also surrounded on all sides by twin houses. If you look at it, a comparison begs to be made with another world, different from the one in which a person drives, walks, fusses, caring about many things. While it is important for a person to choose the good part, which will “never be taken away” from him.
On the territory of the cathedral is the residence of Archbishop Daniel of Tokyo, Metropolitan of All Japan. Among the shrines in the cathedral is a large particle of the relics of Equal-to-the-Apostles Nicholas (Kasatkin). It is located on the right, near the salt. For the Japanese this is a great spiritual relic. Of course, for pilgrims to touch the holy relics of St. Nicholas of Japan is a great spiritual consolation.
A famous place in Tokyo is the Yanaka Cemetery, where the burial place of St. Nicholas is located. Those who come there try to offer a prayer service to the great enlightener of Japan.
Guests from Russia in Tokyo are often met by the rector of the Patriarchal Metochion, Archpriest Nikolai Katsuban. This priest has been in Japan for twenty years.
The metochion of the Russian Church consists of three spiritual centers. There is a small house church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (old church). A new one was also erected - in honor of the holy Prince Alexander Nevsky, the construction of which was carried out with the assistance of the former Metropolitan, and now Patriarch Kirill; Most often, services take place in this church.
In addition, in Chiba Prefecture (Chiba) there is another metochion belonging to the Russian Church. His story is like this. One of the oldest Japanese bishops, Bishop Nicholas (Sayama), shortly before his death, in his will, left this property as a gift to the Russian Church - and thanks to this, the nuns of the Nativity of the Mother of God of the South Ussuri Monastery - Ksenia and Magdalena - are constantly there.
The place where the monastery is located is typically rural, peasant. There are fields around with quite interesting plants. No security or fence! The sisters say: “When we leave, we just close the doors, that’s all.” That's how it is. Perhaps because it is very difficult for attackers to hide in the country.
The sisters take care of the churches: Sophia and Nikolsky. Reconstruction is now being completed in Nikolskoye: the iconostasis is being updated. The monastery in Chibo is one of the favorite places of Orthodox Russian people who live in Tokyo and are tired of the busy city rhythm. And here it’s an hour’s drive and you’re both in the temple and in nature. They come with families, with children. Mother Magdalene organized a children's Sunday school and conducts interesting classes both on spiritual topics and developing the child's cultural horizons. Funny incidents happen: they tell how one day the children went to explore the area around the monastery, approached the poultry house, and one girl said to her mother, seeing the chickens: “Look how big the parrots are!”... The monastery, by the way, is located not far from Narita International Airport, where they fly planes from Vladivostok.
Not just neighbors...
The flight from Primorye to Tokyo takes only about two hours. It’s surprising that two different civilizations coexist so closely, but Orthodoxy unites them! There are temples, there are Orthodox Japanese who pray to God in the same way, but in their own language. This is related.
Religious Japanese are drawn to the Russian church tradition and want to learn more about spiritual life. Using the example of Japan, you are convinced that with God’s help, even one person (like Saint Nicholas of Japan) is capable of accomplishing the work of the holy mission! Lay the foundations for the movement to continue. Acquaintance with the fruits of the labors of the saint and his disciples makes one think: the Spirit of the Lord gives life and guides the Church to the very ends of the earth, both in the distant apostolic centuries and in our time.
Addresses of Russian Orthodox churches in Japan:
1) Compound in Tokyo:
2-12-17, Hon-komagome, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113, Japan Tel/Fax: 03-3947-9404;
from Russia dial +81-3-3947-9404
2) New Alexander Nevsky Temple in Tokyo: 6-2-2, Simo-Meguro, Meguro-ku, Tokyo
Tel: 03-6362-2031; from Russia dial +81-3-6362-2031
3) Compound in Chiba Prefecture (Chiba): 372, Kowa, Matsuo-cho, Sanmu-shi, Chiba-ken, 289-1504, Japan
Tel/fax: +81-479-86-2765
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